Getting your picture up on the bulletin board for the month is old news. It’s time we really celebrated our students. Imagine each of your teachers nominating students who are doing something exceptional in their class.

Then you call an assembly to recognize all of them and award each nominee with a swag bag of school gear and your Student of the Month gets a larger prize like a new backpack (stuffed with gear as well of course). Insert your own mascot name in place of “Firebird” to promote school spirit as you recognize your rockstar students.

This reward comes to us from Devils Lake High School where Principal Ryan Hansen holds an assembly each month and asks his teachers to make nominations for their “Firebird of the Month”. They allow each staff member to nominate one student per month. These are students who are excelling in anything, but not necessarily everything so ALL of your students have the opportunity to be nominated.

Want to up the stakes? If you are a High School you could throw in special parking. Middle and Elementary could also include a special privilege like saying the pledge over the intercom or gaining access to special seating at lunch.

School too large to hold regular assemblies? You could do a modified version of this award in each grade level or house and announce the winners during homeroom or their house meetings.