Comstock Park — Sixth-grader Calvin Arraut admitted that finding a Christmas gift can be challenging.
He had come to the school store at Mill Creek Middle School hoping to find something for his sister.
“I wanted to get her some shoes, but they don’t have anything in her size,” he explained to seventh-grader A’Maya VandenBerg, who paused for a moment before offering a few suggestions.
Calvin’s search for a Christmas present is one of the reasons social worker Mandy Bernal-Hill and special education teacher Casey Getter worked to open the school store this year.
Like other school stores, students collect P.R.O.S tickets for being prepared, showing respect, taking ownership and acting safely. They can redeem them for various items, ranging from candy to clothing and shoes.
“Before, the office had some trinkets and small items available for students to go through,” Bernal-Hill said. “We began thinking about it and recognized that students would be interested in other, larger items as well.
“The idea was to give them an incentive to be good so they could earn tickets for the larger items.”
Over the summer, Getter and Bernal-Hill converted a former computer lab that had been used as a storage room into a store. To stock it, they held fundraisers and collected donations from the community.
The store opened in the fall with an array of items at various ticket-price points, ranging from one ticket to 100 tickets. The store is open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m every Friday during lunch periods.
‘It makes me feel important being able to do this.’
— A’Maya VandenBerg, seventh-grader and school store worker
Pricing, Posters & Helping Others
After the store opened, students showed interest in helping organize items, set prices and assist their peers in finding what they need.
“My goal for students who assist in the school store or shop there is to help them develop a sense of responsibility, teamwork and good decision-making,” Getter said. By earning PBIS tickets and using them to shop, she added, students gain a better understanding of effort and reward.
“Assisting in the store also gives them an opportunity to practice leadership and organizational skills, which are important both in and out of the classroom,” she said.
“Ultimately, I want students to not only feel proud of their achievements but also to develop values like gratitude, accountability and respect for the work that goes into creating a positive school environment.”
Recently, sixth-grader Isaiah Houston sorted through a donation box, examining and pricing items.
“What do you think this would sell for?” Bernal-Hill asked Isaiah as he looked over an art kit. “Fifteen tickets? Twenty?”
Isaiah walked over to compare it with similar items already on display, and settled on a price of 20 tickets.
Seated near the checkout, eighth-grader Ramon Quiroga worked to create a more professional sign to display the store’s hours. The project fits his interests, which include computer work and design, he said.
“I would definitely say the shoes, then the snacks, and the three-way chargers,” Ramon said when asked about the store’s most popular items. “There’s a lot of good stuff here.”
Getter said students from the school’s LINKS program have helped to store, organize and rearrange. LINKS students also have talked to their individual peer mentor about store options and how to earn PROS passes, she said.
Bernal-Hill said they hope to expand the store’s offerings and plan to conduct a survey later this year to learn what students like about the store and what they would like to see added.
Calvin was ready to check out. With A’Maya’s help, he chose the art kit Isaiah had priced along with a couple of coloring prints.
“I like to help people,” A’Maya said. “I think it’s good that I’m helping my school and my community. It makes me feel important being able to do this.”
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