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This school year, students may have noticed signs that say “Westside High School Behavioral Expectations. The signs are part of a program called PBIS, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

PBIS is a positive approach to establishing the behavioral support and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional and academic success. PBIS is relatively new to Westside, but this is the first year that it is recognized thanks to the new rules signs.

The rules are enforced throughout the building, with signs not only in hallways but, classrooms as well. Students are being taught about the rules throughout the first semester by their homeroom advisors. The administration has helped bring in and enforce the new rules according to Assistant Principal Trudi Nolin.

“We surveyed staff members to get overall behavior needs in the building and if they were willing to support and implement a new process or system,” Nolin said.

“All certified and classified staff members have been involved in the implementation of PBIS in the building,” Nolin said. Westside High School is currently in the beginning stages of implementing the PBIS rules and is in the process of collecting data about behaviors and locations to help with the support. Despite the lack of an evident change right now, Nolin and other administrators remain hopeful for the future of the program.

“We certainly have heard from many schools that have implemented PBIS that it really makes a difference in students and staff and overall culture in the building,” Nolin said.

SPARKING NEW INTERESTS

Most of the students at Westside High School left the middle school before a new concept called SPARK time (Students Participating and Actively Reflecting Knowledge) was introduced in the 2015-2016 school year. SPARK time, as told by current freshman Adam McGauvran, is “to learn new things about school and responsibilities.”

The new alternative to homeroom was moved to third period, instead of at the end of the day and is now 20 minutes long.

SPARK’s purpose, according to the Westside Middle School student handbook, is to teach, reinforce, and build character as a middle school student working together with our classroom community.

McGauvran talked about his experience and said, “What I did in SPARK time last year was watch videos and learn new things.”

If you were a fan of the old homeroom, this might not sound ideal compared to having 40 minutes of time at the end of the day, but McGauvran said student response was pretty positive.

“I really thought SPARK time was okay, and some people that I knew liked Spark,” he said.

Though homeroom, and the middle school in general, might not be exactly the same anymore, the new SPARK program seems to have changed the middle school for the better