Two members from Seattle’s National Center for Restorative Justice (NC4RJ) visited SIS to provide insight on restorative justice on Sep. 30. Throughout the school day, groups of students and faculty, including the HSSC, had the opportunity to gather and discuss constructive ways to approach conflict resolution in interpersonal spheres. The workshop sought to support student leaders with strategies for being effective leaders of clubs and other student-led organizations. 

“Conflict happens all around us, every day, as it is a natural part of life,” Chris DelVecchio, vice principal and workshop organizer, said. “Despite that, we don’t really put a lot of focus and emphasis on developing conflict resolution skills or situational awareness skills. So this was an opportunity for some skill building that, although not exclusively related to conflict resolution, is very much transferrable to conflict resolution situations and organizational leadership at the student leader level.”

During the meetings, students, faculty, and NC4RJ’s two workshop leaders explored topics such as social responsibility and interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental conflicts through discussions and games. For instance, the group also played a game of “Would You Rather” and discussed how distinct ideas can lead to conflicts in a social setting. In another portion of the workshop, individuals took turns in the circle revealing when they demonstrated social responsibility or negligence and commented how their choices might have impacted the people or environment around them. 

“I think [the workshop’s effectiveness] will reveal itself over the course of the year, whether students who attended feel like they are more equipped to lead the organizations in an authoritative rather than authoritarian manner,” Mr. DelVecchio said. “This is the first big step towards fulfilling that goal of bringing our students leaders collectively towards a more skillful executive of their duties.”