Brooklyn Center Elementary Rewards Students for Good Choices
Brooklyn Center Elementary Assistant Principal Laura Ringen led a small group of children through a maze of hallways on Thursday morning.
It was a long march, but it led to a toy cart overseen by Georgia Clark.
It’s called the Centaur Market. And Clark oversees the small toy market, making sure every dollar adds up.
“This is the [Centaur] Market, where you can come out and buy things. And we keep loading up — [the] more we load, [the] more they buy,” Clark said.
The cash the students spend on trinkets here comes from a special classroom treasury. And teachers like Levette Thomas hold the purse strings.
She handed out “Scholar Dollars” to students that helped with her phonics lesson.
Meanwhile Mari Stohlmann, a kindergarten teacher, signed Scholar Dollars for kids that went above and beyond what’s expected.
Georgia Clark collects “Scholar Dollars” and hands out toys at the Centaur Market.
“I look for kids that are making really good choices, have good behaviors, or I see them doing something like, ‘wow’ without them asking me,” she said.
Students earn these Scholar Dollars by showing love, joy engagement or justice. Those dollars can be exchanged for prizes.
The program is a way to make sure every student feels seen.
“I think a lot of our kids are looking for connection and attention and don’t necessarily know the best way how to get that,” Ringen said.
She sees the positive reinforcement bring more smiles and better results to the classroom.
“Kids then feel good about themselves and they want to be a part of our school community in a positive way,” Ringen said.
Brooklyn Center Elementary is looking for donations to help support the program.
To donate, email Ringen at lringen@bccs286.org or call 763-561-4480.
