Aneishkalee (AJ) Perez Rios puts her name her classroom’s WOW Board for being respectful, responsible, and safe.

If you take a trip down any hallway at C.C. Ring Elementary School, you might become accustomed to hearing a lot of “WOWs!”

Staff members at Ring School have introduced an innovative way to promote positive behavior among students through the use of “WOW” Boards.

“The WOW board is all about positive reinforcement of behaviors that encourage respectful, responsible and safe Roadrunners!” said Principal Michelle Trussalo. “We are practicing the skill of noticing good behaviors in ourselves and in others.”

The idea, initially brought to the school by longtime teacher Kim Austin has now evolved into a school-wide system that recognizes and rewards students for displaying respectful, responsible, and safe behavior.

“Our third-grade team used the WOW boards last year with our classes,” said Austin, who now serves as a resource room teacher. “I found the idea on one of the teacher sites I follow, and I liked that it recognized students for their positive behaviors.”

Students put their names on a 100-box grid for acts like pushing in a chair, saying something thoughtful, or working hard.

“My class last year loved it, especially the excitement of seeing their name on the board,” Austin added. “When the board was full, I’d randomly select a name, and that student would win a prize. We’d display the completed boards in the hallway to showcase how many positive behaviors the class earned.”

Austin’s students were not only motivated by the opportunity for individual recognition but also by the shared goal of filling up the WOW board. “As the board filled, I’d hear my students say, ‘There are only four spots left!’ They were eager to contribute,” she added.

As the school worked to develop a consistent positive behavior system, Austin thought of expanding the WOW board concept.

“It’s easy to manage and allows teachers flexibility in how they implement it,” she said. “Some teachers might use stickers or marks on the squares, and instead of individual prizes, the class could work toward a group reward, such as a special activity or experience.”

Each grade level now tracks their WOW boards, which are displayed on graphs outside the cafeteria for all students to see. The school has even included WOW boards in special areas like music and gym, where students can earn WOWs for their behavior during these classes.

The WOW boards are also featured in the cafeteria, where grade levels compete for a collective prize once they fill up their boards.

“At the end of a certain time period, the grade level with the most WOWs earns a prize,” Austin said. “It could be a dance party, a chance to slime the principal, or another fun reward. We haven’t had our first school-wide prize yet, but I know it will get students even more excited to earn WOWs for their class and grade level.”

Students at Ring Elementary are already embracing the new system.

Fourth-grader Davion Corley from Jennifer Hill’s class said, “If you’re good, you can get a WOW ticket. We have a leaderboard next to our lunchroom with all the WOW boards we’ve filled up. It encourages us to be respectful, responsible, and safe. I try to do that all the time.”

Corley’s class earns WOWs in special areas too.

“In gym class, the teachers don’t tell us when we get a WOW. It’s a mystery, and we find out afterwards,” he added. “When we reach 100 WOWs, Ms. Trussalo will get slimed!”

Second-grader Sophia Goshgarian from Beth Johnson’s class is also excited about the new system.

“When people are good, they get to put their name or number on the WOW board. If you’re really good, you can sign two squares,” she said. “We’re working on a list of rewards, like lunch in the classroom, a sweet treat, or extra recess. We get to vote on what we want.”

That’s why Trussalo believes the program is valuable: it allows students to take individual and collective ownership.

“Students are recognized individually, while also working together as a class, grade level, and building for celebrations,” she said. “For some reason, ‘we should slime Ms. Trussalo’ seems to be brought up quite often. I’m not opposed to any of the ideas and I think that is what makes an incentive like this successful because they are student driven which gives a strong sense of ownership and self accountability.”