LEESBURG - Superheroes swooped down at Leesburg Elementary School Friday afternoon to teach the student body about the importance of cooperation.
The minutes-long skit included appearances by Mr. Safety, Miss Cooperative and Señor Responsable (sic). By the end of the skit, the three superheroes and Leesburg's faculty, staff and Principal Randy Dahms cooperated together and did the "cha cha."
Leesburg Elementary was one of two Warsaw schools to pilot the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support behavior model in 2001. Staff originally was trained by Indiana University, Bloomington, faculty.
Today, this system is implemented in all Warsaw Community Schools. The PBIS system provides consistency for expectations throughout the school, according to information provided by Leesburg School. The areas focused on include the playground, cafeteria, hallways, office, dismissal and arrival areas and the restrooms. Procedures are taught and practiced at the beginning of the school year, and again when students and staff return from winter vacation. The provided information states, "Research has proven that children perform better academically and feel safer when expectations are clear and consistent."
An integral part of the system is rewarding students for positive behaviors. When a student acts in a way that represents one of the focused skills, the student may receive a Blazer Buck. This is considered "school money" that can be used to purchase items in the monthly school store.
The five skills focused on at Leesburg Elementary School are respect, cooperation, responsibility, safety and being polite and kind.
Each month, the staff members perform a skit for the student body that focuses on one of the focused skills. The focus for March is on cooperation.
As the students enjoyed watching teachers Lee Snider, Emily Duncan and Nate Polston role play as Mr. Safety, Miss Cooperative and Señor Responsable respectively Friday, they also learned the importance of the focused skill - cooperation.
