Story by Josh Thompson

A program created to stop bullying and conflict among students came back with overwhelmingly positive feedback from students at Snyder-Girotti Elementary School.

The program, known as STAR, was first introduced to students at Snyder-Girotti Elementary in January 2022. The program director Kate Whitman explained the program in detail at the Bristol Borough School District meeting last week. 

For one week, each 3rd grade class would participate in the STAR program and learn 5 lessons on how to build a peaceful classroom, practice empathy towards each other, name their emotions and healthy coping skills, along with ways to stand up when they see bullying resolving conflicts using the STAR method, Stop, Think, Ask, Resolve.

According to the report, an anonymous survey was done by students who participated in the program. The STAR program seemed to be a hit with students at the elementary school, as feedback shows more students looked forward to coming to school since STAR, got along better with classmates, and were better at calming themselves down and sharing their emotions. 

The STAR program isn’t just for elementary students though, as Whitman expressed interest in bringing it to middle school and high school students across Bucks County. 

The STAR program is run by the Peace Center, a non-profit organization focused on preventing violence, promoting peaceful resolution of conflict, and creating inclusive and safe communities locally. 

Bristol Friends Meeting funded the program.