Beginning this 2017-2018 school year, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) made its way onto the Pinecrest campus. PBIS is a national program that began in elementary and middle schools, and it has now made its way into high schools.

 

The goal of PBIS is to encourage positive behavior among students. Assistant Principal Deborah Trogdon, the administrator in charge of PBIS, said, “Teenagers are very focused on themselves. PBIS teaches them that it’s about others as well.”

 

PBIS stemmed from another national program called Character Education. This program was very prevalent in elementary and middle schools, but these programs “tend to dwindle in high school because it’s difficult to implement in high schools.” The incentives for elementary school students aren’t effective for high school students. However, she believes PBIS is the solution to this problem.

 

“PBIS is something really special,” said Trogdon.

 

PBIS has been implemented through the GOLD goals: Goal to Graduate, Own Your Behavior, Lead by Example, and Demonstrate Respect. Trogdon said, “[I hope to see] improvements in graduation rates because our first goal is the Goal to Graduate.”

 

Every week, there is a PBIS character building video. These videos cover important topics including: respect, integrity, honesty, empathy, self-control, and never giving up. “It’s created a community of talking about these positive behaviors,” said Trogdon. Teachers have even had class discussions on the videos, and some English classrooms have had students write about them.

 

Through this program, Pinecrest now has “Gotcha!” cards. If a faculty member catches a student doing the right thing, such as holding the door or helping a teacher, they write their name and the student’s name on the card. These are then put into a drawing that occurs every two weeks. Prizes include free movie tickets, free bowling tickets, candy, Starbucks gift cards, gift cards to a variety of restaurants, and a number of books that students can choose from. The prizes were donated from community members and the Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) Club.

 

The last PBIS drawing took place on October 31, 2017. The winners were: junior Chris Buck, freshman Diondra Sutton, senior James Pope, and freshman Andrew Sartonelli.

 

“The goal is to help kids understand why they’re doing the right thing and how their positive behavior makes Pinecrest better,” said Trogdon.