Every organization can be improved, even the top companies in any industry.  One way of encouraging improvement is through the use of incentive programming. The overall goal of Catholic school incentive programs is to help students grow to higher levels of performance and excellence, academically, behaviorally and spiritually. By carefully selecting the goals, rewards and the right program structure, an excellent incentive program will help in many ways. The program will inspire, encourage, motivate, cheer on, congratulate and celebrate students, as they cultivate habits of success, grow in confidence, and rise to higher levels of excellence in their global development.  Last year, at MCS, we instituted the Clarke Cash program whereby students earned Clarke Cash from staff in return for displaying behaviors consistent with a specially selected Gospel value for a given month. Staff members place the Clarke Cash in a bin located in the lobby. Every month one student's name is randomly selected for each grade. They’re acknowledged at a school wide assembly and awarded a “NUT Day” (No Uniform Today).  The more times your name is placed into the bin, the more chances you have to win.  Those values include:  Honesty, Compassion, Forgiveness, Mercy, Community, Servant Leadership, Equality, Simplicity, Justice and Peace.

The program was so well received and seemed to do a lot in not only helping students grow globally, but helped us maintain a school climate where issues like bullying were less likely to occur.  This year we’re expanding the Clarke Cash Program to include opportunities to earn Clarke Cash for Awesome Attire (adherence to uniform code) and Most Improved Performance (exerting extraordinary effort in mastering a concept or skill). Now there will be three winners from each grade expanding opportunities to win. Ultimately, it is our hope that by offering incentives like this frequently and over a long period of time, the targeted behaviors become internalized and more likely to become a part of a youngster’s behavioral repertoire.

Peace, 

Dr. F