For almost three years, Kroc Institute undergraduate and graduate students have made their own efforts to address the problem of violence in the schools. In 2001-02, about 50 Notre Dame students - many of whom were students at the Institute - volunteered with "Take Ten" an innovative peacebuilding program for students in grades 4 through 6.

In South Bend schools, program volunteers worked weekly with children who become Take Ten's "peace ambassadors" in their own schools. Take Ten ambassadors shared lessons about peacemaking through lunch-hour skits, posters and announcements. They are encouraged to creatively expand on Take Ten principles or guidelines, such as "Weapons have no place in solving conflicts in school," or "School should be a violence-free zone," or "No one has the right to hurt someone or destroy something because of the way he or she feels."

Take Ten was introduced in South Bend by Jay Caponigro, Director of the Robinson Community Learning Center, a project of Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns. Caponigro first observed the program in Chicago and felt that every school could use it. "In one school, violence might be swearing and name-calling; in another, it's punching," he explained.

Jim Kapsa, principal of 700 students at Darden Elementary School in South Bend, agreed that school violence is a growing concern. "One question that parents ask when I meet them is 'How safe is your school?'" he said. Both students and parents are afraid of gangs and shootings. But, Kapsa says, there are fewer violent incidents since Take Ten came to Darden two years ago.

Sister Dian Majsterek, principal of 103 students at St. Adalbert School, also saw improvement. "I do lunchroom duty in the cafeteria," she said. "Students would come and say: 'he threw this or that' or 'she's calling me this or that.' Now, I just remind them of the Take Ten motto: "Talk It Out, Work It Out, Walk It Out."

Notre Dame freshman Bill Coffey was so impressed with the program at Muessel School that he volunteered to be Take Ten's student coordinator in 2002-03. Coffey thought that one of Take Ten's simulations on verbal violence and the value of dialogue was particularly effective. "We had two kids stand back to back. One was verbally abusive while the other remained silent." Coffey said. "Victims" felt threatened, fearful or even guilty, Coffey recalled. Later, kids faced each other and shared their feel-ings. Dialogue and mutual respect emerged where one might have expected name-calling or anger.

Notre Dame senior Beth Krause was Take Ten's student coordinator for 2001-2002. Though Peace Studies was her minor, Krause knew it would be difficult to teach nonviolence to kids who sometimes faced violence at school, home or in their neighborhoods. "I soon found that I was learning along with students that nonviolence is a viable means to address conflict and a better way to live life," she wrote in a term-paper about Take Ten.

During the 2002-2003 school year, South Bend's Take Ten program will have a new Project Director. Kim Overdyck, a 2002 M.A. graduate of the Kroc Institute, would like to see Take Ten in every South Bend school. But Overdyck also understands that peace education takes time.

"I want children to have an alternative to vio-lence when faced with a conflict, and I believe that Take Ten is that alternative," commented Overdyck. "We need to stop the cycle of violence in our society, and the best place to start is with our children. Children need to know that the bravest action is a non-violent action."

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