Assembly postponement does not overshadow PBIS day plans

Air conditioning issues in auditorium changes school plans; does not dampen otherwise successful PBIS implementation lessons

Mark Rodriguez, Pepper Bough Editor • August 5, 2024

Danielle Fernandez

Ms. Rosenda Gonzales engages her students with a PBIS lesson as part of Colton High’s annual implementation day.

Colton, CA—On Friday, August 2, the PBIS assembly was postponed due to air conditioning complications in the Whitmer Auditorium, pushing back the assembly date until later, so as not to interfere with upcoming MAPS testing dates.

The PBIS assembly was to serve as the culmination of a full day of events designed to introduce and reinforce school culture. An assembly day bell schedule was in effect to accommodate the event, set for fifth period.

Biology students work on a name tent activity during the 5th period PBIS lesson. (Danielle Fernandez)

PBIS, which stands for Positive Behavior Intervention Systems, is a schoolwide plan designed to provide behavioral support for Colton High’s students. It has proven to be effective, with suspensions declining over the past year.

Currently Colton High holds the state of California’s Platinum Implementation Award. The school received this award in 2023, one of seven CJUSD schools, and the only high school.

Throughout the day, each period focused on different aspects of PBIS at Colton High, including school expectations, S.M.A.R.T goals, and the 5-Star Reward program. An activity focused on informing students about schoolwide intervention programs, like the Wellness Center, tutoring, and Raise a Generation was added to this year’s lessons.

In addition to integrated schoolwide lessons, several students were awarded CHS gear for participating in a survey taken during first period’s lesson. Student winners included freshman Liliana Reyes, sophomore Max Lopez, junior Alyssa Ramirez, and senior Diana Cisneros.

Learning Specialist Danielle Fernandez shared that the CHS Hip-Hop Dance Club is sponsoring the event. “Hip-Hop are the ones who wanted to host the assembly to give our ASB and Link Crew a chance to be on stage,” she said. “Administration was also very pivotal in making sure we had a safe space for assembly since they want everyone to understand that CHS has expectations.

Students visualized expected behaviors to show their understanding of “acting with integrity” in a variety of school locations as part of a lesson. (Danielle Fernandez)

“That will help students to succeed and go on to graduate.”

School officials announced the postponement towards the end of second period, emailing staff an updated bell schedule.

District air conditioning technicians were on campus throughout the day, working to repair issues, both in the auditorium and in classrooms impacted by non-functional units.

The date for the rescheduled assembly will be announced soon but is set to happen after the conclusion of MAPS testing. MAPS testing is set for the next two Wednesdays, Aug. 7 and 14.

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About the Contributors

Mark Rodriguez, Staff Writer

Mark Rodriguez is a sophomore at Colton High School. Other than the fact he is taller than you would expect a 15-year old to be, he's a pretty average high school kid. He tends to get out of line, but he somehow manages to fix that (sometimes). He's "smart" but struggles because of a lack of effort. However, when he tries, he can do excellent work (according to some sources). He likes to make people laugh and smile, but somehow he still struggles to talk to people. This is Mark's second year writing for the Pepper Bough.

Melany Jimenez Prado, News Editor

Melany is a sophomore in Colton High School. In her free time, when she's not writing for the Pepper Bough, she is spending time with her family or friends. She also likes to watch movies/tv shows, listen to music, cook, go on adventures, and see new places.