Eatonville Elementary highlights peer‑mediation and mentoring program after state recognition

Eatonville School District staff on Monday presented a peer‑mediation and mentoring program at Eatonville Elementary, describing how a recent donation funded training and launch of student mediators and middle‑school mentors.

The principal told the board the program targets social‑emotional learning and conflict resolution by training 25–26 student mediators through a two‑hour after‑school training and weekly meetings. Students wear identifying vests, carry clipboards to record unresolved incidents, and follow a step‑by‑step mediation script that includes asking whether students want help, moving disputes away from crowds, restating each person’s view and eliciting solutions.

Staff said the program began after a donation enabled tutoring support to be expanded into mentoring and mediation. Teachers and mentors nominate students; selection uses teacher recommendation and, for elementary mentees, Panorama social‑emotional survey data. The principal said 26 elementary students participated at some point this year and 22 middle‑school students served as mentors.

Students who spoke at the meeting described concrete benefits. “I can listen to both sides,” a student mediator said during a demonstration of the mediation steps, adding that the program had increased their confidence and ability to resolve disagreements. Mentors said the work also helped their own social skills and engagement.

On measures, staff reported mixed but encouraging early results: Panorama survey responses for mentees showed improvement in most areas between the fall and winter administrations, though the principal noted an increase in responses categorized as “challenging feelings,” which she said could reflect improved recognition and reporting rather than worsening wellbeing. Staff acknowledged parent survey response rates were low and said they plan to boost outreach and capture post‑program data next year.

Presenters linked the program to district discipline and attendance goals: they described trials of an “alternative recess” consequence for a small number of students that temporarily reduced incidents while noting some students disliked that option. Staff also emphasized the program’s potential for onboarding newly enrolled students who join the district midyear and may lack established peer networks.

Trustees praised the students’ presentation and the staff for piloting the program. Board members and the superintendent asked that staff follow up with clearer attendance and discipline metrics tied to program participation and said they expect a fuller update next year once post‑program data and improved parent response rates are available.

The district presented the program during an agenda that also included recognition for Eatonville Elementary from the State Board of Education for “closing gaps, targeted growth.” The principal said the recognition and the pilot program both reflect efforts to improve student outcomes by combining academic supports with social‑emotional interventions.

Next steps: staff will improve parent survey outreach, refine attendance and discipline tracking linked to program participants, and explore expanding peer mediators to more recess shifts and into younger grades if staffing and scheduling permit.