By: Cara Latham
MANSFIELD Students who behave well in class and do their best to succeed in Mansfield Township Elementary School not only get good grades, they get a small monetary reward to use in the school store.
As part of the school’s behavioral modification program, the school received a federal IDEA (Individuals With Disabilities in Education Act) grant. The grant, which the district received a few years ago beginning at $2,000, is partially used to help support the program.
Some of the students with special needs assist with the school store as part of their individualized education plan (IEP), whether it be the set-up, the organizing, the selection of items, counting the money or giving change.
And students who go above and beyond while in class are rewarded by receiving a 10-cent voucher to the school store upon each good act.
The idea is to "improve student behavior through a positive reward system," said Beth Brown, the school guidance counselor, who also runs the store. She even moved her office into the store.
The program started in three years ago, with $200 that was donated by the Home and School Association. School officials purchased schools supplies, which were then sold to the students on a movable cart. At first, some of the teachers were asked if they would like to help run the store in addition to their duties. Ms. Brown was one of them.
"We saw an opportunity, and we grabbed it," she said. "We’ve taken it on as part of our job."
There are also some senior volunteers that help run the store.
"When we started the store, it was on a small cart, and we only had enough to fill two shelves," she said. "By the second lunch period, we sold out."
Organizers had to order double the amount of supplies for the following week, she said.
But now the supplies have expanded to take up a large room, where this year, shelves, baskets and wall attachments were added to hold all of the products. What made it easier for the store to expand was the extra room in its new building on Mansfield Road East, which opened in 2003, she said.
Local organizations donate products to the store, and now, students can choose between anything from school supplies, to scarves, hats, shirts, and little toys.
Stress balls and "gooey" products are the most popular, said Ms. Brown. And the line to get into the store stretches into the hallway at times, she said. Students are able to make visits to the store during recess time, and had originally hurried to finish their lunches so they could go shopping.
But now, "we make sure they have a good lunch first," said Ms. Brown, adding that she doesn’t let the store crowd reach more than 20 students at a time.
"They love it," she said of students’ interest in the program. Because the holidays are around the corner, students will probably use their money to purchase gifts for their family members or friends, she said.
Together with donations from outside, and with the grant money, the store is able to keep the products economically priced for the students. Even though they do have to make sure they cover the costs of purchasing more supplies, many donations other people make to the school store are of high quality.
Ms. Brown pointed to a purse that was donated, which would have been sold at a significantly higher price than what it would be sold for at the store.
"We’re hoping that at some point, we won’t have to worry about having supplies," she said.
The store also sells school apparel including hats and hoodies complete with school emblems imprinted on the apparel. Those products, however, have to be sold at a slightly higher price because the school has to pay for those emblems to be imprinted on the apparel. The school is also expecting that a lot of parents will be purchasing the apparel during the holiday season, she said.
And the school store does not only help with behavioral modification.
"This is something that will eventually be used for projects around the school," such as fixing the courtyard and toward science projects, said Ms. Brown. They have already used some of the money for planting flowers.
So far, the program "has worked out very well," said Ms. Brown. "It’s good for the school, good for the kids, and good for everybody."
Ms. Brown uses her office space in the store to her advantage. When a stressed out students needs to calm down, she has them help out with putting things in the correct places and straightening up the store. Then, she can talk to them about what is bothering them.
But the store also helps the children learn about shopping and having responsibility, she said.
"You can really help some of the students to gain some life skills," she said, adding some students may have never shopped on their own before. "They have to have the right amount of money. It’s really a great learning experience for third-graders."

