Revising RIFLO Rewards to Create a Better Campus Community
Climate Committee searches for a new incentive for students demonstrating the Mustang Way.
By Maddie McMahon
Climate Committee searches for a new incentive for students demonstrating the Mustang Way.
By Maddie McMahon
The Mustang Way, known as “RIFLO,” stands for Respect, Inclusiveness, Flexibility, Listening and Open-Mindedness. In addition to posters of the values in each classroom, the values are often promoted through a rewards system for students.
During the 2022-23 school year, RIFLO stickers were handed out by teachers and administrators to students who were demonstrating the qualities of the Mustang Way. As of this school year, these stickers are no longer being used, leaving the Climate Committee, a group of teachers who work on issues related to the atmosphere and community on campus, to search for a new way to reinforce and reward RIFLO.
“We are in the process of discussing how we can make it more important. I think that because we’ve had a change in administration, (Keira) Strockis used to be in charge of it and then when she left it kind of went by the wayside and (Assistant Principal of Student Services Erin) Cahill is picking it up,” said math teacher and committee member Whitney Goodman.
World history teacher Darlene Dueck feels that with the stickers no longer being handed out to students, there isn’t a guideline for students to follow when it comes to expressing RIFLO qualities.
“I think they haven't been in use yet because there is no standard where students and teachers, everyone (is) buying into the concept,” said Dueck.
English teacher Ashley Pham has been here for only two years and feels there isn't a process set that formally introduces the Mustang Way to new students. For this school year, staff want to see RIFLO become the best it can be for the school environment including new ways to promote the environment wanted on campus.
“RIFLO is supposed to be how we describe culture and culture is both external and internal and since we don’t have any of those external facing events or celebrations that are clearly invested in,” said Pham. “There isn’t a process to introduce it to students other than administrators coming into classrooms and giving us a PowerPoint about it.”
With different ideas being thrown around for what the new reward system should be, a common one was brought up that students would be rewarded with some sort of food item from the student store.
“I don’t think kids really care about getting a sticker, I think it should probably be something a little bit more exciting,” said Layla Shukla-Degen, 11. “I remember my physics teacher used to give people candy if they even tried to answer the question, she started doing it halfway through the year and it switched up the dynamic so much because before no one would even raise their hand but then after people would try even if they didn’t know the answer because they would get candy.”
Since food has been used as a reward in the past, it has been shown that students seem to be motivated by that kind of reward. The climate committee is looking to build off of the idea of pizza parties and adapt this idea into a different reward system.
“I think kids will do anything for food and food is hopefully going to be our goal, it’s going to be some kind of money system towards student store, so that's our goal,” said Goodman.
During the 2022-23 school year, RIFLO stickers were handed out by teachers and administrators to students who were demonstrating the qualities of the Mustang Way. As of this school year, these stickers are no longer being used, leaving the Climate Committee, a group of teachers who work on issues related to the atmosphere and community on campus, to search for a new way to reinforce and reward RIFLO.
“We are in the process of discussing how we can make it more important. I think that because we’ve had a change in administration, (Keira) Strockis used to be in charge of it and then when she left it kind of went by the wayside and (Assistant Principal of Student Services Erin) Cahill is picking it up,” said math teacher and committee member Whitney Goodman.
World history teacher Darlene Dueck feels that with the stickers no longer being handed out to students, there isn’t a guideline for students to follow when it comes to expressing RIFLO qualities.
“I think they haven't been in use yet because there is no standard where students and teachers, everyone (is) buying into the concept,” said Dueck.
English teacher Ashley Pham has been here for only two years and feels there isn't a process set that formally introduces the Mustang Way to new students. For this school year, staff want to see RIFLO become the best it can be for the school environment including new ways to promote the environment wanted on campus.
“RIFLO is supposed to be how we describe culture and culture is both external and internal and since we don’t have any of those external facing events or celebrations that are clearly invested in,” said Pham. “There isn’t a process to introduce it to students other than administrators coming into classrooms and giving us a PowerPoint about it.”
With different ideas being thrown around for what the new reward system should be, a common one was brought up that students would be rewarded with some sort of food item from the student store.
“I don’t think kids really care about getting a sticker, I think it should probably be something a little bit more exciting,” said Layla Shukla-Degen, 11. “I remember my physics teacher used to give people candy if they even tried to answer the question, she started doing it halfway through the year and it switched up the dynamic so much because before no one would even raise their hand but then after people would try even if they didn’t know the answer because they would get candy.”
Since food has been used as a reward in the past, it has been shown that students seem to be motivated by that kind of reward. The climate committee is looking to build off of the idea of pizza parties and adapt this idea into a different reward system.
“I think kids will do anything for food and food is hopefully going to be our goal, it’s going to be some kind of money system towards student store, so that's our goal,” said Goodman.