I teach at P.S. 13 in the borough of Staten Island. P.S. 13 is a multi-ethnic school community. Not only do we service the children in our residential area, Rosebank, we also enroll children from two other communities: Parkhill and Celebration. Our school is over 100% utilized, with an enrollment of approximately 850 students. This capacity affects class size, lunch procedures, and special events coordination in my school. The percentage of children eligible for free lunch is 52. I am a Physical Education teacher working with students from grades K through 5. This position enables me the flexibility to focus on many school-wide projects. For the past 6 years, our staff and administration have been promoting a "values" awareness program in which selected students are elected for exemplifying various positive characteristics, such as friendship, honesty, responsibility, and non-violence. Two students per class are selected every two months for a specific trait. These students are honored during and assembly in which they are given a certificate of merit. Parents and friends are encouraged to attend. For an additional remembrance of this honor, it would be meaningful to award "character pencils" to these students. Since we have many more students per class who deserve recognition, I intend to extend the pencil awards to two additional students per class for "Honorable Mention" in each particular value. An additional goal would be to promote an "I Got Caught Being Good" campaign in which students receive a pencil when they get "caught" doing something special for another. In conjuction with this idea, I would have teachers select students who follow a stated school rule for a month (completing homework assignments, following directions, etc). These students will be called to the principal's office to receive a "My Principal Is Proud of Me" pencil. These incentives will help our staff focus on acknowledging and rewarding those students who are committed to their education. Unfortunately, many of these deserving students are overshadowed by students who receive attention for not following proper behavior. I strongly believe that the pencil-give-away will motivate the borderline students to achieve their best. Thank you for your attention to this proposal. Small incentives like pencils have a great motivational effect on our students' behavioral goals and academic achievements.