New Murals At NHS To Remind Students Of Positive Behaviors

By Eliza Hallabeck

Students have been making their way into Newtown High School over the summer break to work on three murals that will be ready for students when they begin the 2010-2011 school year in September.

The students — Paige Olson, Drew Robinson, Chris Robinson, Mark McLoughlin, Michaela Beaudry, and Sara Currier — have stenciled out and painted in most of the three identical murals already, and have just a few more touches left to go.

According to Newtown High School Psychologist Jennifer Hoag, the murals are part of the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) initiative. PBIS is a national initiative established by the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education to give schools capacity-building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective schoolwide disciplinary practices, according to the PBIS website.

The PBIS team at Newtown High School — school psychologist Tom Brant, physical education teacher Matt Childs, Assistant Principal Scott Clayton, science teacher Trent Harrison, English teacher David Kimball, school counselor Bret Nichols, art teacher Carol Skolas, school social worker Suzanne Tyler, and Ms Hoag — sought out students during the last school year to be a part of the mural project.

Over the summer the students worked with Ms Hoag and Ms Skolas, and multiple team members who came in, to create the murals.

“It’s a proactive approach we are taking to establish positive behaviors, to reward students for positive behaviors,” said Ms Hoag, “and the murals are a way to establish clear behavioral expectations of the students.”

One mural is in the hallway outside the cafeteria and another is inside the cafeteria.

Ms Hoag said the students began working on the project at the end of July, and they have been coming in three days a week to work a couple hours at a time.

The PBIS team at NHS chose the acronym HAWKS to help the students remember the positive behaviors expected of them; have respect, act responsibly, work with honesty and integrity, keep high expectations, and support the community.

“We had to come up with behavioral expectations we thought would be appropriate for everyone here at the building,” said Ms Hoag. “When we did that, we consulted various sources, including the Newtown Board of Education policy, and decided these were appropriate. We also came up with HAWKS, because we thought that would be easy for students to remember.”

Each mural is identical, and filled in with the blue and yellow colors of NHS.

Along with establishing the behavioral expectations, Ms Hoag said students will also be made aware, either in home room or in another area of the school, of the expectations. Rewards for the students for their behavior will also be given as events unfold, Ms Hoag said.

“I think this is a really good approach that we are implementing here at the high school,” said Ms Hoag. “I think it is something we already do, but we are improving upon it. And the students have been fantastic. They are so dedicated and hardworking. I am so impressed with their talent. Every time I come back in here I’m amazed at how good it looks.”