Lunch with the Principal is not always that bad

On Friday, we held our second "Dinner with Dodd" during the 1st semester of the school year.  The dinner (which is actually lunch, but we needed a somewhat catchy name) is one of our Renaissance activities that recognizes students who have excelled in certain areas such as a lack of discipline referrals, great attendance, and good grades.  We also recognize students who have scored in the top 5 in their class in the ACT Explore test and the ACT PLAN test.

The students have the opportunity to eat lunch and visit with the Principal during their lunches and have "all you can eat" Pizza and slushies.  We also like to include students who have excelled on the Explore and PLAN tests because at New Lexington, our 8th graders take the Explore test and they are not eligible to receive Renaissance Gold cards until they are in high school.  It also allows the staff the opportunity to recognize our college & career ready students at an early age.

I am going to extend the "Dinner with Dodd" invitations in the Spring to students who have scored in the top five of their classes in the ACT and in the OGTs.  I am not a believer in the "carrot-stick" reward method, but I like to reward students for doing well in the standardized tests that our students are required to complete.