Mount Nittany Middle School rallies for positive attitudes

It was a rowdy afternoon at Mount Nittany Middle School on Thursday.

In the second week of school, an assembly was held that focused on student positivity. It was hosted by librarian Dotty Delafield and included the cheer squad and athletic teams.

There was also a special guest.

Penn State men’s hockey coach Guy Gadowsky walked to the center of the gymnasium in front of more than 700 students and reminded them that responsibility, organization, attitude and respect reaches far beyond middle school.

“It’s nice to engage with the community and talk about the core values used at the middle school level that are important even after that,” he told the CDT. “It’s good to remind students that their actions can have an effect on them and others.”

Assistant Principal Mark Feldman said the school started an initiative last year to promote school-wide positive behavior and target anti-bullying efforts.

“We made a comprehensive effort to promote a positive school climate,” Feldman said.

Students were divided into 61 groups that meet twice every six days with teachers.

“When you’re in middle school, there’s a transition period, but this is bridging the gap between students, their peers and teachers, and they’re coming up with ways to make school a better place,” Feldman said.

After creating the initiative, data from a strategic plan survey showed student and teacher satisfaction “increased dramatically” from the year before the program started, Feldman said.

But what was new this year is that the campaign kicked off with the “ROAR Rally” to remind students of values promoted by the initiative that are responsibility, organization, attitude and respect.

“We really drive this home with the kids,” Feldman said. “We ask that they remember these ROAR values every time they walk into school.”

Feldman said students are given incentives for demonstrating the four values.

“We give them Lion Paws (tickets) that they can turn in,” Feldman said.

At the end of the week, three tickets from each grade are drawn. Those students are then given small rewards that Feldman said keeps them motivated.

Those incentives include high school football tickets, the chance to eat lunch outside with friends or with teachers and more.

“We didn’t want to go too big with the prizes, but still give them enough of an incentive to keep up their behavior,” Feldman said.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Mount Nittany Middle School rallies for positive attitudes."