The dedicated staff and teachers at Shadow Ridge are committed to fostering a positive and respectful learning environment. Joyce Fowlie is one of Shadow’s great learning strategists who is great at helping encourage good behavior and reinforce the importance of following school rules. Shadow has implemented the Mustang Bucks program. This initiative rewards students who demonstrate respect, responsibility, and adherence to the school’s expectations.

Fowlie says, “Mustang Bucks are used as a digital reward system for students. Students can earn them in a multitude of ways, but I enjoy giving them when a student displays the R.I.D.G.E. way (respect, integrity, discipline, growth, empower).”

The behaviors the Mustang Bucks system are encouraging are the behaviors that exemplify the RIDGE Way. 

“Ever since Mustang Bucks were implemented, I have had students asking me for Mustang Bucks and how they can earn them. The extrinsic reward empowers students to do good things around our school,” says Fowlie.

Staff consistently gets students asking for Mustang Bucks and students talk to staff before school and at lunches more often. Shadow Ridge is looking for ways to give out the Bucks and students are wanting to receive them, so Fowlie believes there has been more engagement with their implementation.

“Students, no matter what their age, love to receive acknowledgment. I love giving out Mustang Bucks and seeing the smiles on their faces and the students are eager to do good things around the school. I believe it adds a positive light to our school culture for all stakeholders,” says Fowlie.

The role of the teachers and staff is vital to the program. Staff are the “Hype Man” behind the system. If they aren’t encouraging and rewarding, then it could be detrimental to a positive program. 

Fowlie says, “I would say Mustang Bucks is geared more towards the social experience at school. Exemplifying the RIDGE Way creates an upstanding community and has a strong focus on positivity. Rewarding this behavior will encourage more students to display the RIDGE Way.”

Fowlie believes the students who are fully aware of the system and know the rewards are motivated to earn more bucks. She still runs into students who are not aware of Mustang Bucks or what they can get for them, so all staff and teacher’s need to spread the word. 

Fowlie says, “I would say the long-term goal is to garner more participation and get more feedback from the students to see what they want in the rewards system.”

Shadow Ridge has been working towards this goal to see the growth in student’s behaviors. As students get more and more Mustang Bucks they .can go to the student store to get the prize for however many bucks they want to redeem.