Empowering Student Leaders at Miramonte Elementary

This article was written by Michelle Dodson, Principal of Miramonte Elementary in Clovis Unified School District, California. Michelle is in her third year leading the school after five years as its Guidance Instructional Specialist, and she was part of the team that first implemented The Positivity Project (P2) at Miramonte in 2018.

At Miramonte Elementary, we believe character is something students live out every day. We chose to implement The Positivity Project (P2) at our school to give students a structured way to work through what they face socially. We wanted our students to be able to handle complicated situations with their peers and to keep at it when those situations are hard. Without P2, our school culture would lack the shared vocabulary that allows students to understand their own strengths and the strengths of others.

One of the ways we have built P2 into our school is through our Mustang Mediator program. Led by third-grade teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Marquez, this group of 37 student leaders serves as the frontline for kindness and conflict resolution on our campus.

Living Our Motto

At Miramonte, we have a campus motto that defines every interaction:

At Miramonte, we love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

It is a promise of unconditional support, and the Mustang Mediators are how that promise shows up on the playground.

The program ties directly into the P2 framework by modeling the character strengths of kindness and social intelligence, along with the Other People Mindset (OPM) element of helping others when they struggle. Our mediators show their peers that even when someone makes a mistake or gets into a conflict, they are still a valued part of our community. They reinforce the idea that support is always available, regardless of the situation.

Training at Clovis East High School

Becoming a Mustang Mediator starts with a foundation of leadership training. At the start of the year, Mrs. Marquez takes our 37 mediators to our feeder high school, Clovis East. There, they are trained by high school peer mediators in conflict resolution and mediation techniques. This bridge between the elementary and high school levels builds community and gives our students a look at long-term mentorship.

Our students learn that confidentiality is a cornerstone of trust, and they often explain to their peers that “all issues are confidential” or, as they put it, “we don’t tell.” On any given day during morning recess, you can find our mediators in their signature orange shirts, clipboards in hand, ready to listen and help their peers work toward a solution.

The Bigs and Littles Program

Recently, we expanded our P2 implementation to address a broader range of needs by launching the Bigs and Littles mentor program. We recognized that conflict resolution matters, and that some students also need a consistent mentor to guide their character development.

Mustang Mediators are paired with primary-grade students who are referred by teachers or staff. These Littles are students who may need extra support, who benefit from help establishing healthy friendships, or who need behavioral support or academic encouragement.

Our mediators meet with their Littles daily, which gives them a chance to model social intelligence in the moment. Daily contact makes it a real commitment to supporting another student’s growth and making sure that student feels what we call Miramonte Love.

The Real Life Impact on Our Students

The impact of P2 shows up in the stories of individual students. For privacy, we have changed the names of the students involved.

Zack, a second-grader, was frequently struggling during recess. He found it difficult to play fairly and often had trouble keeping himself in check when a game did not go his way. This led to incidents on the playground that often required adult intervention. Zack was paired with Aubrey, a sixth-grader and our Student Body President.

Aubrey used her training to mentor Zack daily. She focused on the character strength of self-control and helped Zack practice using his words rather than reacting in the moment. By leading by example, Aubrey showed Zack that he was supported and capable of change. Today, the change is clear. Zack no longer has incidents on the playground, and he has started playing with his peers in a positive, inclusive way. He has learned that at Miramonte, he is loved, and that support helped him find the strength to improve himself.

Why P2 Matters

The Mustang Mediator program works because it gives students ownership of their school environment. When students see their peers wearing those orange shirts, they see OPM in action.

Without P2, our campus would likely be a place where adults settle conflicts, and behavior is handled through discipline alone. What we have instead is a campus where students lead. We are proud to show the world that through P2 and our Mustang Mediators, we will continue to tell every student: We love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.