WVHS students break down walls

Photo by Paul Robeson

BENDING KNEES: Students at West Valley High School sat on each others’ knees during a special training program.

“It’s hard to hate someone whose story you know” was the theme for a two-day program presented at West Valley High School recently.

“Breaking Down the Walls” was the name of the interactive program that was presented in an effort to create “self-reflection and community building.”

Stu Cabe was the Learning for Living facilitator who made the presentations.

“By working with their peers, students learn they are not isolated from, but rather a part of a community that needs each other to be fully successful,” said Cabe.

The first day students met in the gym as Cabe used stories and humor to involve the students.

Students were trained to become small group assistants. These leaders were selected from different groups on campus. As trained leaders, these students learned skills in the small group process and learned to build a “common purpose that creates a more compassionate and respectful climate on campus.”

The program is designed to teach students how to communicate and really listen to each other and to give them “tools to work together in times of question or conflict.”

For more information about the program, visit www.learningforliving.com.