Meadow Pond’s gym hummed with happiness as students decorated colorful classroom banners with pipe cleaners, stickers, markers, streamers, mini pompoms and personalized paper hearts. “Pass the glue,” “What do you think of this?” “I love it!” became the soundtrack to contentment.
It was the Pond’s first ever Banner Making Blowout—a surprise celebration of exemplary behavior, as evidenced by the full Moose Moolah bin in the cafeteria.
Moose Moolah is the currency of kindness at Meadow Pond Elementary, Assistant Principal David Bournas-Ney explained.
Teachers give students Moose Moolah—slips of paper with the school’s Moose mascot on it—when they see kind, safe, responsible and respectful behavior. Students add the moolah to a classroom jar, and when it is filled, they have a celebration—and empty the jar into the schoolwide moolah bin.
“When the school’s moolah bin is full, we create something fun for the whole school!” said Bournas-Ney.
Within 30 minutes, the class banners sparkled with colorful, one-of-a-kind creations of positivity and unity. “Kindness counts.” “You belong.” “Let’s go, kindness!” “Be sweet.” “Kind is cool.” “Be grateful.” “Go MPES!”
They are going to be hung up around the school for all to see!