Coming back after three years away, the Peer Communications class, currently taught by English teacher Matthew Carroll, teaches juniors and seniors how to peer mediate by being an unbiased facilitator of student issues on the PRHS campus.
Although the class has been on the registration packet for the last three years, students began finding interest in the class during the 2024-2025 registration period when Carroll announced he would be the teacher.
“Talking with a student whose sister was a part of the class and her experiences being in the class her junior and senior year, I realized bringing the class back really dialed down to student want and need,” Carroll said.
By being a mediator between peers, it settles discourse in an effective way through guidance and professional input.
Peer mediation is when a trained student is a third party in a dispute between other students; the dispute could entail arguments over how to split group work, tension between friends, gossip or rumors spreading, and etc. As the mediator, students are trained not to take sides and instead calm the situation with tactics of letting the students come to solutions themselves and assisting them towards a resolution.
The class teaches skills that are beneficial towards careers in psychology like therapists, teachers, and school counselors.
“One day I want to be a social worker and taking this class will teach me basic skills I’ll need for my career,” junior Aleah Zeron said. “Half the people in the class I really wouldn’t have talked to if it wasn’t for this class. This class helps me get out of my comfort zone,” she continued.
With the lessons on communicating with peers, being able to understand other’s perspectives, and leading with empathy through their training, students learn to branch out to different people in order to prepare them for the challenges to come. With their training assignments dealing with different forms of arguments and feuds, the Peer class will have the resources to solve the problems by using communication and resolvent skills.
Additionally, Carroll’s prior experience from teaching it for five years helps the class stick to their core values of creating a positive space on campus by talking to students who are in need and bringing awareness of teen issues to the community.
The expected date to conclude the 40 training lessons is in November when the class will be certified to begin their peer-to-peer counseling, tutoring, and guiding. The lessons involve class discussions, research-based presentations, and work sheets that require the class to talk with each other in interview-like situations that help build stronger class relationships.
In previous years, once students were certified they must meet a minimum of 40 community service hours per school year and Carroll anticipates following a similar requirement this year. Their work in the community happens during school hours like tutorial, lunch, and sometimes during after school hours if necessary.
