Published in the April 13-26, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Heather Nursement

Heather Nursement

Heather Nursement

Next to Los Paseos school in south San Jose is Martin Murphy Middle School. We are a California Gold Ribbon School with 450 seventh- and eighth-grade students who come here from various elementary schools in the Morgan Hill Unified School District. Our students learn the true meaning of community in our classrooms.

This fall we are excited to welcome sixth-grade students onto our campus. Our current seventh-grade students, who will enter school as eighth graders in the fall, have spent this year learning to become leaders and mentors for the younger incoming students. This leadership role begins with a three-day summer orientation program the week before school begins.

In partnership with parents and the community, our team at Martin Murphy is dedicated to constructing a rigorous learning environment in which all students are empowered to achieve, use creative and critical thinking skills, develop a global perspective and to model the core values of respect, responsibility and safety. Our vision for students is that they will be prepared to succeed in a diverse, global society and to make meaningful contributions to our community. Students will become digitally literate, critical thinkers, collaborators and problem solvers who can meet the challenges of the 21st century. Our school slogan “Success is no accident!” was created by our students who are learning the importance of perseverance so they may achieve success.

We take pride in the work ethic of our students and staff, as well as the positive school climate that has developed. Our positive learning environment is sustained through multiple social and behavioral support programs designed specifically for middle school. We refer to these programs as our “Braid of Positive Climate Supports” which includes a Bullying Prevention Program, Positive Behavior Intervention Supports and Restorative Justice. In addition, there are layers of programs associated with each strand of the “Braid of Positive Climate Supports,” such as our Peer Mediator Program.

Restorative Justice empowers students to resolve conflicts on their own and in small groups. The idea is to bring students together in peer-mediated groups to talk, ask questions and air their grievances. It focuses on building a welcoming community that is rich with shared core beliefs and values. Teachers at Martin Murphy are piloting Restorative Justice “talking circles” in their classrooms and participating in value building circles during staff meetings. Our administration uses Restorative Justice to repair harm when conflicts arise among students as well as to help students determine how they will give back to their school community after making a mistake.

During the past few years we have noticed a substantial change in the way that students behave, perform academically and interact with one another. We strive to provide our students with multiple opportunities to engage with the community through programs, clubs and activities during and after school. Since we challenge all students to participate in at least one school activity, we have provided a variety of avenues to meet our students’ interests. It is not uncommon to attend a Martin Murphy event and see students leading presentations, giving speeches or addressing the entire audience.

As the principal of Martin Murphy, I couldn’t be more proud of the students and staff at our school and their dedication to making Martin Murphy a great school with a positive and safe learning environment. If you are interested in learning more about Martin Murphy Middle School, please visit our school’s website at martinmurphy.mhusd.org or contact (408) 201-6260.

Heather Nursement is the principal of Martin Murphy Middle School. She wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.