Standout scholars get dollars-off discounts

New program rewards students for 3.0 average, making honor roll

Thursday, March 23, 2006

An old adage says that excellence is its own reward, but county officials and educators are sweetening the pot to get students to do better in school.

County schools and government have formed a partnership with the Mall at Prince George’s to launch a Scholar Dollar program. Mall businesses offer discounts to students and their families if the student gets a 3.0 grade-point average or is on the honor roll for the quarter.

Students are awarded Scholar Dollar cards redeemable for discounts of up to 20 percent at mall stores like Foot Locker, Karibu Books, The Gap and Technicolor Salon.

Eligible students also will be entered into a raffle at the end of the year for four round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines and a $250 mall gift card.

Jacqueline Brown, chief administrative officer for County Executive Jack Johnson (D), said she had initial reservations about the program since she is a traditional educator. But she believes the reality of lagging student achievement and a high dropout rate mean the program makes practical sense.

‘‘We found out we were losing too many kids,” said Brown. ‘‘Our competition is fast and easy money that isn’t necessarily easily obtained.

The program was designed to allow students who are already doing well to be recognized and for those who aren’t to have an incentive to improve, she added.

Telesha Morris, a 17-year-old National Honor Society member at High Point High School, said she would push herself to do well whether the program was there or not. Morris’ goal is to be an accountant or a lawyer.

‘‘I have a vision of where I want to be in life,” Morris said.

But ‘‘some will see this as an opportunity to do something better,” Morris said of the program.

Brown said that the county executive’s office will track the number of students on the honor roll and attaining a 3.0 GPA to see if they increase.

‘‘Parents are already calling to ask ‘How do I get my child into this program?’” Brown told a group assembled at The Mall at Prince George’s in Hyattsville March 17. ‘‘We tell them to get their grades up.”

Walter Dozier, Johnson’s education liaison said the program is a pilot but it may spread countywide.

‘‘I can’t think of a project where we’ve had this kind of cross collaboration,” he said. ‘‘We’re hoping other people in the business community would join in.”

Dozier said that the only cost the county has incurred is to print the discount cards and fliers advertising the program.

‘‘The funding is minimal for the county,” Dozier said. ‘‘It’s costing the taxpayers paper and printing.”

There are 18,000 students, more than 10 percent of the total student population, who are eligible this grading quarter for the program’s benefits, said interim Schools CEO Howard Burnett.

Former school board chair Marcy Canavan of Accokeek said the program could have positive results.

‘‘I don’t think it will make anyone’s grades go up directly, but it will create a climate where the community respects good grades,” Canavan said.

E-mail Guy Leonard at gleonard@gazette.net.