The Nevada County Superintendent of Schools has just released a film promoting the newly launched RAYS Suspension Alternative Program. RAYS, which stands for Responsible Accountable Youth Solutions, has already been rolled out at Silver Springs High School and is set to launch to Lyman Gilmore Middle School and Nevada Union High School later this year. The film, a second collaboration between Riparian Studios and the Superintendent of Schools, centers RAYS Student Team members Kayley Rattray, Isaiah Arendell, Lyric Kernmount and Abbigail Wright. Vice Principal Scott Mikal-Heine is also interviewed.

The RAYS program a takes a fresh look at student discipline, applying a restorative model that seeks to help students who have gotten into trouble with the root cause of their problems rather than punishment alone. Students meet in a circle of their peers, who go through a pre-planned curriculum to identify how the student can be supported and how they can own up to their mistake.

“When students choose the restorative path, that student is less likely to do it again because they want to live up to the expectations of their peers, their friends,” says Vice Principal Mikal-Heine in the film.

The film is now released and has been shown to several audiences to a positive response. "The film has been SO well-received,” says Marlene Mahurin, Program Director for RAYS. “We hope to reengage with Riparian Studios for a follow-up as the RAYS program develops."