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Goal

To enhance our House program by recognizing and rewarding students who exhibit positive behaviors. 

What will be done with my students

As a nation, we understand that due to the pandemic, virtual learning, and the inability to gather, many students in our schools lost the sense of connection they had with peers and their school. Compounding this is the fact that middle school can often be awkward; a time when students are navigating the transition from child to teenager.
North Naples Middle School staff knew we had to take action. To combat these feelings of isolation, we adopted a House System as a means of improving the sense of belonging for our student population. Similar to what is described in the popular novel, Harry Potter, our students are divided into four different Houses. Each House is comprised of students from all three grade levels, who work together to earn House points and rewards. They support each other, cheer each other on, and both win and lose as part of a team. Each House leader holds a monthly meeting with the members of their House of Representatives - students voted into "office" by their peers - to share information and gain student input.
The four Houses, Rispetto (Respect), Reise (Journey), Tiyaga (Perseverence), and Valentia (Courage), were named to represent some of the native languages spoken at our school and a few of the characters traits our students embody. Each House has a crest that was designed by a student, and on Wednesdays, students and teachers wear their House crest shirts to spread spirit across campus.
Our House program was a huge part of why our school was so successful during the past school year. Students were incredibly excited and supportive of any and all House activities, and our staff used it as a means to rally students enthusiasm and engagement.
Last year we were fortunate to be able to have House cookies made by a company that created an edible version of the House crests on the frosting. These, individually wrapped, shelf stable cookies were used to recognize and reward students who went above and beyond normal expectations to help/support members of our school community. These students were rewarded during lunchtime, in front of their peers. Based on student feedback, we know the cookies were a huge hit!
The most affordable company, Wicked Good Cookies, makes a 3" round logo cookie and can imprint an edible image of each crest onto the frosting. These custom cookies run about $2.50 each. Similar to the cookies used as promotional items by large companies, the cookies are individually wrapped and shelf stable for several weeks. We would like to order 100 cookies for each House, enabling us to recognize 400 students over the course of two months, or so. 

Benefits to my students

Research has proven time and again that students who have high engagement and a strong sense of belonging at school experience positive academic gains. By identifying students who exhibit positive behaviors and recognizing their contribution to both their individual House and the whole school community, we are increasing engagement and sense of belonging.
Receiving one of these treats in a public forum, such as the school cafeteria, will allow students to recognized by both staff and their peers in a very positive way. Our hope is that the desire to earn the recognition, the treat, and the incredible feeling that comes from helping a peer, will spread throughout the student body and encourage more acts of kindness.
 

Budget Narrative

Shipping is approximately $15 per box and a box holds about 100 cookies. I am estimating we will need four boxes. 

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