Lounsberry Hollow has high-fives for expectations

VERNON — Social climate change is happening at the Hollow and, this time, that’s a good thing.
Walking through the front doors of Lounsberry Hollow Middle School, a visitor will often hear, “Hey, are you following the Hollow’s High Five?” This question, posed by fifth- and sixth-graders alike, indicates a significant cultural change in the atmosphere of the middle school.
It is a change that has resulted from the tremendous dedication and support of Lounsberry Hollow’s administrative team, particularly Adam Kendler, Leia Fontana and Kasandra Arisitizabal.
Thanks to their efforts, Lounsberry Hollow Middle School is implementing its second year of the “Hollow’s High Five,” a school-wide prosocial behavior program that encourages students to demonstrate positive conduct, polite manners and respect for others as well as for themselves. Adapted from the national Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Program (PBIS), the Hollow’s High Five Program establishes behavioral expectations that seek to ingrain the practice of good citizenship into students’ daily lives. By promoting and acknowledging positive displays of behavior, Lounsberry Hollow Middle School strives to increase social compassion and, most importantly, minimize poor student conduct and behavioral disruptions.
With this program, Lounsberry Hollow Middle School recognizes five pillars of commendable behavior that urge students to: Be Safe, Be Ready to Learn, Respect the Environment, Respect Others and Respect Yourself. The Hollow’s High Five incentivizes students to exercise conscientiousness and etiquette by rewarding exemplary student behavior with “Viking Vouchers.” All of the school’s faculty, staff and administration have been supplied with stacks of Viking Vouchers to award students for performing good deeds. This year, bus drivers and school custodians have also joined in on the fun and can often be seen “high five-ing” vouchers to well-behaved students. Upon every act of goodwill, Lounsberry Hollow’s fifth- and sixth-graders receive a Viking Voucher in recognition of their laudable behavior.
The Hollow’s High Five Program models a positive reinforcement feedback loop, in which the faculty and staff reward students for displaying good behavior, rather than reprimand for poor student conduct. This deserving attention, in turn, motivates the fifth and sixth graders to continue using their prosocial skills and reinforces the positive social culture of the school. Adam Kendler, Vernon’s Supervisor of PSD-6 Special Services, has observed, “This program informs how we, as educators, teach students to be responsible human beings.”
Every other Friday, a corner of the Lounsberry Hollow Middle School cafeteria transforms into a “bookstore” for students to browse and shop, with Viking Vouchers in hand. The brightly-colored vouchers resemble dollar bills and are used as a form of school currency. Students have the option to either save their vouchers to accumulate capital value or to instantly cash them in for a variety of enticing prizes. At the cafeteria bookstore, the middle school students can exchange their vouchers for books, posters, pencils, textbook covers, and various other high-interest items. Additionally, a Hollow’s High Five raffle drawing is held, each month, to further motivate students to exhibit excellent behavioral skills. The monthly raffle prizes are often experience-based and determined by previously-polled student requests. Repeatedly, the reward of eating lunch with a favorite teacher ranks as a top request.
The Hollow’s High Five has also sought the sponsorship of local vendors within the Vernon community and is now becoming a community-wide effort. Currently, 22 local business partners have lent their valuable support, with contributions of gift cards, coupons and merchandised goods that now stock the shelves of the Lounsberry Hollow Middle School bookstore.