GEISMAR – On a hot, humid Wednesday morning, many Dutchtown High School students cooled off with ice cream treats during their lunch period.
The ice cream was a reward for students who had no identification violations from the start of the school year through Oct. 2.
Through the school-wide Positive Behavior System, students earn rewards for certain behavior.
The system focuses on positive behavior, rather than negative, said Dutchtown English teacher Amy Parker, who was among the teachers who volunteered to help with the program.
Students who make the choice to do the right thing on a daily basis should not be overlooked, but appreciated, she said.
Many Ascension Parish schools have implemented PBS. Each school crafts the program in its own way.
Aside from high schools, PBS is popular in middle schools as well. Gonzales Middle, for example, rewarded students last year with special basketball games which pitted Ascension Parish deputies, Gonzales Police officers and Gonzales firefighters against students for some friendly competition.
Dutchtown will focus on safety, responsibility and respect through its program.
The previous reward was given to students who had no tardies.
The rewards for no identification violations turned out to be a huge success, as some 1,700 students of the school’s 1,800-plus population were eligible.
The next award will be given to students who have no uniform violations.
The school plans to reward students several times throughout the year with a variety of perks.
Each time a student earns a reward, they also receive a ticket to put in a hopper for a chance to win a prize. The first drawing will be Oct. 30 during the two lunch periods.
The next ice cream for no dress code violations reward will be Nov. 19, and the second prize drawing will be Nov. 30.
Students will also be able eligible for tickets for earning good grades.
Parker said a committee of teachers volunteer their time to help with the program.
The teachers are looking for donations to use as rewards, such as gift cards and certificates from area individuals and businesses.
One of the prize drawings will be for an iPod Shuffle MP3 player.
“We’re just trying to get everybody fired up about it,” Parker said of the program.
Dutchtown’s PBS started in the Freshman Academy and has expanded to include all of the students at the school.
Parker said it took a lot of planning for it to work.
In order to distribute the tickets, volunteers set up several stations for the students to line up by last name.
