By Alex Harvey
9/29/2011
This year at NHS students and teachers alike have seen many changes to school rules and regulations, not the least of them being PBIS, or Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports. In short, PBIS means improving the academic and social outcomes for students. Its focus areas are Respect, Responsibility, and Success; more specifically, homework and promptness are promoted. These are values most of us already uphold every day, PBIS simply reinforces these concepts. PBIS supports the success of ALL students, and this program is designed to help students reach their potential, as well as creating good habits for adulthood.
Another aspect of PBIS is the reward card system. Every student should have his or her own card for teachers to sign. Students can earn these signatures from their teachers by being ‘caught’ doing good deeds for selfless reasons. Teachers will approach students if they see the student doing something sincere. However, if the student does not have their card with them, they will miss out on the signature. After collecting 10 signatures, students may turn in their cards to the high school library for either smaller prizes, or an entry for the quarterly drawing. Students are responsible for their cards, and teachers will not resign cards if lost. Reward options are free replacement lunch cards, homework passes, various coupons and certificates and more.
Quarterly rewards are also a part of the PBIS program. Quarterly rewards will be extended to students who have no major offenses, no office detentions, no unexcused absences, no ISS or OSS, and no more than two 0’s per class. Possible options for these rewards include Cookouts, a Pizza Party, and Subway for all eligible students. PBIS also includes the new policy, Leave No Trace. Leave No Trace simply promotes picking up after yourself, respecting property and keeping a clean learning environment for everyone. While PBIS is a new policy, the old ideas are the same, with the encouragement of overall student success in school, and outside of it.
