A Successful First Year of P2 at Forest Pines Drive Elementary

This article was written by Miriam Hill, School Social Worker at Forest Pines Drive Elementary School in the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina. Miriam is in her 11th year as a school social worker in Wake County and is new to Forest Pines this year, where she has worked alongside School Counselor Amy Downer to lead the school’s first year of The Positivity Project. Forest Pines Drive serves about 487 students in PreK through 5th grade.

Forest Pines Drive Elementary School is excited to bring The Positivity Project (P2) into our school for the first time this year. Forest Pines is focused on changing our school culture to build better connections with students and families and to build character among all students. Our goal is to have a positive common language to reinforce behavioral expectations in our building and to decrease behavior referrals to the office.

This is our first year with the program, so we are still early in the work. We are watching for changes in how students talk to one another and in how often a student ends up in the office. We’re seeing great results already, including everything below!

A Morning Meeting in Every Classroom

Schoolwide, we have a designated morning meeting time when all classrooms introduce and discuss the character strength of the week. To reinforce this, our principal reads the daily script on the announcements each day, and we have the character cards displayed on the TV in our front foyer. We have seen a shift in culture where the entire school starts the morning on a positive note.

Because every classroom holds the meeting at the same time, students hear the same character strength on the same day no matter which teacher they have. The announcement reinforces it before the school day gets going.

What P2 Looks Like in Kindergarten

P2 is already providing a strong foundation for our youngest learners. In kindergarten classrooms, learning goes far beyond letters and numbers. Kindergarten teachers report that the P2 curriculum teaches these students what it means to be kind, brave, curious, and compassionate, one strength at a time. One teacher shared that the pre-made lessons are simple to implement and teach the concept in multiple ways, which allows students to apply the lessons to real-world situations. Focusing on character strength development at this young age will have a lasting effect on these students and our school community for years to come.

What Teachers Are Telling Us

Feedback from other teachers has been positive as well. They love that we have a designated time of day to focus on P2. Many have shared that it is quick and easy to use with engaging activities. Doing lessons daily for a week on one of the 24 character strengths gives students repetitive reinforcement of that strength.

That is because we believe that a full week on one strength gives students time to hear it, talk about it, and start noticing it in each other before the next one arrives.

Teachers across all grade levels are reporting good results so far. A 5th grade teacher shared that her students greatly enjoy the questions built into the lessons. This gives her students a way to share their perspectives and think more deeply about each character strength.

What Our 5th Graders Say

Our 5th grade students have also shared some of their experiences with the lessons. One 5th grader stated:

It helps me learn to be a better person.

They can use what they learn about a character strength beyond the classroom. Another student shared:

It teaches me how to be positive about myself.

Recognizing their own strengths matters as they approach adolescence, a time when self-esteem often begins to decline.

A “Gratitude Attitude” at Home

We also made sure to speak with parents about P2. One of our kindergarten parents shared the changes she has seen in her child. She said her son has been singing about having a “gratitude attitude” and can easily identify the people and things he is thankful for. During Kindness Week, he wrote heartfelt kindness letters to his teachers and family to show how much he cares. She said:

This curriculum is not only enriching his classroom experience but also inspiring him to bring these skills and concepts home to share with his family.

That is the kind of sign we were hoping to see in year one, and many more, as we continue to implement P2.