Renaissance program improves school experience

YAKIMA, Wash. -- They get out of class for this.

Not a whole class, but part of sixth period.

And that’s enough to make other kids jealous, or, in at least two cases, attempt to jump the fence to get into “Day on the Green.”

During the event, teens are treated to free hamburgers, spirited rounds of volleyball and football, and the chance to take a running leap onto a Slip ’N Slide. There are soccer balls and Frisbees to kick or throw around, too.

It’s fun and games. But there’s also a purpose to this party: rewarding students who have achieved a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

“Day on the Green,” held in the warm sunshine of early October, is just one activity hosted by Eisenhower High School’s Jostens Renaissance program to recognize students for getting good grades.

Similar events take place each trimester. In winter, there’s a coffee and cake reception, featuring early release from school. In spring, there’s a root beer float social.

While other local high schools — East Valley, Selah, Zillah, Goldendale — also offer Renaissance, and teachers and administrators at a half-dozen more have expressed interest, Ike has the longest-running and most active program, according to Jason Morgan, the Jostens representative for about 50 high schools in Central Washington and north central Oregon.

This fall, he and a couple of Ike teachers have been making presentations to principals about the program, which they would like to see implemented at more schools — not just high schools — in the region.

“Renaissance really got started through high schools,” Morgan said. “Now there’s an elementary movement and a middle school movement. My dream is really to see every school take advantage of it.”

Renaissance started at Ike in 2004. Two years later, it became an elective class that’s typically held each trimester during sixth period. Fifteen-year-old sophomore Anna Cardenas is in the class now.

“Renaissance,” she said, “delivers a sort of respect.”

Founded by Jostens and educators in 1988, the program aims to increase attendance and participation in school activities as well as raise academic achievement and improvement.

Students are also recognized for service to their school and community — doing things like picking up trash around campus, opening a door for someone, helping a teacher.

Teachers and staff members are recognized, too. And schools can tailor the program for different goals or grade levels.

A key component, according to 47-year-old Ike Renaissance teacher Annette Cook, is layering rewards, offering daily and weekly incentives — like raffles or coupons redeemable for prizes — as well as bigger events, like “Day on the Green.”

“When kids are working hard to achieve their goals, we need to recognize them,” said Cook, who was named one of the national Renaissance coordinators of the year for 2008 and has since been asked to sit on a national team that coordinates the upcoming national conference.

Meantime, she said, “We’re trying to get the other schools on board.”

Cook and another Ike Renaissance teacher, Mary Allen, have been talking with administrators about spreading the program to schools throughout the Yakima School District.

“A lot of kids are happy with just getting a D when they are very capable of getting A’s and B’s,” said Allen, 50. “Renaissance rewards student successes. It’s all positive. I think positive (reinforcement) gets more positive results.”

And students seem to agree.

“I think it’s good because it’s actually rewarding the kids who are doing good in school,” said 15-year-old freshman Vincente Flores.

“It gives us that incentive to want to work hard,” said 16-year-old Ike junior Ashley Steffens.

In all, 429 students qualified to attend the recent 90-minute “Day on the Green” barbecue and skip — with permission — about half of sixth period.

The event, as well as daily and weekly rewards and activities, is designed to acknowledge and motivate students, and, according to the Jostens Web site at www.jostens.com, inspire the same kind of “acceptance and excitement for academics that’s traditionally reserved for athletics.”

“It’s not saying athletics isn’t important. But we’re bringing academics to the same level,” said 33-year-old Morgan.

Ultimately, he said he would like to see all schools in the Yakima School District take part in the Renaissance program. If they did, he said, “It would be the first in the state of Washington; there are no others (here) that are doing (Renaissance) districtwide.”

Jostens doesn’t charge a startup or annual fee for the program. And while the company — widely known for selling class rings, caps and gowns, and graduation announcements — does peddle products that recognize student performance, participating schools aren’t required to purchase anything from Jostens in order to run Renaissance.

At Ike, Renaissance is popular.

“There are a lot of kids who want to be in this class,” said 16-year-old junior Chelsea Long. “We help improve the school.”

It’s also a source of pride.

“We’re role models for the school,” said Cardenas. Through Renaissance, she said, “You get to know a lot of other people, other students, teachers. You form new relationships. I think it helps a lot of students come out of their shells. It offers a lot of opportunities.”

Students in the class also said they learn leadership and time-management skills while fundraising and planning and running student recognition and other events. Their work, they said, affects the school’s culture and climate, and students’ drive and determination.

“If we weren’t here to support them, they probably wouldn’t be doing as good as they are doing now,” Flores said.

Running the Renaissance program at Ike costs about $5,000 a year, according to Allen. The money comes from donations and fundraisers.

“We go out and we work for it,” Cook said. “It’s hard; we always have to be one or two steps ahead to pay for the event we’ve got coming up.”

For “Day on the Green,” Elliott Insurance in Yakima helped out by donating 125 T-shirts, which were adorned with the Ike crest and raffled off during the event.

Students who didn’t qualify watched from the other side of the fence. And the two boys who were caught trying to climb over it were put on cleanup duty.

“I got friends that are not here, and they wished they were able to be here,” said 17-year-old senior Jose Acevedo, a member of the Renaissance class who was volunteering at the event.

Renaissance, he said, “teaches you responsibility. It’s a great program to be involved in. You help other people out, which makes you feel good, and it encourages you to try harder.”

* Adriana Janovich can be reached at 509-577-7653 or ajanovich@yakimaherald.com.