“Do you want fries with that?”  On a recent Thursday evening at the Highland McDonald’s in the Hannaford Plaza, Highland Elementary School (HES) teachers and other staff members could be seen stationed behind the counters, working the cash registers, filling orders for customers, and serving all the burgers, fries, and drinks to the large, appreciative crowd. It was “McTeacher’s Night,” the latest in a series of recurring fundraisers to benefit the school’s PBIS program.

 

PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. “It is a proactive program that promotes positive behavior in the school,” said Highland Elementary kindergarten teacher Tina Assa, who co-chaired the three-hour event with second grade teacher Andrea Schoellig. “We have three schoolwide rules which are: Be safe, Be respectful, and Be responsible,” notes Ms. Assa. With the program in place at HES since 2006, the 20-plus teachers and other staff members on the PBIS team teach and model these behaviors in the various settings of the school building (including the hallways, the cafeteria, and buses) to all of the students. Students are then rewarded for following those rules. "Instead of focusing on the negative, we accentuate the positive. It makes for a better school climate, and the students really do rise to meet our expectations," Ms. Assa shared.

This is the fourth year that McDonald’s has offered this fundraising opportunity to Highland Elementary School. According to McDonalds’ site supervisor Chris Paine, they invite the school to use the facility for two nights a year, one in the fall and one in the winter. Then, based on a calculation of average sales for previous nights compared to McTeacher’s night at the same time period, McDonald’s donates a percentage of total sales from each event to the PBIS team. As Ms. Paine observed, “Dave Opstad, the owner/operator of this McDonalds, is always very generous with the local schools.” 

With regard to the special and unusual nature of this particular event, Ms. Assa commented, “The students are always excited to see their teachers outside of the school building. Plus, I think the parents appreciate that the money we raise goes right to the Elementary School.” 

During the last McTeacher’s night, they raised 600 dollars. “That money went directly to purchase prizes for the students,” Ms. Assa explained. “We use the money we raise to provide incentives to students who are following our schoolwide rules.” Ms. Assa estimates that this most recent event may have raised as much as 400 to 500 dollars.

Joining in the festivities was Highland Elementary Principal Joel Freer, who manned the counter for a good part of the evening. While he obviously enjoyed this unique contact with HES students and their parents, Mr. Freer never lost sight of the overall intent of the fundraiser. “Our PBIS program has been the backbone of our Character Education program for a number of years. It is critical to keep such a program running, and this effort will provide funding for this endeavor.” 

Echoing Ms. Assa’s feelings, Mr. Freer remarked, “Students love to see their teachers in the community. To have faculty and staff interact with students in an environment other than just within the walls of our school is phenomenal. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to do this, as well as raise some funds for the PBIS program at the same time.” 

“As members of the faculty and staff, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to interact with our students to show them that we are all committed to helping them to be successful,” proudly noted Mr. Freer.

Parent Cristal Hammond, who attended the jam-packed event with her three children, two of whom are HES students, also commented on the extraordinary nature of the event. “I love it! I think it’s great. It is so wonderful to see the teachers and children together, with the teachers acting outside of their usual roles. It’s all great fun, and for such a good cause.”