An assembly program at the Northern Lehigh Elementary School on Tuesday demonstrated the efforts the school is taking to accentuate positive student behavior.

Other schools, too, are giving more emphasis to rewarding students for doing good.In the Panther Valley School District, students can earn "Panther paws" for such things as walking through the halls without talking and being spotted doing good deeds.The Panther paws can be accumulated and cashed in on tangibles."We try to motivate kids to learn to make good responses," said Panther Valley Middle School Principal Lisa Mace.She said the school year begins with videos that show students what is expected of them at bus stops, how to walk through the halls or stairways, and behavior expected in the cafeteria."Teachers will respond to positive behavior," she told the school board, noting it is the teachers who award the Panther paws.Dennis R. Kergick, superintendent of schools in Panther Valley, said the positive efforts are districtwide. He said the district is working with the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit to develop a schoolwide intervention program. This program helps students not only in behavior but also in improving in specific subjects through a screening process.He said students are responding and more improvement occurs through modeling than from a rule book.Kergick said such a program also helps to deter school bullying.He told the school board, "We will be participating in a cohort program under the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit to develop and implement the Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports program for the 2014-2015 school year. We will be forming a team of staff members at the high school to work with other area school districts in an effort to establish and implement the plan for the 2014-15 school year."He said, "We desire to develop a core leadership team consisting of, but not limited to, the building administrator/principal, student assistance coordinator, a representative group of general education teachers by grade level or subject area, and a special-education teacher. We are also considering the addition of a student currently attending the school also becoming part of the team."He said he would like to involve students as part of the team.