Safe School Ambassadors
Safe School Ambassadors & Safe Buddies:
Empowering Upstanders at Every Age
Community Matters is a national nonprofit dedicated to improving school climate and student well-being through student-centered prevention programs. One of their signature initiatives, the Safe School Ambassadors® (SSA) Program, is an evidence-based social-emotional learning (SEL) program that harnesses the power of students to help prevent and stop bullying and mistreatment.
At Cali Calmécac, we are proud to partner with Community Matters as part of our ongoing commitment to a safe, inclusive, and connected school community.
We are now heading into our third year of implementing the Safe School Ambassadors program at Cali. This fall, Julia Norman (School Counselor), Jaynellen Kovacevich (6th–8th Grade RSP Teacher), Gerardo Lopez Trancoso (5th–8th Student Advisor), and Kristine Behrens (Dean of Students) all completed the Training of Trainers (TOT) program. Because of this important milestone, Cali is now officially a licensed Safe School Ambassadors school, and our team can independently lead SSA workshops moving forward.
The SSA program uses an “inside-out” approach to school climate. Because students often see and hear things adults do not, socially influential student leaders are trained with practical, nonviolent strategies to:
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Defuse conflicts
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Interrupt harmful behavior
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Support isolated peers
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Promote inclusion and respect
This year’s SSA student trainings were held on the following dates:
4th–5th Grade Training
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Monday, October 13, 2025 (All Day)
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Tuesday, October 14, 2025 (All Day)
6th–8th Grade Training
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Monday, October 21, 2025 (All Day)
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Tuesday, October 22, 2025 (All Day)
Through careful student and staff input, ambassadors are selected from across diverse peer groups and trained to use their influence in positive ways.
In addition to SSA for grades 4–8, we have expanded our partnership to include grades 1–3 through the Safe School Buddies (SSB) Program.
The Safe School Buddies Program is a social-emotional learning initiative that empowers our youngest students to promote kindness, respect, and inclusion. Through engaging activities and literacy-based lessons, Safe Buddies learn to identify mistreatment, practice empathy, and develop age-appropriate “Buddy Actions” to respond to teasing, exclusion, and conflict. The program helps students build the skills to become compassionate leaders—and prepares them to be Safe School Ambassadors in the future.
Our first Safe Buddies training was a huge success! Students enthusiastically explored how they can make positive changes on campus. Going forward, Safe Buddies will meet bimonthly with their family group leader to strengthen their skills and reflect on their impact.
Together, our Safe School Ambassadors and Safe Buddies are making a lasting difference—one act of kindness at a time.