On November 5, students gathered in the main gym for a pep rally celebrating the Redhawks for exceeding their educational goals, highlighted by a guest appearance from Producedby1k. The event also featured shoutouts and inspirational videos from A’ja Riyadh Wilson, DJ Greenlee, and other well-known supporters.
“This pep rally was actually so fun, the only thing I would change is I wish it were on a Friday, but it was still fun that I could enjoy the pep rally with my friends.” Said 10th grader Emmi Zenteno Junco. Much like the last, Westwood made sure everyone got to enjoy their time, whether it was going down on the floor to dance or being able to connect with their peers.
The Redhawks had lots of excitement due to having a Power Hour earlier that day to celebrate good behavior, as well as honoring them for exceeding our expectations and goals. There were savory Food trucks like Main Eats and Amazing Tasting, as well as sweet treat stands like Pelican’s SnoBalls and Jeremiah’s Italian Ice. Sophomore Kobe Weeks says, “Main eats really came through, Main eats really did their big one.” This shows how much students really enjoyed everything.
Our principal, Tameka S. Nicholson, wrote an email congratulating all the Redhawks on our graduation rate increasing by 6%, our college and career readiness improving by 10%, and a 9-point overall increase. The staff was very proud and extremely supportive of all Redhawks. AP, Ahmad Stephens, made an excellent statement, which said, “We are moving up.” These reassuring and rewarding acts help the students want to be better so they can get the advantages.
Many Redhawks enjoyed the power hour and the pep rally. Sophomore Princess Jackson says, “I loved the food, it was like the best thing I’ve had before.” This goes to show the benefits the Redhawks have of being at Westwood.
The Power Hour is one of the benefits that students at Westwood have. Westwood loves congratulating their students when students are leading by example. Without Westwood teachers and Staff, the Redhawks’ graduation rate and their college career readiness wouldn’t have increased. These types of rewards really do help the students want to have better behavior.
Events like pep rallies, power hours, student of the month, or honor roll celebrations really do encourage and uplift students to show that doing good will be rewarded.
Statistics show that positive reinforcement has a very good effect on students. The Foundation of Education says that to increase motivation for students, you should reward them. Important points were also made about how positive correlation can and will ensure that students will want to be more engaged in their learning and take an active role in the classroom. Westwood High School is a good example of how reinforcement works.