On Sept. 12 and 13, Kings High School students had another chance to participate in what has quickly become a tradition.

ReDo Day, a full-day group seminar designed to help students learn empathy and compassion, debuted at Kings last spring and has quickly gained popularity. “ReDo” stands for “Respect Others Despite Odds.” So many students signed up for this week’s round that not everyone was able to attend. But the program will return to the school, and Principal Doug Mader said everyone who wishes to participate will have the opportunity.

High School science teacher Tammi Snell, who helps organize Redo Day, explained the goal:

“ReDo Day is a day designed to help students get to know each other and to realize they are more alike than they are different,” she said.

Students participate in icebreaker events, large group activities, and small group discussions. These activities will help the students learn to feel comfortable with one another. It can be an emotional experience for many, and Snell cited lots of positive feedback from the anonymous surveys the students took after last year’s events.

The senior class requested that Kings host ReDo Day again this year, so that people who didn’t participate it last year would have the opportunity. ReDo was held for underclassmen on Thursday, with Friday’s event reserved for seniors.

KHS Junior Kelly Walker participated in ReDo Day last year as a sophomore, and said she really enjoyed it. She said she wasn’t sure how she felt about it at first, until they got into some of the “deeper stuff.” Toward the end of Redo Day, participants are encouraged to confront some of their deepest emotions. This is often a powerful experience.

“I really liked it and I walked away being more aware of the people around me,” said Walker.

Walker recalled that she, along with many other students, got very emotional, which surprised her.

“I’m not a very emotional person so I wasn’t expecting to cry, but I got very emotional.”

Junior Kelly Nolan didn’t get the chance to participate in ReDo Day last year but was very excited to see what she could learn from it this time around. Nolan hoped to learn more about classmates whom she doesn’t know very well.

“I hope to learn a new perspective on treating people well.”

ReDo seems to have caught fire all over the region. The following video was created in April by the Violence Free Coalition of Warren County.

Violence Free Coalititon – ReDo Day from JeffHillVideo on Vimeo.