Waupaca Learning Center was selected by the Wisconsin PBIS Network as a School of Merit for the work it accomplished through the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.
It was one of 146 schools statewide to be recognized as a School of Merit for the 2012-13 school year.
PBIS is a schoolwide approach to discipline for creating safer and more effective schools.
It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school-wide and classroom discipline systems.
The focus of the process is to improve a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students.
PBIS is currently being implemented in about 47 percent of Wisconsin schools.
The 2012-13 school year was the first year the program was implemented at WLC.
It was the idea of John Erspamer, the school’s principal, to implement the schoolwide approach. Scott Van Ess is WLC’s PBIS coordinator.
In addition to Erspamer and Van Ess, the school’s PBIS team is made up of Lisa Andersen, Ryan Bahnaman, Sally Christie, Pam Deuman, Susan Dolski, Mary Feldt, Sue Harrington, Faye Klismet, Jim Lang, Amy Lemkuil, Terri Ricker, Lynda Thompson and Debbie Townsend.
Schools were recognized as Schools of Merit based on an application process, which included team and meeting information, implementation and outcome data, as well as narrative questions and answers which described the data, systems and practice of the PBIS implementation.
The school’s PBIS team received a banner and recognition in August, during the 2013 PBIS Network Summer Leadership Conference.
Shown in photo are the Waupaca Learning Center’s PBIS team standing by its PBIS School of Merit Award banner. They are (left to right): FRONT – Debbie Townsend, Lisa Andersen, Terri Ricker, Lynda Townsend, Pam Deuman and Jim Lang; BACK – John Erspamer, Faye Klismet, Susan Dolski, Sue Harrington, Mary Feldt, Amy Lemkuil, Sally Christie, Ryan Bahnaman and Scott Van Ess.