What is the Circle?

The Circle SY20-21

At Estrella High School, The Circle is a safe and brave space where students and some guest staff come together to talk about real and everyday life situations and challenges we may face and how to appropriately support one another in coping with them. We cover a wide range of topics on social-emotional and mental health as well as current events and social issues. 

All sessions of The Circle are facilitated using the Community Circle model as outlined by The International Institute for Restorative Practices. IIRP asserts that Circles are meant to convey very important ideas and values to facilitators and, most importantly, students. These include:

• Equality
• Safety & Trust
• Responsibility
• Facilitation
• Ownership
• Connections

At its core, The Circle, is meant to function as an instrument that links students to one another through social-emotional means; a social support group of the students, by the students, and for the students. See below for flyers from previous sessions of The Circle.