Best Practice Name: All-star Trading Cards Program

Category: Citizenship / Character Education
Population Served: Grades 9-12
Year Awarded: 2002-03
District: Wildwood
School: Wildwood High School
City: Wildwood

1. Describe the practice proposed for recognition, and list its objectives. Detail how the practice is innovative and how it promotes high student achievement.

The "All-Star Trading Cards" Program features juniors and seniors and is a character development program of high school students that encourages them to be effective role models for peers, middle school and elementary students in the district. Selected students are placed on trading cards, along with information about their school and community activities, hobbies, interests and talents, future goals. The cards are handed out to the elementary students throughout the community schools. Elementary students earn the trading cards for special accomplishments (i.e. honor roll, perfect attendance, student of the month, etc.) After earning five cards, the elementary student gets the opportunity for a Pizza Hut lunch with one of the high school All-Stars, accompanied by a local police officer.

A $2,000 grant funds the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program, provided by the local Municipal Alliance which receives state funding from the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Other sponsors are three local Police Departments, and the local Pizza Hut.

Goals of the program are:

· To encourage the high school students to maintain a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle and involvement in school and community activities.

· To promote interaction between high school junior and senior students who are positive role models with elementary students.

· To encourage cooperation and communication between the high school students, elementary students grades Kindergarten-8, and local police officers.

In order to become a high school All-Star, these junior and senior students must have a 2.5 grade point average to receive invitations to join the program. Those interested in participating in the program return completed applications which are rated by a 12-member selection committee. The high school students sign and All-Star Pledge to maintain their grade point average, to remain active in and increase participation of their school and community activities, to be positive role models to their peers as well as the younger students. They also pledge to live healthy lifestyles and be drug and alcohol free.

The practice is innovative and because the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program provides role models to younger students and is supported by a network of school and community factions. It utilizes education's best products - its students. And through these "products," the program can showcase the positive influence that high school students can have on their younger peers. With the educational, parental and community support that this program generated, the All-Star Trading Cards Program has enjoyed numerous successes since its inception in the 2000-2001 school year. It involves cooperative coordination with the local police departments and local schools, financial support from a community and from a local business. This networking and partnership between the organizations has led to a successful delivery of the program.

The high school students not only maintain their involvement in the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program, but also become better individuals with positive goals and experiences that they can share with the police officers and younger students. The program encourages them to achieve the primary purpose of education - to maintain academic success. But also encompassed and encouraged is the desire to become "well-rounded" and involved in school and community activities. The traits emphasized by Character Education - respect, caring, citizenship, fairness, responsibility, and trustworthiness - are imbedded in the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program. The high school All-Stars are aware that through their involvement in the program they represent not only themselves, but the high school. The pride they achieve promotes high student achievement.

2. List the specific Core Curriculum Content Standards, including the Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Standards, addressed by the practice and describe how the practice addresses those standard(s). Provide an example to substantiate your response.

The "All-Star Trading Cards" Program incorporates several of the Core Curriculum standards put forth by the New Jersey Department of Education.

Career Education and Consumer Family and Like Skills 9.1 - The students in the Trading Cards program identify their career interests, abilities, and skills, and have opportunities to develop occupational skills through volunteer and community services.

Career Education and Consumer Family and Like Skills 9.2 - The "All-Star Trading Cards" Program encourages students to set goals, and cooperation is needed to accomplish the task of positive communication between the older and younger students and police officers. Through their interactions in school activities, community service events, and the Trading Card lunches, the high school All-Stars have demonstrated respect for people of different races, ages, religious, ethnicity and gender. Through their conversations with the younger students, the high school students and police officers discuss the importance of doing well in school, becoming involved with school and community activities, and how this is all linked to high achievement and success.

Health and Physical Education Standard 2.2 - Through their conversations and interactions, the high school All-Stars and police officers can share information with the elementary students on a variety of topics, including communicating effectively to fine nonviolent strategies to deal with conflict. Also discussed are positive and healthy lifestyles, and how important communication skills, decision-making skills, negotiation skills and assertiveness in situations can influence their health and safety.

Health and Physical Education Standard 2.3 - During the Trading Card lunches, the topics of drug, alcohol and tobacco usage are addressed. The police officers share appropriate experiences with the younger and older students, and will discuss the laws regarding the sale and use of these alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, as well as the impact of usage of these substances on development, behavior and activities. The officers can also indicate what is available to the students for intervention and treatment for chemically dependent individuals, and can assist them in locating community resources for information, support and treatment. The high schools students have received information through health education classes, can share this information along with personal experiences, to encourage the younger students to stay away from drugs and alcohol and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Health and Physical Education Standard 2.4 - The "All-Star Trading Cards" Program aids high schools students in learning how to show affection and caring for younger children. With the elementary students, the All-Stars can discuss how important their family and friends have been in helping them to develop into the young adults that they are, and respect for others is important in relationship with their families, their classmates and their teachers.

Language Arts and Literacy Standard 3.3 - Through the Trading Card lunches and community service interactions, the high school students use oral communication to influence positive behavior in the younger students. They learn to adjust their oral communications for their audiences, be it speaking with elementary students or adults. During an "All-Star Workshop" training session, the students in the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program were taught how to use clear, concise, organized language in a "mentor-mentee" relationship, and how to use body language, verbal and nonverbal communication to help their audiences to understand their messages.

Language Arts and Literacy Standard 3.4 -Through training from a workshop, the All-Stars learn the importance of listening, for enjoyment as well as getting information when having discussions and elementary students as well as the police officers. They learn to listen attentively, and can engage in conversation during the Trading Card lunches and community service events.

Social Studies Standards 6.4 - Because of the diversified community (cultural, social, economical, educational, religious and ethnic), students can discover common elements between themselves and the police officers during the Trading Cards lunches. The high school students themselves in the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program are a cross-section of the school population representing "all walks of life" - National Honor Society, athletes, special education students, males and females, minorities, college bound as well as those heading into the armed forces or directly into the workforce. Through their personal backgrounds, both the younger and older students can share information about themselves, showing differences and similarities among cultures, understanding customs of people from different backgrounds, and realizing how their families, teachers, and community groups influence their daily lives.

3. With many students in our community living in non-traditional households
(i.e. single parent households, low income, socially disadvantaged, language limitations, children being raised by grandparents), oftentimes positive role models are needed. The district has a high percentage of low economic, at risk and special education students. (In grades K-12, low income students account for 71% of the student population, with 20% of the district students classified as special education). Students pattern themselves after "famous" role models - athletes, movie stars, musical performers - but this can other lead to unrealistic life expectations and create unacceptable language and behavior problems in schools.

To associate with role models from their community, high school students who have "lived their lives" with their diverse backgrounds, abilities and interests, can strongly influence impressionable elementary and middle school students. In our small community, these young students see the members of the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program in the local supermarkets, participating in athletic events, and in events around the community. The younger students discover that they may have common interests, abilities, and backgrounds at the high school All-Stars, and strive to reach the success that will enable them to one day be placed on a Trading Card.

Our school district is severely overcrowded, with students in grades 5-8 housed in the high school building with grades 9-12. The actions and behaviors of the high school students are highly visible to the middle school students, and the All-Stars know that what they say and do in their interactions with and in front of the younger students are being watched by a very observant audience.

In a survey recently conducted of the All-Stars, the elementary and high school faculty, and Trading Card lunches, parents of students in both age groups, elementary and high school faculty, and police officers, results strongly demonstrated that the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program is accomplishing its goals. The high schools students are living up to the All-Star Pledge, maintaining drug and alcohol-free lifestyles, and increasing their involvement in school and community activities. There is positive interaction taking place between the younger and older students, and the police officers. The police officers benefit from being seen in a positive light. The local Municipal Alliance supports a prevention program dealing with the community risk factor of "early first use." The local supports Pizza Hut continues its proactive involvement by donating the lunches for the Trading Card lunches.

In the first and second years of the program, 28 and 42 students, respectively, were involved. There are now 60 students, a 114% increase from the first year. This year's participants in the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program account for approximately 50% of the high school's junior and senior classes, and approximately 20% of the entire school population. The junior members of the program were freshman in the pilot year, with many striving to have the qualifications needed to be invited into the program. This was evident last school year as 53% of the All-Stars were recognized for earning honor roll recognition for at least two out of the first three marking periods. After the completion of the first marking period of this school year, 67% of this year's All-Stars earned honor role status. None of the All-Stars in last year's and this year's programs have received disciplinary referrals, with 100% of the All-Stars not encountering attendance problems during the 2001-2002 school year.

The survey assessment shows that overall number of trading cards distributed to elementary and middle school students increased by 20%, with the total number of students earning five trading cards rising approximately 25%.

Another measurement documenting the success of the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program is the media attention that it has received. The Trading Cards Program has been featured in:

· The Press of Atlantic City (October 2000, November 2001, November 2002)

· Philadelphia Channel 3 feature with Dick Sheeran

· Philadelphia Channel 10

· National School Boards Association's bimonthly newspaper School Board Briefs

· Christian Science Monitor

· Wildwood Leader, local weekly newspaper

· Education World website

· CBS "The Early Show" in the "Study Hall" segment with Tracy Smith

· Pompano Times, editorial by a columnist in Deerfield Beach, FL

· January 2003 issue of Teacher Magazine

The "All-Star Trading Cards" Program was selected as a topic for a Public Relations Mini-Workshop at New Jersey School Boards Association Convention in Atlantic City in October 2002. The presentation was entitled "Trading Cards: Role Models in Your Pocket." There is also a pictorial display that has traveled to the local National Night Out event, is on display at the sponsoring Pizza Hut, and is an exhibit at events which the local Municipal Alliance participates.

4. Describe how you would replicate the practice in another school and/or district.

Trading cards have been around for a long time, being used to showcase professional athletes, Pokemon, comic book characters, etc. Many have become collectibles worth great monetary amounts. When placing your students on these 2½²X 3½² inch items, there is now a powerful tool that a school can use to showcase itself in a positive manner. The resulting success is immeasurable.

To replicate the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program would not be difficult. Suggestions would be to first determine the goal(s) of the program, and then the criteria for the students to be involved. A source of funding would need to be found, or the district may have it within their capabilities to create the trading cards themselves. The target audience would need to be determined as well as the end "reward" if that is desired.

The "All-Star Trading Cards" Program can be adapted to fit a school and/or community's needs. In our community, it has brought prestige and recognition to our students and high school and has become an eagerly anticipated part of the elementary school programs. The pride, positive growth, and increased self-esteem that the high school and younger students experience is invaluable. In the long run, it enhances student achievement, academic success, development of self-management skills, and community spirit. As the African proverb states, "It takes a village to raise a child." Students in the "All-Star Trading Cards" Program are proud to become part of that "village" by being positive role models to their peers, younger students, and the community.