The funds are to be used to purchase attractive merchandise to stock our school store. We will be using our school currency- "rattlers" as a motivational tool to increase student success and engagement according to our four core categories: Courage, Acceptance, Respect, and Engagement throughout every space at Dawes. Adults in the building will give rattlers to students when the student exhibits any type of positive behavior that shows us growth in the areas of career and college readiness as well as our four core values. Students use "rattlers" to purchase school store items. For the rattlers to work as reinforcement, students must be interested in purchasing the items offered at the store. Last year, we had great success with the store as we offered a variety of options for students to purchase. As students earned more rattlers, we were encouraged to see an increase in their motivation to work hard and stay focused and engaged in our learning spaces and hallways in order to earn enough rattlers for their next purchase! Our store merchandise is an integral piece to the success of our student rattler program. We are requesting funds to continue this program and offer students desirable and motivating merchandise.
We are requesting $2,000 plus cost reimbursement to help fund this for the students!

Your donation will support a 7th grade field trip to see ecosystems in action.  The students will become Wildlife Explorers as they explore Spring Creek Prairie, the Pioneers Park Nature Center and the UNL East Campus Prairie. 7th graders will connect the field trip experiences with their Ecology unit in their science classrooms. Students will get to collect data and specimens just like an entomologist, botanist, biologist, and ecologists. We need your generous support to make this happen!

Park Middle School promotes positive student behaviors by recognizing students who demonstrate outstanding behavior. These students earn panther paws which are given to students by staff. Students may use those panther paws at our school store to purchase small prizes. We are looking for donations to help purchase these prizes. Requesting $1,200 plus cost reimbursement. All Park Middle School students are eligible and receive panther paws and all are able to redeem them at the store. These prizes help promote the behaviors we want to see in our young men and women and develop the social skills they will need to be successful in High School and beyond.