NANKIN – Mapleton Elementary School’s cafeteria was a sea of smiling faces Thursday, and not just because pizza was on the menu.
The kids were excited about having earned a visit from local teen and adult role models.
About 90 percent of the student body had a chance to participate in the “Reward Day,” a prize for students who showed positive behavior throughout the third nine weeks of school.
Role models included representatives from the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office; first responders from Nankin, Ruggles-Troy and Ashland fire departments; student athletes from Mapleton High School and Ashland University; district superintendent Rodney Hopton and Laurie King of Therapy Dogs International and her dog, Putter.
Wes Williams, assistant chief of the Ruggles-Troy Volunteer Fire Department, took time off work to mingle with students and make their reward day special.
“We want to support the kids because they’re our future,” he said. “They need to know there’s people in the community who care for them and want what’s best for them.”
Leeanna Sweeney, a Mapleton High School junior, was among several members of the school’s softball team to take part in the event.
“I think it’s fun because they get to see who they’re going to be in a few years,” Sweeney said.
To earn a spot at the special lunch, students had to have an 85 percent positive score in a software program called Dojo. Dojo connects teachers, parents and students to help them communicate about and monitor student progress in Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports.
Mapleton Elementary has been using the PBIS framework for about three years and last year was recognized with a bronze award from the Ohio PBIS Network, principal Michelle Roblin said.
Using Dojo, teachers can communicate with parents about whether students are making positive choices at school and whether they’re doing their homework at home. Teachers can even send parents pictures of their kids showing good behavior in class.
Roblin said student behavior improves when students know what the expectations are and what the rewards will be for meeting expectations.
For the past nine weeks, students have known that if they wanted to take part in the lunch, they needed to be respectful, responsible and ready to learn.
Students who succeed in PBIS are also more likely to succeed academically, Roblin said, so providing rewards for positive behavior and intervention for negative behavior can help boost student achievement.
