SPENCER-VAN ETTEN, NY (WENY) -- Middle and high school students at Spencer Van Etten will have the opportunity to be part of a new program to help others. It's called the 'Peer Mediation Program' and the Assistant Principal of SVE High School hopes this will help make more positive changes in the district.

"I was a peer mediator when I was in high school, so I'm familiar with it and saw the impact it had on the school culture. I've been talking to Gina from the Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC) for five years since I've been at Spencer Van Etten.  She called me [and] said 'This grant's available, do you want to apply?' I'm like, 'Definitely.' ... I think this will help kids learn conflict resolution skills, empathy, and active listening skills," said the SVE High School Assistant Principal, Beth Ruocco.

SVE is one of 13 schools to receive a New York State Education Department (NYSED) grant for a 'Peer Mediation Program.' The grant is also made possible in part by the CDRC and the NYS Unified Court System.

A total of 25 middle and high school students will work to create a positive and more connected school community. Trained middle school peer mediators will help at the middle school and ninth through 12th graders will help at both the middle and high school.

Students who are chosen to become peer mediators will need to attend a 15-hour training and four workshops throughout the year. Ruocco said this program will tie in nicely with the upcoming cell phone ban.

"With the new bill that's passed, we can't have cellphones. I'm hoping that kids can reconnect by disconnecting and it will be a new thing for them not to have their cellphones. I'm hoping this (program) supports that and that kids learn communication skills and that discipline referrals go down, because they're learning about conflict resolution and it kind of ripples out..." said Ruocco.

She added, "Which is why I want a diverse group of kids trained because I think that once kids learn active listening and conflict resolution skills, they utilize those throughout their life. I'm hoping it ripples through all of our students and changes the culture of the school... Social media plays a huge role in this ... [So] I'm hoping this really impacts kids' abilities to communicate with each other effectively and show empathy to each other."

Students can apply for the program through August 27th. Ruocco said the Peer Mediation Program will be up and running by November.

If your middle or high schooler is interested in becoming a peer mediator, click here. (If the form still says 'Become a Peer Mediator at Spencer Van-Etten High School...' Ruocco said it's a typo and should say middle/high school.)