$1,000 grant will help Hudsonville students SOAR
HUDSONVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) — At Forest Grove Elementary in Hudsonville, they put a heavy focus on helping students SOAR. It’s a districtwide initiative for the Eagles’ students and staff that stands for being Safe, Owning it, Acting responsibly and being Respectful.
The acronym serves as a guiding principle for teaching and reinforcing positive behaviors throughout the school day.
“For students to succeed behaviorally, we want to be really intentional about teaching the desired expected behaviors,” Jill VanDenend, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports specialist at Forest Grove, said. “That can look a variety of different ways. It might be students walking down the hallway being safe or even being quick to apologize with owning their behavior if they bumped into someone. Or classroom teachers might even see students getting started on their work right away.”
Actions that fall under the SOAR criteria are quickly rewarded and celebrated, with staff handing that student a SOAR ticket.
“How I am going to respond when I see kids maybe doing something they shouldn’t be, or doing something they should? We really want that to be the same as how Jill would respond, how our bus drivers would respond, how our noon supervisors outside in the playground would respond,” Forest Grove Principal John Gillette said. “And that gives us consistency in the message.”
The program has been in place for four years and has become a feather in the way Forest Grove educators help their students fly.
“There’s as much academic learning that goes on as there is social and relational,” Gillette said of the SOAR program’s success. “And honestly, I think we would both agree that the relationship is probably the most important place to start, right?”
Students are able to build up tickets and cash them in at the SOAR store, walking away with prizes that range from mechanical pencils and Slinkies to water bottles and squish pillows.
Last week, Forest Grove was honored as the December winner of the monthly One School at a Time grant from Family Fare. The $1,000 grant will support the school’s efforts to foster positive behavior and academic success by restocking the SOAR store.
“We’re very proud, and $1,000 to fill up their store for their SOAR program will go a long way,” Rodney Clayton, store director at the Hudsonville Family Fare, said. “We appreciate that opportunity. We love the Hudsonville community.”
The partnership between the school and Family Fare underscores the community’s dedication to educating and empowering the next generation by helping young minds soar to new heights.
“There’s a company right here, that owns a store that most of you might go and buy your groceries from, that is committed to you being successful at school, to learning, to celebrating who you are and to make the good choices that you make,” Gillette said. “I mean, that’s what we’re about.”
If you’re an educator in West Michigan with innovative ideas for using the One School at a Time grant, you can apply here.
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