2 . A school’s “peace room” aims to end fighting in the halls

By the time Marquita Riley, 16, and Aaliyah Hudson, 17, ended up in their school’s “peace room,” rumors（传闻） had floated through the halls that the two girls were going to fight.

The peace room at Manley is a part of the school’s restorative justice initiative, a growing social movement that, among other things, focuses on healing and teaching how to solve conflicts. The philosophy aims to bring together victims and offenders to cooperatively work through their problems.

The concept is increasingly being used in schools, community centers and churches in Chicago as a way to teach young people how to analyze their anger. They learn to confront tension before it turns violent. It is also being used as an alternative to punitive（处罚的）measures, like suspensions and arrests, which can lead to more trouble for hurting communities.

The idea is that “when harm happens or someone misbehaves, there needs to be a process of restoration in order for the community to move forward,” said Ilana Zafran of Umoja Student Development. Umoja runs restorative justice programs in Chicago schools.

The concept forces all sides in a disagreement to communicate and understand one another instead of resorting to violence. There may still be punishment for wrongdoing, but restorative justice emphasizes identifying hurt and thinking of ways to fix it.

“A lot of our kids don’t want to be involved in fights. They don’t want to be suspended or away from school,” Jackson said. “We had to create an environment of peace. High school has to be a pleasurable experience for our kids. If they come here and feel the same anxiety they feel in the streets, how can we expect them to stay?”

Among the people there were Marquita and Aaliyah, the two girls rumored to be gearing up for a major fight. After another 20 minutes of discussion, they agreed they had simply misunderstood each other. The girls decided they would not fight, and promised they would talk it over if they found themselves facing tension again.

I’m Li hua, from Class 2 Grade Three.

Yours,

Li Hua

As a typical example of Chinese etiquette (礼仪), the coming-of-age ceremony     1    (aim) at reminding young people entering adulthood that only by     2    (assume)adult responsibilities and practicing good virtue can they become qualified for social roles.

With 100 days     3    (go) before the college entrance examination, our school     4    (hold) a coming-of-age ceremony for Senior 3 students. After the flag-raising, we students raised our right hands and articulated our oath(暂言) to become a qualified adult citizen.    5    (accompany) by a symphony, our parents beamed with pride and decorated us with coming-of-age medals.

The student representative gave a     6     (motivation) speech. Later, three students and I recited a poem-Everyone Has a Dream in the Youth and I’ll Help My Country Be Stronger. Affected by the poem, we felt the responsibility     7    we should assume to strive for our motherland.

Our principal asked us to stand face-to-face with our parents.When I took my parents’ hands and     8    (gentle) stroked them, I could not help but feel guilty for continuous complaints     9    my parents and tears began to fall. My parents patted me on the back to comfort me.It was     10    warm scene for every family present.