Courage in Schools: The CORE Program

by Chris Love, Montana Courage & Renewal Facilitator

“Principals and teachers need to make concerted efforts to promote an environment of trust and respect – of each other and of students,” advocates the 2004 National Research Council report Engaging Schools: Fostering High School Students’ Motivation to Learn. At Havermale High School in Spokane, Washington, Courage & Renewal facilitator Dr. Cindy McMahon, and her administrative colleagues, Fred Schrumpf and Jay Jordan, are walking this talk to transform not only their students’ school learning experience, but perhaps even their very lives.

To increase trust and respect at Havermale, Principal Schrumpf, Assistant Principal Jordan and Principal Assistant McMahon have introduced many changes in the past several years. The innovative CORE (Communities Of Respect and Empowerment) Retreat Program offers students and staff a day-long opportunity for transformational trust-building. This year each of Havermale’s five “core” groups of 60-70 students – and the 8-member staff team that teaches, counsels and administers each core group – will leave school for its own “day away” retreat. Goals common to all five retreats are building trust, understanding and respect for all. Additional goals are created to address the unique needs of the particular core group attending each retreat. The program was adopted after two highly successful pilot retreats were held last year at Havermale.

“We believe that students who feel known and valued are more likely to attend school and have more confidence as learners,” explains Cindy. “We also believe that students who have a sense of belonging and connection have more positive relationships with other students and their teachers – resulting in a more trustworthy and respectful school climate.”

To help students feel better known, valued and connected, the Havermale CORE retreat model draws from a variety of resources. As the retreat opens, participants are asked to commit to group agreements similar to those used in Courage and Renewal retreats. These include being present physically and mentally, choosing when and how much to share, using “I” statements, no “fixing,” letting go of judgment, showing respect for diverse opinions and honoring silence. The agreements give students “lots of freedom to be who you are” and encourage respect for the viewpoints of others, says Cindy.

The students spend the rest of the day in activities that range from reflective to high energy, moving in and out of solo, small and large group activities. All are designed to encourage connection, courage and commitment to one another. The agenda is carefully designed, yet adaptive, with an eye toward gradually building trust.

“If you really knew me, you would know …” is an activity CORE Retreats draw from the national Challenge Day retreat program. Participants complete the statement many times during the day in small groups, at first revealing easy-to-share answers and then responses at deeper and deeper levels. Completing the sentence and listening to their peers do the same helps students realize that pain, loss, being left out, judgment and criticism are a common denominator, explains Cindy.

Students also complete an individual beading activity in which they symbolize important events and people who have shaped their lives. They share what they choose from this activity in small groups. Later in the day they participate in a large-group experiential activity called “Cross the Line,” demonstrated in the movie Freedom Writers. Designed to deepen the lesson that kids are not alone in the pain they have both experienced and inflicted on others, “Cross the Line” asks them to step over a line on the floor if they have experienced what the facilitator describes. Real-life prompts include an array of experiences teens often share but may never have talked about, from making or being the target of racial or gender slurs to losing someone they love deeply. They debrief the activity in the safety of small groups.

Counselors are present throughout the retreat to work with kids who may be on the verge of sharing more than they can handle. “We don’t want anyone to be at risk of regretting what is shared,” says Cindy. “Adults there have been trained to divert ‘over share’ and to encourage students to talk to them individually.” She adds that facilitating teens requires constant attuning on the part of facilitators. Responding to group needs and emotions may mean adjusting the agenda to insert a break or to slow down the pace, play music, add a high energy team game or re-group into small groups.

Facilitators save the last part of each retreat to pose take-away questions, “What if our world opened its eyes like you have today? What can we do to take what we have learned back to our school and beyond?”

Just what do Havermale students take back to school and life from these retreats? In the closing circle one teen turns to another and says, “I’m sorry if I ever ‘mean-mugged’ you.” Back at school, another says, “Leave that kid alone.” A girl who feared being judged before says, “I just look at people and smile now.”

At the end of the day, students share their final thoughts into the circle: “We can’t be so mean to each other.” “Everyone deserves respect.” “I didn’t know we all had so much in common.” The retreats open doors for connections between everyone present. There is a new awareness that the judging that goes on between individuals and groups must be replaced with “something else” – moving beyond barriers to sharing dignity and respect with others.