WEST UNION – Students at Doddridge County Middle School have been receiving rewards all during the school year simply for doing the right thing.

The middle school’s Do The Right Thing initiative is a program which was created by teachers and staff at Doddridge County Middle School over the summer months of 2014, and introduced to students in the fall, said Doddridge County Middle School Counselor Wanetta Conner.

The points-based system rewards the fifth- to eighth-grade students who attend the school for being prepared and responsible for every class period.

The program is designed to teach the students leadership skills and the importance of monitoring their own behavior in life, said Conner. The program also instills a sense of school pride and stresses the importance of a high grade point average.

For each of the six classes during the day, students can receive a single point. That point is only available to the student if they arrive to class on time with their homework ready, textbooks in tow, have a pencil to work with, and bring their school-provided tablet and have it charged, and be ready to begin class.

Whether students will earn their point for the class period then further depends on the student’s behavior in the classroom, Conner said. Each grade-level has guidelines for behavior outlined on posters displayed in the classroom.

Students also have the ability to make up some missed points through going above and beyond what is expected of them in the classroom. Students who volunteer for duties, help other students, and participate in extra-curricular activities such as the school science fair earn extra points, said Conner.

At the end of each six-week grading period, points are tallied, and those students who have earned enough points are presented with an in-school reward, while those who did not spend the time in a study hall, doing make-up work.

Of the 327 students served by Doddridge County Middle School, 80-85 percent of them have been earning rewards every six weeks so far, Conner said.

For the first six weeks of school, students were asked to earn 75 percent of the available points in order to participate in the reward. Each six weeks, the percentage goes up by 5 percent, until students are expected to receive 100 percent of available points during the last six weeks, Conner said.

Each reward has been different, providing students who qualify with a fun opportunity in the school setting, said Conner. For the first six weeks, students watched a movie and received popcorn during it as their reward.

Throughout the school year, other rewards have included an in-school social with a DJ providing music to dance to, a student-designed sweatshirt with the Do The Right Thing logo, and a field trip to Salem International University, where students got to tour the campus and talk to other students, Conner said.

For students who meet the 95 percent points mark at the end of this six weeks, bouncy castles will be set up in the school gymnasium to play on. For those who meet 100 percent in the final weeks of school, a pool party awaits, Conner said.

The program has already produced dramatic results in behavior and attendance at Doddridge County Middle School, said Conner.

Attendance at the school has increased, and referrals for student discipline have dropped, Conner said. Students appear to be more engaged in their class work, classroom morale overall has improved, and classroom behavior along with it.

One of the unexpected benefits of the program has been a decrease in broken or discarded pencils in the hallways, said Conner. Prior to this year, students commonly broke pencils or discarded them in hallways between classes, and had no reason to retrieve them.

Since the new program requires a pencil in hand at the start of class in order to earn a point, students who lose their pencils have been retrieving others from the hallways.

The students have been enjoying the program this year, and continue to work hard in order to earn their rewards through the end of the school year, Conner said.