DANVILLE, Pa. — Signs hang on the walls of Liberty Valley Intermediate School in Liberty Township near Danville. The signs are for the school's 'BEST Self Program' which stands for be respectful, encourage kindness, safety first, and try your hardest.
"We're using cell phones, walking around, and everyone in the building from teachers to our janitors, bus drivers, all have access to literally scan a kids badge and award them points when they're doing a great job," said Heaven Reinard, Liberty Valley Intermediate Principal.
The program started last year and has taken off. This is the first year for the school store and the points system. Students from third through fifth grade are able to shop at the store about once every six days.
"They are able to go online and look at an inventory of items, select their item, and come to the store the next morning. They're all very excited. They hold up their badge, and we're able to scan their badge, and they are able to make a purchase, so it's teaching them a lot about saving skills, spending skills, budgeting, and then just planning in general," said Stephanie Squier, 3rd Grade Learning Support Teacher at Liberty Valley Intermediate.
Since the store opened in the summer, it has created a positive environment at the school and in the community.
"We have hsa parents who are meeting with us and going door to door to businesses and asking for donations and the community has been amazing and just supporting us in our endeavors to just reward our kiddos for doing a great job and for being their best," said Reinard.
"We had donations from almost all of these businesses that we went into, and they were excited, whether they were a parent here or not, just to be involved in growing the kids and have something for them to be excited about," said Courtney Traynor, HSA Liberty Valley Intermediate board member.
Students can redeem their points for posters, school apparel, and other items.
"And then, like, you can pick what you want, and I thought that was really cool when Dr. Reinard announced we were doing that," said Sylvie Walters, 5th grader at Liberty Valley Intermediate.
If you'd like to donate to the PBIS school store, click here: Amazon.com.