In a small town some years ago, five high school seniors with a need to be remembered hatched a plan for a prank they believed would be simple and harmless - steal five or six turkeys from a local farm, break into their school, set the turkeys loose, let them make a mess, and everyone would have a laugh the next morning when everyone got to school. That isn't exactly how events unfolded that night. It's a bit of a long story, but sadly, two turkeys died and the school was completely a mess. Beyond the condition of the school, the community was deeply hurt, saddened, and angry with these boys for what they did.

The school and farm pressed charges, and the case went before a judge. He saw the harm the boys had caused the community and saw the need to repair it, so he referred the case to the restorative justice program for a restorative conference. A restorative conference is facilitated by a neutral third party and is participated in by the one(s) who caused the harm, their families, and those harmed in the incident (be it physically or emotionally).

The high school's custodian participated in the conference, and in the prep work told the facilitator that he didn't want to get in a circle and sing "Kum Bah Ya." In the conference, one of the seniors spoke with his voice trembling about the shame he felt and not being able to look anyone in the eye as he walked around town. The custodian told him, "The next time you see me on the street, you can look me in the eye because I will remember you for who you were tonight and not for what you did."

This is discipline that works. It lets people know that they didn't merely violate a rule - they violated a relationship. And, then it puts the onus on them to repair it directly with the person they harmed. In the coming weeks, I will write more about this approach to discipline - the research behind it and ways we are putting it to use at Norton Creek.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for supporting our school through Loop the Lake! If you still have an envelope to hand in, our PTO has extended the deadline until tomorrow.

LUNCH SCHEDULES:

Kindergarten: 11:40 - 12:00

1st Grade: 12:00 - 12:20

2nd Grade: 12:20 - 12:40

3rd Grade: 12:40 -1:00

4th Grade: 11:00 - 11:20

5th Grade: 11:20 -11:40