West Middle School staff presented the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program, including an “MVP” (Most Valuable Patriot) incentive, to the Binghamton City School District Board of Education at the Oct. 21 meeting.

Miss Panko, who introduced herself as the school’s incoming principal, described a school‑wide emphasis on recognizing positive behavior after a survey showed only 26% of students felt classmates behaved so they could learn. The program uses carbon‑copy “shout‑out” slips, a “PBIS game room” for indoor incentives and thematic recognition (for example, a focus on integrity). Panko said the initiative emphasizes collective responsibility across staff roles including custodians, secretaries, aides and teachers.

Panko told the board that when the initiative began the school had 552 students enrolled; at that time 368 students had been recognized with shout‑outs and she stated that number was growing and was ‘‘well above 400’’ at the time of the meeting. Ron Smith, a West Middle School staff member, provided grade‑level counts of shout‑out recipients and said that 33 students in grades 6–8 had earned an MVP trophy after receiving five shout‑outs.

Smith described weekly and monthly recognitions—photos by an MVP poster in the main hallway and trophies for students who reach the five‑shout‑out threshold. The program includes posters in hallways and bathrooms, bus behavior expectations, and a plan to use an indoor activity room during colder months so students can redeem tickets earned through positive behavior.

Board members praised staff for the program design and asked about measuring school climate changes over time. Panko said she plans to work with student government and grade‑level student leaders to collect ongoing feedback and to use periodic surveys to measure progress toward the school’s improvement goals.

The board did not take any formal action on the recognition item; the presentation was listed as a recognition on the agenda.