In today's educational landscape, educators and teachers prioritize their responsibility to nurture positive behavior, foster character development, and enrich the decision-making abilities of all students. Within the Huntington Beach City School District (HBCSD), a Positive Behavior and Intervention Systems (PBIS) framework has been adopted to cultivate a culture conducive to each student's social, emotional, and academic growth.

HBCSD proudly announces that Dwyer Middle School recently received the Silver Implementation Award from the California PBIS Coalition for excelling at implementing PBIS interventions and school-wide programming!

The PBIS approach revolves around creating and maintaining support systems encompassing various facets of a student's life, including personal pursuits, health, social interactions, family dynamics, work ethic, and recreational activities. 

To earn this recognition, schools must excel in devising a comprehensive PBIS implementation plan, effectively utilizing interventions to mitigate classroom disruptions, disciplinary incidents, office referrals, and suspension rates. These efforts collectively result in an increase in instructional time and a positive academic impact on students.

Dwyer’s dedicated PBIS team actively utilizes the schoolwide reinforcement system, known as "Jr. Oilers Live and Learn with GRIT," which promotes positive behavior and teaches core values such as Gratitude, Responsibility, Integrity, and Tenacity (GRIT).

Dwyer's "Jr. Oilers Live and Learn with GRIT" program represents a structured mechanism for acknowledging and rewarding students when they exhibit exemplary behavior. This recognition is accomplished through a digital currency, GRITcoin, designed to instill the GRIT core values within the school environment and in students' lives beyond the classroom. Students can redeem their earned GRITcoin in various ways on campus, including at student stores, raffles, and pop-up shops. Furthermore, students can also leverage their GRITcoin at local businesses, providing them with a real-world setting to showcase these core values.

“I am so proud of Dwyer for this recognition!” said Principal Dr. Christa Glembocki. “It takes our GRIT Team, staff, students, parents, and the community to make these core values come alive and are applicable in helping middle schoolers become successful young adults,” she said. 

Dwyer Middle School previously earned the Silver Positive Behavior and Intervention Support (PBIS) designation in 2019.