Marla Schreffler School psychologist, Tiverton	Bill Rearick District superintendent, Tiverton

Bill Rearick and Marla Schreffler are former principal and school psychologist respectively at Tiverton High School. Mr. Rearick has since moved on to become the Tiverton Schools superintendent. Together they supported a Peer Helping Network (PHN) at the school. The PHN has evolved and expanded its activities since its inception and has become a strong force in the school. For example, the PHN presents an Eighth Graders Grand Orientation for incoming students. This program begins with an ice-breaking activity to make a connection between the high school students and the eighth graders. Students use an interactive-workshop format to explore the eighth graders’ perceptions of high school. PHN members give the incoming students tips about high school life from academics to hallway etiquette.

Members of the PHN also reach out to isolated and troubled students, engage in individualized mentoring relationships, and promote safe, school-wide activities. Students in PHN consistently raise awareness of healthy and safe behavioral choices for all students. In keeping with the objectives of Safe Schools, the PHN sponsors a Common Ground coffee club of evening entertainment provided by the students several times during the school year. Members of the PHN also go on a full-day retreat at the end of the school year.

“It has helped me to recognize that what may appear on the outside of someone is not what they are on the inside. I have learned to accept people more than I did before.”

By participating in PHN, students develop a strong sense of pride in their school and their enthusiasm is contagious and spreads throughout the school, among other students, teachers, and administrators. As one student notes, “It has helped me to recognize that what may appear on the outside of someone is not what they are on the inside. I have learned to accept people more than I did before.”

The town’s substance abuse prevention task force has cited the PHN as a major positive factor in substance abuse prevention. SALT data collected pre- and post-PHN reveals a noticeable difference in the students’ perception of the high schools as a safe school and one which has more positive interactions between teachers and students. The PHN has also received commendations from Healthy Schools! Healthy Kids!, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Rhode Island Department of Education’s Office of Special Populations.

A lot of faculty and administrative support is available for PHN at Tiverton High. As the high school principal, Mr. Rearick was involved with the PHN from the beginning. Now, as the Tiverton School superintendent, he continues his commitment to the initiative and is one of its biggest supporters. Because of his commitment, the necessary logistics, such as arranging for substitute teachers and transportation for training are available. As superintendent, he is also able to positively impact the school environment through hiring practices. “You have got to have teachers who are approachable”, he believes.

“If you do not have a positive school environment, it doesn’t matter what you teach, the students are not going to learn.”
- Bill Rearick, Tiverton Schools Superintendent