Respectful Rupley Students Get a Big Surprise
During the holiday season, it seems to be a little easier to remember to be kind. Everywhere, donation centers can be seen for everything from food to toys, and the spirit of goodwill seems abundant. It is also a time to not only be a little nicer ourselves, but also to be thankful for and recognize others who are.
The administration at Rupley Elementary decided the perfect opportunity to do that was at their last Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) celebration of the 2015 school year.
All CCSD59 schools have a PBIS plan to encourage students to model good behavior throughout the school year. One of the goals at Rupley was to publicly acknowledge more students for consistently modeling good behavior to others. During the Rupley PBIS celebration on December 18, students from all grades were surprised with an award for doing exactly that.
Dr. Seaton, Principal of Rupley Elementary, said a behavior will be selected each trimester and students who exemplify that trait will be publicly recognized. “We celebrate the fact that the vast majority of Rupley students regularly exhibit our PBIS values of respect, responsibility, safety, and caring throughout their school day, and those students are rewarded. We also wanted to single out and celebrate one student from each class who consistently demonstrates the behaviors we embrace. We wanted to do more.”
Since respect was the focus of this PBIS celebration, each homeroom teacher at the school was asked to choose one student who always models respectful behavior.
Parents and guardians of the selected students were informed their child was chosen to be acknowledged at the PBIS assembly on December 18, and invited to attend. They were asked to keep it a secret so each student would be surprised when receiving their award. In fact, the entire school was surprised by the announcement, as it was the first of its kind at Rupley.
Excitement was truly in the air as each chosen student was called forward to receive a certificate with their classmates and families cheering, and the recipients were presented by class level to the group’s applause.
At the end of the award presentation, seasonal songs such as Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Feliz Navidad were enjoyed by all in attendance as the students laughed, sang, and cheered for the start of winter break. They particularly seemed to enjoy when the teachers and staff sang as a group to the students, as loudly as possible, with the encouragement of all the Rupley families.
Now, that’s wrapping up the event – and 2015 – on a high note.
