Amid the mild chaos that prevails in La Grande High School during

passing time between classes, a student heard a teacher shout his name.

The boy looked up and saw the teacher sternly motioning with a finger for him to come over and meet him in his room.

The boy, concern covering his face, asked “What did I do? What did I do?”

The teacher smiled.

“You did great.”

A visible sense of relief washed over the student’s face. The faculty member then explained that he had just seen the boy push open a door for a student in a wheelchair and then run 30 feet to the next door and open it for the same person.

The teacher next told the boy his act of generosity had earned him a Tiger Pride card.

The boy walked out with a smile on his face, said first-year LHS Principal Boon Setser, who is also a teacher and the one who presented the Tiger Pride Card to the student.

Tiger Pride cards are being awarded to students for the first time this school year by teachers and administrators for acts of integrity and respect, those revealing personal responsibility and more.

Students receiving Tiger Pride cards not only have a tangible reward for a positive deed but are also eligible for prize drawings.

The cards are one component of the LHS Positive Behavior Support program, one having a striking impact on student behavior. The proof is in numbers comparing the first nine weeks of this school year to the initial nine weeks of the previous school year. The numbers indicate that:

andbull; tardy slips issued to students late for class dropped by 762 from 2,483 to 1,721.

andbull; the number of students with nine or more tardies fell from 79 to 48.

andbull; students receiving referrals to the LHS office for bad behavior dropped by 40 from 122 to 82.

andbull; the number of unexcused absences fell by 985.

Skeptics might argue, Setser said, that tardies, unexcused absences and student referrals fell because enrollment is down this year from 718 to 654 students. Setser said, though, that even after taking the enrollment decline into account, tardies, unexcused absences and office referrals are down significantly on a per-student average.

The improvement reflects Tiger Pride cards plus a new expectation of faculty, Setser said. Teachers are now asked to stand at their classroom doors during passing periods after classes. Faculty are not asked to watch for bad behavior but rather the good things students are doing. Things worthy of Tiger Pride cards.

“We are looking for kids exhibiting positive behavior,” Setser said.

Setser is helping run the Positive Behavior Support program, which is in its second year. This is the first school year Tiger Pride cards have been issued and teachers have been asked to stand by their doorways during passing periods through as part of the program.

The PBS program was developed by and is being overseen by a committee comprised of LHS teachers Molly Brog, Anne March, Amelia Ettinger, Pat Des Jardin, Sunny Twilegar plus vice principal Andrea Waldrop and Teresa Dowdy, a counselor. The committee receives input from a committee of LHS students.

Des Jardin is impressed with the impact the PBS program is having.

“It helps define what is right” and encourages behavior along this line, the science teacher said.

Students are receiving Tiger Pride cards not only for opening doors for those who need help, but for sticking up for individuals being bullied, picking up dropped books for classmates, walking away from conflicts and much more.

Teachers are not ignoring bad behavior and will report things such as students running down the hall. The principal emphasizes that faculty are focused on looking for the good acts of students.

Students are receiving more than Tiger Pride cards as part of the Positive Behavior Support program. Those who are never late for class during a quarter get to attend a No Tardy Party. More than 400 students got to attend the first party, an ice cream social at LHS, earlier this month.

A year ago far fewer students would be eligible for a no tardy party, Setser said.

Des Jardin is among the teachers delighted to see such students being recognized. He said that too often educators end up focusing an inordinate amount of time on problem students.

“This broadens our focus,” Des Jardin said. “It is helping us look at all students and recognize what they are doing right.”