Good choices give students a chance to earn extra fun time
Drexel Avenue School students and faculty in Westbury form a giant heart. Credit: Dr. Wanda Toledo
Our school has Fun Zone Fridays for all the kids who earn tickets to attend. Fun Zone Friday happens on the last Friday of each month. We earn tickets by demonstrating certain qualities, following our school's HEART program: H stands for honor, E for excellence, A for attitude, R for responsibility and T for teamwork.
Students can earn HEART tickets for their conduct from teachers and staff in any part of the school, like the classroom, cafeteria, hallway, auditorium or playground. It helps a lot of kids make good choices, so they earn tickets for being good. Kids keep their tickets and then add them up at the end of the month. If they earn 50 tickets, they can select a school Fun Zone to attend for 80 minutes on the last Friday of the month.
Some of the Fun Zones are computer games, board games like chess and checkers, movies, Just Dance videos off YouTube on a SmartBoard, and arts and crafts. We tried out the dance and arts and crafts zones and had fun. Everyone was dancing and sweating at the dance zone, and we made beaded lizard key chains at arts and crafts. Kids were laughing and enjoying themselves so much. We got to see, play and work with kids from other classes on our grade levels. We can’t wait for the next Fun Zone Friday so we can try out a different zone.
Our principal, Dr. Wanda Toledo, says Fun Zone Friday promotes an atmosphere of positivity and enthusiasm. At Drexel, we get smart, have heart and stay fit!
Julie Corwin’s fifth-grade class, Drexel Avenue School, Westbury
