Holbrook Indian School
A Seventh-day Adventist Boarding Academy Serving Native American Youth Since 1946
A Guide for the Route By Nicole Potgieter
L
ast school year, Principal Ojeda came across a very interesting TED talk. The presenter was discussing the idea of “trust circles” in one’s relationships. These “circles” were groups of people who worked together to support each other and help one another grow. Mr. Ojeda showed the video to Holbrook Indian School (HIS) staff. He asked them, “What ideas do you have? How can we implement this concept in our students’ lives?” Several ideas were considered, and the result of that brainstorming session was a program called enCOMPASS Groups. All our students have various emotional and social needs that must be met. Before the enCOMPASS Groups started, students were
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disjointed from each other. Cliques were forming on campus, but even within those circles, students would turn on each other. The campus culture was not a healthy one. Other issues included students ignoring greetings and not knowing how to apologize or accept apologies. HIS created the enCOMPASS Groups program as a way to contend with these types of concerns. You may be wondering, “How do enCOMPASS groups work?” The students are divided into groups of no more than six, with one staff member as a leader for each group. Children of similar ages are placed together; that makes it easier for them to understand and support each other. Sometimes students who
are known to have issues with each other are placed in the same group. This gives them the chance to work on their relationship and heal the divide. The enCOMPASS Groups have a different topic each week. These topics can range from “How to return a greeting” to “Delayed gratification” to “Why do we have communion?” Each group of students and their staff member get together and discuss the subject as well as run through practical demonstrations of it. The long-term goal is for these groups to become self-sufficient. We want our students to take the reins and continue engaging in their groups. If any issues arise, a staff member will be right there to smooth out the rough spots.