With all the energy and enthusiasm necessary to raise the noise level in the Memorial Park School gym, teacher Jody Thomas urged the elementary students to try harder.
“Let’s encourage Officer, I mean Elf, Zurek,’’ she said of School Resource Officer Louis Zurek, who sported a colorful elf hat as he read the names of students who had received referrals for good behavior in the past two months.
Zurek read a name. Clap, clap, clap. Another name. Clap, clap, clap. Another name with some nifty elf dance moves. Louder clap, clap, clap.
So it went. Cheers and claps for dozens of students who had made a positive impact on the elementary school community in the past month.
Since the start of the year Memorial Park has participated in the Positivity Project. The Positivity Project is a nationwide program that encourages students to use 24 characteristics to build positive relationships with everyone around them.
At MPS this includes a monthly gathering in the gym of all students and teachers. They cheer on a number of accomplishments: classes that won banners…