Shawnee High School’s colors may be blue and white, but school administrators said students have been seeing green thanks to an anti-violence program.
The Green Dot program at Shawnee High School was started four years ago to help reduce negative actions, whether physical, verbal or emotional. In the program, violent, abusive or bullying-type acts are considered to be red dots. Students are encouraged to get rid of these red dots in the school culture with positive actions, referred to as green dots.
“A red dot could be as simple as a hit or a shove, or it’s using negative words in a post or a text,” Shawnee Principal Matthew Campbell said. “Green dots are basically when someone steps up or gets involved.”
The pilot program began following a period of three years where the school saw a jump in suspensions. In the three years prior to the start of Green Dot in the 2011–12 school year, Shawnee had 49 suspensions.
Each year, a group of 30 sophomores, juniors and seniors are nominated to be student leaders in the program. The group is typically balanced between the three grade levels and as well as boys and girls. Staff members and teachers can nominate students, and students can also self-nominate themselves.
Campbell said the group of 30 consists of students from all different backgrounds and social groups. To make the program work successfully, the staff tries to find leaders throughout the student body.
“We try to identify students who have a large influence in their circles,” Campbell said.
After going through training during the summer, the student leaders act on their roles throughout the school year. Coinciding with the Lenape School District’s motto of teaching students to be upstanders, these student leaders are encouraged to step in when they see negative actions taking place.
The student leaders also instruct the freshman class to be upstanders themselves. The students go into ninth-grade health classes each year to train the freshmen on how to be a green dot in the same way they have learned. With Green Dot in its fourth year, the program has now gone through the entire student body.
“Every student in our building has gone through Green Dot training in health class,” Campbell said.
The Green Dot message is also spread outside freshmen health classes. Student leaders speak at large group assemblies throughout the year to continue to promote the message. Green Dot’s themes are also present in the district’s other anti-bullying initiatives.
Since launching Green Dot, Shawnee has seen a 34 percent reduction in suspensions compared to the three years prior.
Green Dot is still considered a pilot program at Shawnee, but Campbell said the reduction in suspensions the past three years is evidence it is having a positive effect on the student body.
“You really feel a difference in the community,” he said.
Chris Heilig, director of programs and planning for the Lenape district, said Green Dot could be expanded to the other three high schools sometime in the future.
