High School APBS: OakLeaf HS

Oakleaf High School is home to approximately 2,800 students in the Orange Park, Florida community. Since 2018, reducing lost instructional time due to undesired behaviors has been a priority. To achieve this goal, the PBIS team, with support from school leadership, has worked diligently to increase positive behavior structures across campus while identifying underlying causes of unwanted behaviors, such as a lack of self-awareness, responsible decision making, and connectedness. The PBIS team developed a reward system to recognize positive behavior, created an action committee focused on integrating social/emotional learning (SEL) throughout the culture of the school, and added student voice to implementation plans.

At Oakleaf High School (OHS), Knight Bingo has become a staple in recognizing teachers and students who exhibit traits of Knight PRIDE, which stands for Positivity, Respect, Integrity, Drive, and Engagement. OHS uses Knight Bingo to cultivate a positive atmosphere between students, teachers, and all staff members, including bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and our custodial team. To do so, we utilize student-designed and created buttons that represent each PRIDE expectation and positive mindset connected to our SEL curriculum, 7 Mindsets. Once students and staff members have earned nine buttons, it will fill the “K” on our Knight Bingo board. Then, they choose from a selection of rewards that includes gift cards, coffee mugs, tumblers, and other items donated by our community partnerships. In addition to our buttons and the Knight Bingo initiative, nominations for our staff members and student of the week are based on those acknowledgments.

Connecting the 7 Mindsets Curriculum with our PBIS structures is important at OHS. Too often, these concepts are discussed independently of each other. In reality, their connection and relationship is paramount in supporting the academic success of our students here at Oakleaf High School. SEL supports and the PBIS mentality have become central to the way we view student behavior and performance in the classroom. Anywhere you look, social/emotional learning (SEL) has become commonplace in and outside the classroom walls at OHS. Knights can scan a QR code on the wall for a positive message or walk past a decorated door displaying our PRIDE expectations. In hallways, students can observe a piece of artwork designed collaboratively across 9 different art classes and CTE content areas displaying how the arts can positively impact students. Students can also actively participate in our student-led SEL action team responsible for modeling the characteristics and traits found in our 7 Mindsets curriculum. You see examples of positivity, respect, integrity, drive, and engagement in the posters hung in the hallway, in activities and lessons done in the classroom, and you can hear it in the conversations between staff or students. The SEL curriculum itself, linked to our expectations, is taught during our scheduled enrichment time 5th period and a mindset declared by our principal each morning during announcements. Evidence that PBIS and SEL is integrated into the fabric of our school culture and climate can be found everywhere at OHS.

This year, incorporating student voice and perspective both in our SEL efforts and in our PBIS structures was an important objective moving forward. Students’ participation and leadership were imperative in strengthening our school community. The Student Ambassadors help promote the 7 Mindsets through collaborative planning with the PBIS team, which gives voice to their peers while fostering positive interactions across campus. Through their efforts, the connections between students, faculty/staff, and the community have helped build rapport and promote school connectedness, while promoting a safe and civil learning environment.

While these efforts have been successful in reducing the number of office discipline referrals (ODRs) by 29% since 2018, our largest celebration is that students are learning valuable skills that go beyond high school academics. Creating a school culture that promotes student self-worth, connectedness, and responsible decision-making is an environment that will continue to support our students well beyond their time as an Oakleaf Knight.