Incentive store encourages good citizenship, teaches values and skills at Kearns-St. Ann

Friday, Jan. 15, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — “Falcon Bucks” are bringing smiles, education, values and improvement in the overall behavior to students at Kearns-St. Ann School.

The program started a year ago when Shirley Redle assumed the interim principal position and “I noticed that detention wasn’t doing anything about helping to change children’s behavior, so I wanted to do something as a positive reinforcement that would help to change their behavior,” said Redle, adding that about that time parishioner Terry Ruddell suggested finding alternative ways of improving the children’s behavior. 

Ruddell introduced Redle to Bekke Robb, whose daughter had started incentive stores at some public schools, “and she said that she be willing to see if we could set up one at Saint Ann’s. ... I met with her and it was a great program, so she helped to set it up,” said Redle, who now volunteers at the school; Rox Anne Close is principal.

The incentive store is  entirely run on donations from parishioners, parents, friends and family.

“We have received many donations, and every month the kids are excited to go shopping,” said Anna Hill, the school’s advancement director.  

 The currency for the store is “Falcon Bucks,” which the students earn “by doing good deeds or by being an example of one of the Christian virtues that they learn each month,” said Redle.

The store has items that the students need but also things that are fun.

“We have needs like paper, pencils, notebooks; we have hygiene needs; we have gloves, hats; we have meals, we have wants such as toys,” Redle said. The program gives her goose bumps because she has witnessed firsthand how it has changed the students’ behavior, she added.

“One day while I was helping in the third-grade classroom, a kid approached me and said, ‘Oh, Mrs. Redle, the hat that I got really keeps my ears so warm,’” she said. “It just brings tears to your eyes; they are earning their own money and they are buying things that are necessary for themselves or for their family members.”

The store is open once a month; the students enter three by three and take a look at the things that are available, selecting what they want or making notes about how much they have to save to get a special item.

Then they proceed outside to a small table where Redle helps them count their Falcon Bucks to pay for the items. 

“The little ones love the whistles; there is a little one that, when he comes every month, he gets Play-Doh. ... It’s just amazing to see how these things are changing their behaviors, their attitudes;,and that’s what I was hoping for,” said Redle.

The program also teaches practical skills.

“They have learned to save their money,” Redle said. “For example, they saved their money to be able to buy Christmas gifts for their family, or to buy supplies that they didn’t have, or food that they would like to have for lunch.”

“We are very excited about this program and the positive role it is playing in our students’ lives,” said Hill.

Redle said that she is very grateful for the community’s response for providing donations for the program.

“I feel like the children have their own responsibilities because they have learned to earn their own money; it has also helped change their behavior, and the thing that really gets me is that they buy things for their family members and they really show their care and love,” said Redle.