Mt. Vernon Register-News

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July 30, 2010

MVTHS behavior program growing

By TESA CULLI tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Mt. Vernon Township High School is expanding its Positive Behavior Intervention System this year — and partnering with area businesses to fine tune goals and objectives.

“As we have met with businesses, we discovered we face some of the same challenges,” MVTHS Principal Ron Daniels said. “Things like not showing up, or not showing up on time. Those are things students learn in school. We came to realize our businesses who employ our graduates are dealing with the same things we go through.”

PBIS is a behavior modification system that has been successfully used in area schools that address changing student behavior by recognizing and rewarding positive behaviors shown instead of emphasizing negative

Daniels contacted the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce to bring the cooperative efforts a step higher.

“After a presentation made to the JCCC, you told us our graduated hired by local businesses are not always equipped with the behavior skills needed to be successful,” Daniels wrote to Chamber members. “We have taken this information and as a result, have expanded our primary PBIS goals to include those related to workplace success.”

The PBIS Committee has realigned the PBIS matrix to include workplace behavior skills.

“We’re very grateful for the community trying to support our efforts and we support their efforts to have a good workforce,” Daniels said. “Our goals are the same for teaching students to be successful in the future.”

In addition to fine-tuning the primary goals of PBIS, this year will be an expansion of the secondary phase, or Tier 2.

“Tier 2 identifies students who are struggling and then develops an intervention program for them,” Daniels explained. “It may mean going so far as creating a mentor situation for the student where they have to check in and check out with a specific staff member every day and work with them to learn accountability and expectations.”

Daniels said there is still a need with PBIS for area business owners and community members to donate reward items such as gift cards, food, candy, gift baskets. Anyone who would like to help with the positive rewards may contact Daniels at the high school.

“We want this team effort between our school and community to continue to grow,” Daniels stated. “By working together we become positive role models for our students who, in turn, become future leaders in our community.”

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