An unusually warm November afternoon turned into a celebration for Penn Wynne students, who earned an extra end-of-day recess after surpassing 10,000 Penguin Points through the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) Program.

PBIS is a framework designed to improve student behavior using positive reinforcement. At Penn Wynne, students earn Penguin Points when staff catch them demonstrating the “Three Bs” – Being Safe, Being Kind, and Being Respectful. For instance, helping a classmate pick up dropped books could earn students points for kindness. There are both classroom-specific and school-wide point goals the Penguins work towards, which can unlock rewards like movie parties, extra recess and more.

Needless to say, students were thrilled to trade classroom time for sunshine on this milestone day. Fourth-grade students, as the school’s eldest role models, had the special opportunity to test out new bean-bag-toss and oversized Jenga and Connect Four games, awarded to the school through a generous mini-grant from the Interschool Council (ISC).

Programs like PBIS do more than encourage good behavior—they create joyful memories and help foster a happier, healthier school community. At Penn Wynne, kindness, respect and safety aren’t just core values—they’re reasons to celebrate!