PALS finding more friends

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- If the two psychologists from San Juan Capistrano come

to Newport Harbor High School, Kaylen Morrison said she will bring the

students.

Morrison’s campaign to prevent anger and violence in schools got a big

push this week when she met with a pair of psychologists who have a

similar agenda.

Haig Musurlian and Valerie Want have developed a program they call the

“breakfast club,” which attempts to diffuse some of the anger in

students.

“We need to teach children different life skills and social skills,”

Musurlian said.

They contacted Morrison after hearing about PALS -- Preventing Anger at

Local Schools, the foundation Morrison began.

Morrison’s crusade is the result of a personal experience with school

violence.

As a sophomore at Newport Harbor High School two years ago, Morrison was

attacked at a party and brutally beaten by a an older schoolmate.

Now, after meeting with Musurlian and Want, Morrison is more eager than

ever to bring their program to Newport-Mesa schools.

“Their ideas are really similar to what I want to do,” Morrison said.

“They want to start a class, but first they want to pick students from

different groups and bring them together.”

Morrison said rounding up those students should be no problem, noting

that she has already been approached by several students asking if they

can help.

She would like to see the program implemented as soon as this winter, but

Musurlian is skeptical about moving that quickly.

“We’re trying to work on fund-raising right now, marketing to schools and

putting together tapes of the program,” hesaid.

Although Morrison said that PALS would pay for the program, Musurlian

feels the funding should come from the school district.

“That way, we know that they’re behind [the program],” he said.

However, Newport Harbor principal Bob Boies said no one has contacted the

school about starting the program.

“We’re more than willing to work with them if they want to start

something at the site,” Boies said.