Peace Guide Service Progresses and Adapts

Our Peace Guide Services are moving along, and we are so excited to welcome our first Peace Guide, Mary Mortenson! Mary started in October and is working three days per week at St. Helena Catholic School in South Minneapolis.

Mary Mortenson, Peace Guide at St. Helena’s

Here’s what she had to say about why the Peace Guide role is important to her and how she hopes to make an impact.

Why do you want to work as a Peace Guide?

I really care about how we treat one another. The principles of restorative justice allow for accountability and reconciliation. It asks us to be self-reflective as we understand our own contribution to the problem; it helps us see others as much bigger than their actions; and it requires us to be creative as we move towards repair. This is what draws me into this work, and I am excited to grow in this role.

What are you most excited about when it comes to the role and/or work?

I am most excited about building relationships with the students and staff. I want the kids to feel safe with me and I want to know about their lives outside of the classroom. I am also excited to offer a little more support to the teachers. Their job is immense, and I can relieve them a little by helping them address the relational challenges among students and with them as a teacher.

What do you hope to accomplish?

I hope to empower students and staff by offering knowledge and tools that will help them build healthy relationships and creatively solve interpersonal conflicts as they come along.

St. Helena’s students prior to Covid-19

Unfortunately, we had to put recruiting for a Peace Guide for Little Mountain Elementary School on hold due to their transition to full-time distance learning. We are hopeful that we will be able to fill the position when kids return to school.

First day at St. Helena’s! (From left: Ellen Rian, Principal; Chris Benefield, School Counselor; Mary Mortenson, Peace Guide)

Because we received a grant from the State’s Office of Justice Programs to help fund the Peace Guide position, those funds have been re-allocated to another need identified by our partner schools: additional playground equipment, supplies, and storage.

“Due to Covid, we have had to move to a restricted playground zone system,” said Kathy Hammil, Dean of Students at Little Mountain Elementary. “Each classroom has to play in a specific zone with the zones rotating weekly. Introducing new [equipment] every five weeks, would certainly help to keep the peace on the playground.” All our partner schools currently have the option to complete an application for funding.

We are grateful for flexibility in recent grant funding, which allows us to re-prioritize resources at this time. We are also thankful to everyone who has supported the Peace Guide Services. Thank you for your contributions.