PBIS has released its Student of the Month and Staff Member of the Month recipients for the month of April. 

English teacher Nancy Close nominated Assistant Principal Brandi Meeks because she manages lots of difficult tasks near the end of the school year such as Milestone testing and scheduling. She handles these things swiftly with a good attitude and has good communication skills. 

“She’s outstanding all the time, especially in every area of responsibility she has,” Close said. “She’s the primary administrator who handles all of the Milestone stuff and that is a gigantic task that is very difficult to handle, and she handles it perfectly. She’s also very easy to work with.”

Other staff nominees included learning specialist Mandy Ratliff, English teacher Jill Bowen, assistant principal Shane Ratliff, sign language interpreter Christine Chatham, guidance secretary Judy Dillon, special education department chair Diane Kurbes, and childcare teacher Hope Via.

Learning specialist Kelly Metcalf nominated sophomore Angelize Archer because she executes her homework and assignments on time and is always prepared in class. She also takes responsibility and is proactive in class. 

“I nominated Angelize because she’s always prepared for class, takes notes, and is always on top of things,” Metcalf said. 

Other underclassmen nominees included freshman Aaron Price, and sophomores Will Clem, Lautaro Bueno-Perez, Kai Brown, and Jack Early.

Speech-language pathologist Shannon Gagliano nominated junior Ava Hall because she participates in PALS meetings and activities and steps up to interact with the special needs kids making sure to treat everyone with kindness. She has done these things with no direction as well as inviting new students to join the club.

“She is a phenomenal girl working with kids with special needs in our PALS club,” Gagliano said. “She just has a natural knack of knowing what to do in different situations and how to get kids engaged in conversations, which is the purpose of our club. She’s also willing to help with anything I ask her to do as far as setting up for things, sending me different things when I need it and just being a great PALS member.”

Other upperclassmen nominees included juniors Valentina Diaz and Heath Atkinson, and seniors Kellan Powell, Sam Moyes, Ricardo Leacock, and Rylie Hamilton. 

Once a month Andrea Freeman, the assistant principal in charge of PBIS, sends out a link for staff members to nominate students and teachers on their good behavior. The PBIS committee, composed of Freeman, PBIS coach Adriah Williamson, and other faculty and staff, vote on the PBIS staff and students of the month. 

“[PBIS] is a system and a framework that rewards students for positive behavior,” Freeman said. “Research tells us that when we work in an environment that rewards positive behavior, rather than focusing on the consequences from negative behavior, then students and staff will internalize those behaviors better and more effectively.”