"Paws for Peace"
“Paws for Peace” is a practice that a select group of fourth-graders created in spring 2009 to continue fostering the core values of the touchstone; respect, responsibility, honesty and kindness, school-wide. The student committee created the “Paws for Peace” video at West Maple. They met frequently with the counselor to develop ideas and strategies, promote good character, and strengthen the school's commitment to the core values. Using the touchstone as a starting point, they developed a series of skits that demonstrated each trait, showing “right and wrong” ways to model good character. Students wrote scripts, gathered props, and after several weeks of rehearsals, videotaped their performance. The classrooms viewed the video, and committee members visited classrooms, answering questions and further describing what a peacemaker is and how a peacemaker acts. The school is proud to have students who attempted to promote peace.