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SALT LAKE CITY — One school in the Granite School District is trying a new way to recognize when students are at their personal best. Officials say their goal is to recognize every single student in the school.
If a kid is labeled by his peers as a "brainiac," a geek or a problem child, that reputation could stick with that student unless a teacher does something about it.
"Kids are often defined by their peers," said Kysa Osborne, a licensed clinical social worker at Monroe Elementary School. "When they've had past misbehavior, their peers see them as in a static condition instead of in a condition of improvement and their being able to change."
Osborne said their "Rising Leadership Star" and "Star Leadership" awards honor students who are not only doing well, but also kids who are noticeably trying to improve.
"Kids are nominated by their teacher as ‘star leadership students,' students that are displaying excellent skills across the board, and ‘rising stars,' [who are] maybe students that have had a difficult time in the past but are working to make improvements," Osborne said.
She said the awards are not just given out based on grades. The school has three expectations for each student.
- Show respect to others
- Strive to be at their personal best
- Keep their hands and other objects to themselves
If educators can help improve a child's behavior, Osborne said improved grades can come with it.
"The end game for education is always that we want students to achieve their full potential," she said.
The school had its first awards assembly last month.
"We were really thrilled to see so many parents come and support their kids and hear what adults at the school thought their kids are doing wonderfully," Osborne said.
She said the school will continue to pass these awards out to students every month.
