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A select group of students at Fox Chapel Elementary School learned this week that leadership success can taste pretty sweet.
About 60 students gathered in the Germantown school's all-purpose room before class Monday for a pancake and waffle breakfast, complete with syrup and whipped cream, served up by administrators and staff. The youths — two per class — were chosen by their teachers for showing good leadership and character.
"Students really look to each other for leadership," Assistant Principal Renee Berry said, a black-and-white checkered chef's hat on her head. "Our saying is, ‘Doing the right thing at the right time in the right place.'"
As part of the school's new character initiative, teachers select a student every month who best exhibits leadership traits as the "Leader of the Pack." Runners-up are recognized for their perseverance as "TRAIL Blazers," named after an acronym for positive behavior.
"It's because we're a leader and we inspired others," said TRAIL Blazer Jonathan Garagiola, 10, of Germantown, whose father is state Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist. 15).
"And we show appreciation, we're respectful and trustworthy," added Michael Ding, 10, of Germantown, completing the acronym.
The breakfast was the second of the year, and a big hit with the students, who eagerly waited outside the door as packages of juice boxes were unwrapped and tables pulled out. The school's PTA donated two bulk packages of pancake mix and breakfast-making equipment, Berry said. The early meal was chosen so teachers would not lose instructional time.
"My stomach's hurting from eating pancakes and waffles," Sabrina Lainez, 9, of Germantown said with a grin.
Breakfast treats are just one component of the incentive program, which began this year. When a teacher or staff member sees a student exhibiting good behavior, such as saying "thank you" or greeting others with a smile in the hallway, they receive a Paw Print, named for the school's fox mascot. Pictures of the students are posted in a line that runs along the wall in the school's main hallway, and the goal is to create a trail that wraps around the school. Leaders of the Pack also have their photos displayed in front of the main office.
Once every two weeks, the Paw Prints are used for drawings at lunch to see who will get the chance to spin the prize wheel, a large, multicolored contraption adorned with lights that was built by physical education teacher Bob Ryder. Students receive prizes such as toys or decorative pencils donated by teachers. The chance to spin the wheel is as much of a reward as the prize, Berry said.
"Oh my gosh, these kids, they get so excited," said Ryder, a DJ who provides music for the wheel. "They want to know when the next spinning will occur."
The initiative is a combination of the federal Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program, which strives to maximize instructional time by keeping students in the classroom and out of the office, and the school's own Character Ed program, which it began developing last year, Berry said. At-risk students can attend the monthly breakfasts by meeting the goals on their personalized behavioral plans. An after-school program taught once a week by high school students teaches sports and sportsmanship to at-risk students and those who don't have access to extracurricular athletics.
Fox Chapel's efforts have shown results, Berry said. Student office referrals have dropped 75 percent this year, she said.
"Now we have students who want to do well," Berry said. "It's become a movement in the school."
