What's Happening Now Archives

March 14, 2018 By Rodger Dinwiddie, CEO of STARS

A Reflection on School Shootings

A Snapshot of School Shootings

“Copycat Threats Fuel the Fear,”

“19 Years after Columbine, schools are locked tightly”,

“Generation Columbine knows no other worlds”

These are headlines from recent articles in local and national newspapers spurred by the horrible tragedy at Parkland. Parkland is now a word that will be etched in our minds forever, just as Columbine is from nearly 20 years ago.

The headline, “Generation Columbine knows no other world” is a tragic reminder of a hard reality. Young people and schools changed forever on April 20, 1999. While there had been many shootings reported in the 1990s prior to Columbine, and many in the years afterward, nothing prepared the nation for the deaths of 17 young people and adults that occurred on February 14, 2018, in Florida.

Shootings Have Been Close to Home

Before Columbine (for those of us living in Nashville) there was another tragic event that occurred on April 21, 1994. Directly across the street from my residence at John Trotwood Middle School, a seventh grader was shot to death in a classroom while watching a video of Beauty and the Beast. Terrence Murray was 13 and tragically died when the weapon of another 14-year-old discharged.

This horrible event happened in a classroom, in a school, where my children would soon attend. My son would attend JT Moore in just 4 short months and my daughter would follow the next year. Friends in our neighborhood had children in the school and in the classroom where the shooting took place. The sights and sounds that afternoon with the news crews, police and cleaning crews (with an awful steam cleaning vacuum sound coming from inside the school) will never fade. The impact on our neighborhood was traumatic. Life in Nashville in schools would never be the same. Our children, 13 and 11, would grow up in a world that had changed, in an instant, because of the death of a middle school student in a classroom. The unthinkable had happened.

Shootings Across our Nation

Five years later on April 20^th, stories broke of a tragic multiple causality shooting in Littleton, Colorado. Again, neighbors had close relatives with children attending Columbine. The years between these two tragedies included 30 more school shootings, several in Tennessee. Personally and professionally, these tragedies would influence my life’s work. At STARS, we became trained in best practices in bullying prevention, an issue that appeared to be a significant risk factor for many of these young shooters.

In a February 27, 2018, article, the Conversation, by Jeff Daniels, referred to the report that was released by the Secret Service in 2002 following the Columbine attack. Daniels posed the question, “Has the research (some 15 years ago) been ignored or forgotten?” We do know some things that we can do to help prevent these horrible tragedies. Beyond the debate on gun ownership the Secret Service found:

Incidents of targeted violence at school rarely were sudden, impulsive acts
Prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker’s idea and/or plan to attack
Most attackers “engaged in some behavior prior to the incident that caused others concern or indicated a need for help
While most attackers—96%—were male, the report found that there is no accurate or useful ‘profile’ of students who engage in targeted school violence
Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures. Moreover, many had considered or attempted suicide
Many attackers felt bullied, persecuted or injured by others prior to the attack

What We’ve Seen at STARS

Our work at STARS has taken us to different parts of the state and the country in the aftermath of some of these terrible events. Some schools and communities needed follow-up in helping them deal with the trauma of such a tragic event. Others wanted solid evidenced-based trainings to help prevent these catastrophic events. In all cases, school leaders, parents, and communities wanted to do everything possible to ensure that yet another generation could know a different world.

My birthday is April 20^th. The events surrounding my birthday have been etched into my memory forever. The domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19^th, Columbine on the 20^th and JT Moore on the 21^st are stark reminders of the senseless loss of life of too many young and old. These dates are also markers of my hope; that we may not forget some of the things for which we know to be on the lookout and that we would be ever more vigilant to protect, safeguard and strongly advocate for the safety and well-being of our children.

May our younger generation know a different world!

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July 6, 2016 By Rodger Dinwiddie

STARS earn 4-star rating from Charity Navigator

We are very pleased to announce that STARS has received the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. This is the first time we have received this honor.

In Tennessee, 43 not for profits received the 4 star-rating, of these, 17 were human services related organizations. In addition to STARS the following local groups, with budgets between $3.5-$15M, received this rating along with STARS. They are: The Boys and Girls Club, Family and Children’s Services, Safe Haven Family Shelters, Graceworks, Martha O’Bryan Center, Mercy Multiplied, The Nashville Rescue Mission, and The Next Door.

This honor reflects the leadership of our dedicated Board of Directors who have always placed the highest value on integrity and transparency. Their oversight, leadership and involvement are the reasons we have received this rating. We know that without having a board asking all the right questions, reviewing all our information and caring so deeply about the integrity of the organization, helped us receive this 4-star rating.

Check out the full report here.

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August 19, 2015 By Rodger Dinwiddie

Integrating School Climate Reform

My Experience at IIRP’s Integrating School Climate Reform

One of the most enjoyable, rewarding parts of my work is providing training for school personnel. I believe in professional development and care deeply about serving those that care for our young people. I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of schools, districts and community organizations as well as lots of different programs these last 30 years. A constant question throughout the years from educators is “How do we coordinate all these initiatives we implement with any degree of success? There are so many programs and we can’t do another one.” I share their concerns!

In July, I had the privilege of serving as a panel member at a symposium sponsored by the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP). This was a first: a gathering of 150 plus school and community leaders from across the United States committed to working together with the dual purpose of learning from each other and how to consider integrating frameworks for the improvement of school climate efforts. Panel members included leaders from nationally and internationally evidence-based programs and practices; Jeff Sprague, Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, Tia Kim the Committee for Children (Second Step and Steps to Respect), Rick Phillips, Safe Ambassador Program, Jane Riese, Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, Jonathan Cohen, National School Climate Center, Keith Hickman, IIRP, and yours truly representing STARS Student Assistance Programs.

A Snapshot of School Climate Discussion

IIRP hosted this first of its kind symposium entitled, “Integrating School Climate Reform Efforts”. A small group discussion format based on the civic engagement work of Peter Block was facilitated by dear friend and colleague, Lee Rush (certified trainer). CEO of IIRP, John Bailie, spearheaded the initiative. After brief presentations from panel members the entire group participated in circles, the cornerstone of restorative practices, and discussed topics related to how best to address issues of school climate from a very broad perspective. The process was powerful and there were great moments of insight captured for future discussion and possible action steps.

While the intent of the symposium was not to reach consensus about an overall strategy to integrate and coordinate all these or for that matter, any of the hundreds of efforts across the country, the conversations stimulated tremendous thought and generated many possibilities. This was no simple, single event attempt to solve all the issues related to integration of programs, services and frameworks. It was a purposeful, thoughtful conversation. Some of the next steps will include the development of a “white paper” outlining findings and key observations from the symposium.

Endless Possibilities for Collaboration and Integration

I believe I’d be correct in stating that one of the greatest benefits, personally and professionally, was the interactions and development of relationships with members of the panel and participants. Many of the panel members had never met individually, or spent this amount of time learning from one another. The future meetings and conversations that will result from this first gathering will no doubt bring about possibilities for collaboration and integration. It was a powerful opportunity to begin a very important conversation to address the question from many educators.

“How do we work all these efforts together?”

Read about the Restorative Works Learning Network recap of IIRP Symposium: Integrating School Climate Reform Efforts blog post.

July 1, 2015 By Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

Understanding the Student Athlete

And why they are so necessary to improve school climate.

In 2008, my CEO came into my office and gave me a copy of the July7, 2008, Sports Illustrated article, Jocks Against Bullies, written by Selena Roberts. You can read the article here. It highlights the power and positive influence high school athletes can have on an entire school by standing up against bullying. He challenged me to blend my athletic past with my passion for working with young people to create a youth empowerment movement addressing the issues of bullying and harassment. I readily accepted the challenge and set to work.
So often, it is the student athlete who bullies. Years later, many people are still affected by a student athlete who bullied or harassed them. I recently spoke with a teacher who shared his high school experience regarding student athletes.

He stated, “They made my life a living hell and I hated my high school experience.”

I shared with him my task to help student athletes understand the enormous amount of power they have to lead, to change, to heal or to destroy. As former student athlete, I understand the power, fear and the responsibility that comes with being on a pedestal, along with being afraid of being knocked off and the shame of being ordinary.
Personally, I believe student athletes have a greater responsibility to do the “right thing” than they could ever imagine. Why? Because they walk a higher path; someone is always watching and looking up to them because they wear a jersey. Some elementary, middle, high school student or adult is looking up to them because they represent a symbol of power and respect. For that reason, student athletes have an enormous influence on school culture. I hear it all the time from non-athletes:

“I want to be just like them; to be popular; to be in; to be accepted.”

When student athletes see and understand the power they possess, they can become the game changer to create a positive change in people and their school. It has been a mission of mine to make the student athlete aware of the awesome responsibilities that come along with wearing that jersey—being a positive role model. It’s important to target as many student athletes as possible, to challenge them to physically and emotionally get involved in their school initiatives, to lead the movement of change.

But first, we must understand the student athlete.

Just like the traditional students, many athletes are afraid; I believe the fear to fit in is so great that even the student athlete hides behind a mask, too afraid to show his or her true authentic self to peers. It takes a different kind of courage to compete athletically. But I believe courage isn’t found on the football field, baseball field or a basketball court, but in the hallways, in the classrooms, on the buses, and in the lunch area.
Understanding the mindset of many student athletes, their need for a challenge, to be competitive and to win, our team challenges them to stop being afraid and to win in the hallways of their schools by embracing those who aren’t on a pedestal; by giving value to other students, by passing out compliments, assisting in hallway high-fives, providing classroom pats on the backs, school-wide smiles, lunch room invitations, and most of all to take a risk and be willing to fail. As athletes, we are taught to get back up when we are knocked down, to keep going when others stop, to sacrifice for the team– for others. So when the student athlete realizes that being a team player isn’t just limited to a gym or stadium but to their schools, they begin to understand and see the true power and meaning of leadership.
These student athletes see how their attitudes and actions have an effect on their school, and for those who embrace this opportunity, by taking the risk of becoming their true authentic selves, they see, in the words of Marianne Williamson, that their greatest fear is not that they are inadequate but they are powerful beyond measure. It’s their light, not their darkness, that most frightens them. We are all meant to shine and the light is not just in some of us but in all of us. When student athletes allow their lights to shine, they unconsciously give others permission to do the same. When they are liberated from their own fear, their positive presence automatically liberates others. When this happens, when we stand up for others, we change the culture and improve the climate.

MOVE2STAND

Today, I work with an amazing team of caring adults committed to the social and emotional well-being of all children. Our MOVE2STAND team is invited into schools and communities to empower young people to be the change they want to see. The work is one of love and humility. I am a grateful witness to the magic that takes place when kids and adults remove their masks and treat one another with compassion and respect.

June 2, 2015 By STARS Leave a Comment

Internet Safety Tips

With summer just around the corner, kids and teenagers will be spending more time on social media channels and less time supervised by an adult. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a few helpful tips to ensure your family is staying safe online.

Social Media Can Wait

Don’t be afraid to ask your child (13 or younger) why he/she feels social media sites such as SnapChat, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and Facebook are appropriate for their age group? Ask them why they want to be on social networking sites. If you feel like they are not ready to have a social media account, explain to them why you do not feel comfortable with the idea, the benefits of not having a social media account, and the perks of enjoying real-world activities over social media. Remind them that social media sites are not going anywhere. They have the rest of their lives to be active on social media accounts.

Know Their Passwords

It is important for you to know their passwords and periodically check their social media channels for anything out of the ordinary. Make sure your child is aware you know their passwords, that you will be routinely checking their page as a way to ensure their safety (not as a means to be “nosey”), and that your primary goal is their safety.

Accept Parents’ Friend Request

We can already hear the uproar, “No! My mom joined Instagram and she wants to be my friend…Ugh. Gotta start using SnapChat instead…” The important part is to explain why accepting your friend request on social media channels is significant to their safety. Encourage other adult friends to follow/friend your child.

Friends Only

Privacy settings should be set to the highest level possible (i.e Friends Only). Privacy settings are relatively the same for each platform but periodically they are updated, so stay informed with the privacy settings to ensure your child is protected. Additionally, make sure your children know not to share personal information such as where they live, phone numbers, or any information you wouldn’t want on the web. As a house rule, your children should not accept anyone on any of their social media channels whom they do not know personally.

**Parents, it is your job to make sure they are sticking to this rule!

Helpful Suggestions:

As an adult, you need to be the expert. Stay informed of the latest social media channels, how they work, their privacy settings, etc.

We suggest the “family computer” be kept in a common area of the home where everyone has access to the computer and it is clearly visible. If your child has his or her own laptop or iPad, it is important to come up with guidelines of when, where, and how long he or she uses it. The same can be said for cell phones.

To help both parties agree on the terms and conditions of using technology, create a family contract that outlines your expectations as well as theirs. This will help ease conflicts down the road. If you are looking for an example of a contract, head on over to: Cyber Bullying Website

For more helpful tips and advice visit our blog!

STARS exists to serve schools and communities by providing prevention, intervention, and treatment services addressing bullying, substance abuse, violence and social and emotional barriers to success.