Principia Hosts Nation’s First High School Mediation Tournament
“Keep Calm and Carry On.” The phrase dates back to World War II when it was used on British propaganda posters, but its message remained relevant two weekends in February when 20 Upper School students competed in the nation’s first high school mediation tournament, hosted by Principia.
Keeping calm, remaining neutral and nonjudgmental, maintaining confidentiality, actively listening, proposing creative solutions, and managing ethical and/or cross-cultural issues are just a few of the qualities demonstrated by a good mediator—venerable skills learned and perfected through Principia’s mediation training.
Nearly two years ago, Girls’ Dorm houseparent Patti Fox audited a Principia Summer Session class with the College’s multidisciplinary professor Dr. Jeffrey Steele. The class was focused on the College’s mediation team, which Steele coaches. Fox was captivated. Steele’s father-in-law, Dick Calkins, is the nation’s co-founder of college mediation tournaments, originally designed for students in law school. Fox pursued her interest in the subject and took up Calkins’s suggestion to introduce mediation competitions at the high school level.
Fox proposed the idea to School administrators, and Head of School Travis Brantingham gave his full support. “These skills translate well not only to careers and education in law, but in every aspect of life,” he says. “Our school is always on the lookout for opportunities that allow students to tackle challenges in the most immersive way possible.”
Fox partnered with Principia’s Director of Instructional Coaching Don Sterrett and the two organized a committee to establish mediation training and preparation for the premier high school tournament in the United States.
Although mediation is common in colleges and graduate schools, no tournaments have taken place at the high school level. “We are so excited that Principia is the flagship school for the first mediation tournament in the country,” Sterrett says. “Students at the high school level should be developing skills that allow them to communicate effectively and solve problems creatively.”
Interested students spent months dedicating their lunch hours and Saturday mornings to study cases, practice opening statements, perform as a lawyer, conduct caucuses and conferences, and build their negotiating skills.
“Learning to lead thoughtful discussions and finding common ground when disagreements ensue are lessons students will carry with them throughout their high school, college, and professional careers,” Sterrett says.
Sophomore Luca Caviness has an interest in law. He was drawn to mediation because of its role in legal disputes. While he has experience with Mock Trial, Luca found there was much to learn with mediation. “I learned you must throw your own opinion out the window when mediating . . . look past the information that’s handed to you . . . find out what you really need. It's all about changing your perspective.”
The tournament, held virtually, included participants from two other local schools. It provided three rounds for teams of three students to take on the role of mediator, client, and advocate. Students worked together to reach an outcome that benefited all parties and promoted reconciliation and healing. Each round lasted approximately two hours with time for feedback from a panel of esteemed mentors and judges with experience in law, law education, negotiation, and mediation.
Students were judged on their ability to work collaboratively, improve listening and comprehension skills, guide other parties to reach a resolution, adapt and pivot quickly, and build confidence advocating their ideas. These lessons are an integral part of the Principia curriculum and experience, so it was no surprise that Principia students took the following top places:
Mediators
1st place—Luca Caviness
2nd place—Nina Okike
Client/Advocate
1st place—Lusho Hambiliki and Princess Thomas
2nd place—Kaya Equivilley
4th place—Savannah King and Quinna McCarty
“It was inspiring to see so many of our students try mediation for the first time and present compelling arguments with such poise,” Brantingham says. “Competitions like these are a wonderful avenue for intellectual and personal growth. We’re honored to host the first and certainly not the last of many tournaments to come.”