Positive Showing
CONCORD TWP — Dassa McKinney Elementary School is proof that positive behavior is contagious with more than 21,300 acts of good behavior recognized by faculty and staff in the 2011-12 school year.
“It far exceeds my expectation, but everyone down here usually does exceed expectation,” said Moniteau School District Superintendent George Svolos.
The school launched its positive behavior program this year after preparing it the year before with the help of Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV of Grove City.
Assistant Principal David Keibler and his team planned and promoted what is known as the school's “Four Be's.”
“The Four Be's that we go through are: Be safe, be respectful, be responsible and be productive,” Keibler said.
Other members of Keibler's team included Susan Scialabba, physical education teacher; Karen Hall, instructional support teacher and response to instruction and intervention coordinator; Susan Stallard, guidance counselor; Heidi Wirtner, art teacher; and Mindy Bish, sixth-grade teacher.
Every classroom, bathroom and hallway in Dassa McKinney has a Four Be's sign explaining to students how to behave in that specific area, such as “Be safe by walking on the right side of the hallway.”
The team came up with the Four Be's after surveying teachers on their expectations for student behavior.When caught doing one of the Four Be's, students are rewarded with a Be-slip.“We stand in the hallways and do that, but it's random so the kids don't know what day to expect us,” said Hall. “Anytime we can, we try to pass out the Be-slips, and we try to encourage the teachers to do it also.”Teachers draw the Be-slips in classrooms for small prizes such as pencils or the chance to serve as line leaders. The school collects all Be-slips for bigger prizes, such as a field trip to an Erie SeaWolves minor league baseball game.Once students understood the benefits of positive behavior, the concept spread quickly.“I was in the fifth-grade hallway three months ago. A kid was walking up and dropped all his books and six kids were diving to help pick them up, which is a great promotion,” Keibler said. “We want it to be the extrinsic motivation right now and then we want it to turn intrinsic, to hold it within and do those things regularly.”
Students so wanted to be rewarded, they began stopping teachers in the hall.“I've had kids come up to me and just start automatically telling me all the good things they did that day and I know their goal is to get a slip, but they don't always,” Stallard said. “I just give them a verbal praise, 'Oh, that's good. I love to hear those things.' I think they are becoming more aware of their behavior.”All of the Be-slips were placed in a large barrel for an end-of-the-year awards assembly June 1.During the assembly, 187 prizes were awarded, including 10 MP3 players and the grand prize of $450 for a family “Adventure Package” to travel to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, or Splash Lagoon indoor water park in Erie for two days and one night.The grand prize, provided by refuse services company Waste Management, had remained a secret in order to create anticipation.Rob Tepsich, Waste Management district manager, gave the giant check to winner Damon Kelley, who chose to go to Cedar Point.“We're located in this municipality, so we like to give back any chance we can get,” Tepsich said.The school hopes to partner with more businesses next year on prizes as encouragement for good behavior.“The goal is to create a really strong learning environment where the kids work together cooperatively and appreciate and respect each other,” said Principal Dolores Bliss. “The Four Be's that they talk about, that's really the goal, and when you have those things in place, learning is improved, general community feeling is improved, and I think you have a different kind of spirt afterwards.”
Keibler and his team want to push the Four Be's to extend from the classroom to the school bus to the cafeteria.“I would hope that our kids are learning those skills so they will just take it upon themselves to jump in and help someone in need,” Stallard said.Keibler's team meets with Susan Black, program supervisor at MIU and other districts, to share ideas on positive behavior.Black has been a guiding force for the Dassa McKinney team.The school and MIU are gathering data so officials can better track the effect of the Four Be's.“Now we have a way to look and see how” the program is making a difference, Black said.Keibler said while the school does not yet have the data to compare smaller incidents, the number of major infractions that require detention or suspension has declined at Dassa McKinney.“That's when you see the payoff, when the kids are not getting in trouble and not stuck in detention for things that really shouldn't of happened,” Keibler said.Next year, Dassa McKinney will seek help from families to promote the program in all aspects of students' lives with newsletters and possibly yard signs.“I just hope that we continue to see a positive culture in the building,” said Hall. “That everything is so very positive, that we are talking to our kids positively. Plus, I hope that it carries over to home and the community.”
Teachers have been overwhelmingly supportive, even dressing up as the Four Be's for Halloween. Students could also nominate teachers who were good examples of the Four Be's to be eligible for prizes at the awards assembly. The staff is pleased to end the year with energy and excitement already building for the program in 2012-13.“The prizes are great, but I think after you learn how to be positive all the time it becomes second nature to you,” Bliss said.<br></br><br></br><br></br>
