By Marshall Allen, Staff Writer, Pasadena Star News PASADENA -- A conflict resolution program featuring "Ouch the Egg,' a children's cartoon character, has helped reduce discipline referrals by about 80 percent at Grover Clevel and Elementary School, officials said.

Last year there was an average of 71 referrals a month at the school for things such as name-calling, bullying and tantrums. Since the Healthy Children, Healthy Schools program started in February, an average of 14 children per month have been referred, program organizers said.

School officials say the program is succeeding because it's a campuswide effort. In January, the Western Justice Center Foundation, the nonprofit sponsoring the program, took the school's staff off-site for training. There, the staff learned the ways of Ouch the Egg, a character created by therapists to illustrate that feelings and people must be handled with care.

Ouch recommends working through conflicts using CALM, THINK and ACT, the letters in the words standing for phrases such as "Count to three and breathe," "Know the consequences of my actions' and "Treat others well.'

Ouch Stations have been established in each classroom, the library and even in the principal's office. The program has become part of the school's culture, officials said.

On a recent school day, Najeeba Syeed-Miller, executive director of the Western Justice Center Foundation, visited the school with Wendy Gregson and Shelley Stone, the counselors who created the Ouch curriculum.

Second-grade teacher Beth Burleson engaged her students in an animated discussion about the program. The 15 students raised hands eagerly and talked about using the Ouch Station and how it has helped them with problems.

The Ouch Station was decorated with artwork by the children and held a book called "We Can Get Along.' Elijah Hockenhull -Isaac, 7, said the Ouch Station helped him and a classmate resolve a conflict they had on the playground.

"I told him my feelings, we read the book once, we did those steps and we just felt better, ' he said. Another boy said that he used the Ouch methods at home when his brother treated him like a "servant.' Later, teacher Anna Tejada discussed the Ouch program with her
third-graders. Some of the children said that when they go to the Ouch Station, they initially do not want to go through the reconciliation steps. The students might stand at the station for a few moments, but eventually it gets their attention, Tejada said.

"They know they cannot leave until they go through all the steps,' she said. School Principal Francine Williams said the Healthy Students, Healthy Schools program has helped children visualize the things upsetting them, rather than reacting physically. She hopes it provides skills the children will use throughout their lives, she said.

Claremont Graduate School will conduct an independent evaluation of the project, and then the Western Justice Center Foundation plans to expand it to other schools and districts. The program cost about $26,000 to develop, which included creating the curriculum, Syeed-Miller said, but would be much less expensive to replicate.

-- Marshall Allen can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4461, or by e-mail at marshall.allen@sgvn.com.