How Springton Lake Middle School Turned Behavior Expectations into a Student-Run Economy

The Spartan Buck Economy

Springton Lake’s mascot is the Spartan, so the currency is the Spartan Buck. Every Friday, there’s a schoolwide opportunity for students to redeem their points. The rotation keeps it fresh:

• Soft pretzel Fridays – redeem Spartan Bucks for a coupon to get a free pretzel after school
• Tangible giveaways – stickers, Springton Lake wristbands, small prizes
• Gift card raffles – trade Spartan Bucks for raffle tickets toward bigger prizes

The published schedule is key. When students can see what’s coming, they budget. They weigh whether to spend now on a pretzel or save up for Mega Prize Table Day. The system accidentally teaches financial literacy – students learning to manage a currency without realizing they’re building a life skill.

Salladino’s team keeps the rewards relevant by doing something disarmingly simple: they ask the students what they want. A survey before one Mega Prize Table Day revealed that students wanted Taylor Swift stickers, hair clips, and – unexpectedly – sports cards. The basketball and baseball card raffle became the single most popular item that day.

“We would not have known that if we hadn’t asked the kids,” Salladino says. “Just keep it simple and ask.”

The Chill Room

One of Springton Lake’s most creative incentives is available every day. Adjacent to the cafeteria, the school created a lounge called the Chill Room – an intimate space where about 15 students at a time can eat lunch together. The room has comfortable furniture, students are allowed to use their cell phones, and the centerpiece: an Xbox gaming system.

Students use Spartan Bucks to reserve a spot. Everyone in the group has to pay their own way – no free rides. If one friend doesn’t have enough points, the whole group waits until everyone can afford it.

“What positive peer pressure,” Salladino notes. That next week, friends are cheering each other on to earn enough points. A one-time investment in a gaming console generates endless motivation.

When Salladino tells incoming students about the system and mentions the Xbox, he says, “they’re all about that.”

Teaching Expectations, Not Just Posting Them

The reward system works because Springton Lake doesn’t just set expectations – they teach them like curriculum. After winter break, the school held a full Reboot Day. No math, no science, no language arts. The entire day was dedicated to reteaching behavior expectations in every class.

Each period focused on a different context: what does appropriate behavior look like in the hallway? In the cafeteria? During transitions? The school created videos featuring actual students and teachers demonstrating the expectations, which made the instruction lighter and more engaging.

“Kids don’t respond to hearing something just one time or two times,” Salladino explains. “We felt like the time we put in to do a reboot would pay dividends over the course of the rest of the year.”

A teacher committee monitors schoolwide data – referrals, hot spots in the building, time-of-day patterns, specific behaviors trending upward. When cell phone use became an issue, they made it a targeted focus: teachers intentionally recognized and rewarded students who kept phones off and away. The result was a noticeable improvement.

The approach is intermittent reinforcement – not rewarding the behavior every time, but enough that students know there’s always a chance. “If you never reward it, at some point the kids are going to say, well, what’s in it for me?” Salladino says. “It’s got to be a blend of both.”

Reaching the Tipping Point

Getting full staff buy-in wasn’t instant. Early on, some teachers held the view that students should just do the right thing without needing rewards. Students noticed the inconsistency – they’d tell Salladino that some teachers gave Spartan Bucks freely while others rarely did.

“We began to see that the only way this was going to work was if everybody was doing their part,” Salladino recalls. “Otherwise it’s only as strong as the systems we have in place.”

The shift happened through momentum, not mandates. As more teachers adopted the system, colleagues talked to colleagues. The LiveSchool data made progress visible – monthly reports showed how many teachers were logging in and awarding points, making buy-in measurable rather than abstract.

Now, several years in, Salladino says they’ve reached the tipping point. The majority of staff are fully on board. The system isn’t a trend – it’s foundation.

Making It Personal

Beyond the schoolwide system, Springton Lake uses LiveSchool for individualized support. When a particular student is struggling, staff sit down with them and ask: what would be motivating for you? The incentive might not be something available schoolwide – it’s personalized to that student’s interests.

“When kids see that we’re doing things with them and for them – and not just to them – I think it goes a long way,” Salladino says.

The philosophy extends to families. The key is that students feel known, not managed. Asking what they want – and then delivering on it – builds trust. As Salladino puts it: “If you ask, you have to be willing to deliver.”

For Salladino, the work comes down to a simple belief: “My job is to make sure that the teachers can do their jobs. I may not be teaching the math lesson, but my job is to help create the environment where learning can take place.”