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Penn Wynne Elementary School

Off-Canvas

Penn Wynne Students "Stop, Drop and Build"

Empty cereal boxes, paper towel tubes, egg cartons and coffee filters might sound like the contents of your recycling bin. But for students at Penn Wynne Elementary School, those items sparked an afternoon of creativity resulting in buildings, race tracks, flowers, robots and more during an event called "Stop, Drop and Build."

Penn Wynne students are rewarded for their continued efforts to demonstrate the "Three B's," which are "Be Safe, Be Kind and Be Respectful," the basic tenets of the school's ongoing Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) program.

Students who practice the Three B's are rewarded with Penguin Points from school staff. And Principal Shawn Bernatowicz ("Mr. B.") had promised a big surprise when the total number of Penguin Points reached 40,000.

At two o'clock on Thursday, March 20, 2024, the bank of Penguin Points reached that magic number, so Mr. B was able to announce the fun-filled afternoon of "Stop, Drop and Build" as the students' reward.

The announcement was greeted with cheers throughout the school, as teachers brought out the recycled items that had been collected, along with lots of tape, crayons and markers. The students were encouraged to let their imaginations soar, as fun music played over the school's public address system.

Working in small groups in every classroom, and even some hallways, the students began building all sorts of creations. As they worked, they continued to practice the Three B's, asking politely for additional supplies and admiring each other's work.

Earlier this year, the students enjoyed an afternoon of "Stop, Drop and Draw" at the 20,000-point mark and are now looking ahead to another fun surprise when they hit their next Penguin Point plateau.

For photos of the students in action, you can click through the slide show below.

A teacher assists two students by a desk.
Two students create something from a box that once held goldfish crackers
A class full of students on a rug filled with recycled materials for projects
A student kneeling on the floor concentrates on taping something
A student makes a flower out of a coffee filter and paper towel tube
Students in a hallway with lots of boxes for creating something special
A student holds a paper towel tube, while surrounded by other supplies
Two students at a desk working with egg cartons
Two students observe their cereal box creation
Two students work with scissors, waffle boxes and cereal boxes
Four students, working in pairs at desks on creating their projects
Two students on the rug working with tissue and cereal boxes
Two students at a desk with glue sticks and egg cartons
Four students work with paper bags and egg cartons
Students on the floor using cardboard, a paper towel tube and an egg carton
A student works on creating something from an egg carton
A classroom of students at desks with supplies for their projects
Students on the floor work with cereal boxes and egg cartons
A student concentrates on creating something from a paper towel tube
Several students at desks with masking tape and other supplies
Three students in a hallway, cutting paper and working with crayons
A student smiles as she shows off the box and project she's creating
Students work on their projects in a hallway
Students line a hallway with their projects and supplies
Two students discuss their paper box project
Students on the floor work with tape. boxes and paper
Students at tables covered with recycled boxes for their projects
Three students on the floor concentrate on building something out of boxes
Two students hold tape dispensers and chat, while a third student sits and works on her project
A colorful classroom with students at desk groupings working on their projects
A girl works with recycled cardboard as a boy watches next to her.
Four students at a table working on a project
Students seated on the floor collaborate to build projects from recycled materials
Students on the classroom floor and tables with recycled materials around them for projects
Students seated on a rug smile as they plan a building a project
A group of students on the floor creating a project from a cereal box
A display with a drawing of a thermometer as the Penguin Points total approaches 40,000
A display case partially filled with Penguin Points that students have collected
Blue bulletin board with %22Stop, Drop and Draw%22 and photos of that event