This year Selma High is recognizing students through quarterly awards, as well as providing prizes to encourage and recognize students that follow the Core Four: Work ethic, Integrity, Perseverance, and Accountability. The Core Four Awards took place on October 24th, 2024, where a few selected students were nominated by a teacher or staff for demonstrating one or more of the Core Four characteristics. At the ceremony students were able to enjoy breakfast burritos with their parents and the nominating teachers.
Activities Director Mrs. Garcia explained that students were called by their academic counselors and presented a certificate by Mr. Lane.
“Throughout the whole breakfast, we played a slideshow video where each student was featured, along with their photo and a quote describing the ways staff has seen them demonstrating the core four student attributes,” explained Mrs. Garcia.
The ceremony came together successfully in recognizing students in a special way that allowed parents, teachers, and students to feel proud of their accomplishments.
Principal Mr. Lane revealed the importance of recognizing students following the Core Four.
“Oftentimes we tell people what we don’t want them to do. I think that when we tell people what we do want you to do, and when you do it by recognizing and celebrating it, the likelihood of it continuing is higher,” expressed Mr. Lane.
In addition to good behavior, Mr. Lane and the Selma High staff feel it’s necessary to create an environment in which students feel connected to school. One way of doing this is by providing students with the opportunity to receive orange “bear bucks” that are given to students who are embodying Selma High’s values. Teachers and staff can reward students for a variety of reasons such as, working diligently in class, keeping the campus clean, and actively participating in class. Then, every other Friday, Mrs. Garcia and Mrs. Carassco run the student store, where students have the chance to purchase a wide range of goods. Some popular picks include, popsicles, squishmallows, and SHS merchandise.
“Our mission in Leadership is, ‘to make a difference in the lives of the student body by creating an inclusive campus culture that positively impacts the lives of Selma High Students,’” Mrs. Garcia explains. “That mission is the driving force behind the things we do, and student/staff recognition is essential to make people feel seen, valued, and supported, creating that positive and inclusive campus culture we strive for.”
This positive reinforcement helps create an environment in which students feel appreciated, recognized, and eager to put their best foot forward. In classrooms you can see students get excited when rewarded a bear buck, as well as seeing a growing pride among students and staff.
“We want people to feel safe. We want people to feel empowered. We want people to feel supported,” concluded Mr. Lane
Recipients: Michael Apolinar De La Cueva, Kimberly Bojorquez, Brayden Brumm, Janessa Campos, Damian Gallegos Vasquez, Eselda Garcia Solano, Merlina Gutierrez-Orozco, Jonathan Hernandez, Solomon Hernandez, Tu Huynh, Jason Lopez, Daphne (Marv) Lopez-Medina, Marisol Morales, Paloma Paramo, Jazlyn Perez, Andrew Perez, Andrew Rivera, Brayan Sario Cenobio, Ingrid Torres
