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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Austintown Elementary School held a celebration ceremony throughout the last week of November. Principal Thomas Lenton and school conselor Penny Callahan led the event.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Principal Lenton had the students who accomplished certain goals, such as perfect attendance, stand up to be recognized. After that, all the students at the event stood up and awaited to see what activity they would do. The contraption pictured was used to give a pencil with directions for the celebration on it.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The ceremonies are a part of the school's positive behavior intervention support program. Principal Lenton praised the students who met certain goals while giving advice to the other students about what they can do to be recognized at the next ceremony. The ceremonies occur every 12 weeks.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The school had to do multiple assemblies throughout the week because of the size of their school. They did about three celebration ceremonies each day. Pictured, the students pretend to add ingredients to a stew based on principal Lenton's demonstration.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The celebration ceremony praises students for their accomplishments in fun and novel ways. Pictured, the students kiss their brains at the celebration.
By ZACK SHIVELY
Austintown Elementary School hosted a celebration ceremony on Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1 in the gymnasium to recognize the students’ accomplishments over the first trimester of school.
The event is a part of the school’s positive behavior intervention support initiative. Principal Thomas Lenton wanted to give them a fun event to commemorate their hard work.
“It’s not just some piece of paper; we’re giving them a fun memory,“ Lenton said of the event.
Lenton and Penny Callahan, the school’s counselor, ran the event. They named a category and had the students stand during to be recognized. For example, Lenton read the names of the students who had perfect attendance and those students stood.
The categories for the event included perfect attendance, behavior goals, personal goals and class with the “fullest bucket.” The school uses the term “bucket filler“ to describe students who do good deeds. Each classroom has a bucket on the door. When a student does something good, they get a sticker. The sticker gets put on the bucket. Lenton and Cahallan recognized the classroom with the most stickers.
The assembly is called a celebration because they celebrate each accomplishment with a fun activity. All the students stood up and awaited directions from Lenton.
For example, the students pretended to make turkey stew. Callahan went around the room and asked the teachers what ingredients they needed for their stew. Lenton playfully acted out adding each ingredient to the stew. For carrots, the children and Lenton imitated chopping carrots; they shook their arms up and down for salt and pepper shakers, and so on until they finished making the stew.
Lenton spoke to the sitting students during each celebration. He gave advice to the students who did not meet the accomplishments. For instance, he gave health tips to help students maintain better attendance.
Lenton has done these celebration ceremonies for many years, predating the new school building. The school holds a celebration after every twelve weeks.