‘Calm Corner’ reduces conflict, creates meaningful resolutions

WADESBORO — A former Anson High School graduate has spearheaded an initiative in Cumberland County Schools to reduce the suspension rate, stop fights and limit conflict within the school system between students and staff.

Anthone Harris, a restorative justice coordinator at Pine Forest High, as implemented various therapeutic in a preventative ‘Calm Corner’ where students can come to do yoga, play with sensory tools or decompress.

The Calm Corner is a place where students can come for 10-15 minutes and have a brief retreat from the classroom.

“Instead of kids arguing and fussing and end up fighting, they actually get to come to the Calm Corner and talk about it,” Harris, a licensed social worker, said. “A lot of the kids came and said they didn’t know there was a place where they could go and talk and not get judged.”

Especially for ninth graders at his school, Harris said many of them feel like they never experienced middle school due to the pandemic, which has created lingering issues with conflict resolution, which can be magnified by stress at home.

Pine Forest High has three Calm Corner areas situated around the school. Guidance counselors and social workers have worked with other 100 students in this program, with many students returning. Harris said his main role is often just listening.

“They feel like whenever they talk to authority figures, not just teachers, not just principals, they feel like they’re talking to people who are just going to report back to another authority figure and might get in trouble,” Harris said.

Countywide, there are about 2 or 3 Calm Corners at each elementary, middle and high school in Cumberland County.

Harris believes that a similar program to the Calm Corner concept would be be beneficial in Anson County Schools. Administrator Student & Administrative Services Mary B. Ratliff shared that there is not anything similar to the Calm Corner concept in ACS.

In 2020, Harris’s job title switched from in-school suspension coordinator to the restorative justice coordinator. He believes that this shift has been important, and thanked Dr. Julie McDonald for letting him take over the program at the high school.

Previously, students would arrive to ISS and not do much. Now, students must complete required behavioral modules where Harris is able to flag any concerning answers or behaviors.

“We don’t want kids to make a mistake and then we just punish them,” Harris said. “We want to find out why they’re making that mistake, why they’re so upset. Just having that conversation with them has helped a lot.”

Harris couldn’t provide the exact numbers of the reduction in school suspensions, but said that the Calm Corner has resulted in fewer punitive measures for students.

Around 30 individuals donated towards the Calm Corner, mostly from Anson County. Harris wanted to thank Susan Johnson, Michael McLeod, William McQuinn (DJ Ksmooth), Antonio Bennett, Markee Caraway, Anthony and Jermaine Griffin, Veronica McPhatter, LeSean Williams, Michael Monroe, Andrice Johnson, Calvin McManus and many more.

“I’ve had a lot of people not even tied to Cumberland County Schools that have donated and I just want to applaud them,” Harris said. “They see that this is something that kids can use.”