Indianapolis, IN
Lollipops and love: Indianapolis east side school uses rewards to keep kids on track
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s no secret that today’s youth face a lot of challenges that often spill into the classroom, and staff at Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School are rolling in rewards to keep students on the right track on Indianapolis’ East Side.
Lollipops and love: Indianapolis east side school uses rewards to keep kids on track
The sounds of cheering echoed through the halls and classrooms as the Bow Wow Behavior Cart — filled each month with different prizes and treats — made its rounds. Janice Jenkins, the school’s dean of culture, started the initiative to encourage students to follow the school’s core values: take care of yourself, take care of each other and take care of the building.
“If you did not receive any referrals in the month of September you get lolly pops and love,” Jenkins said.
The cart is part of a broader effort to create safety and support for students who are coping with trauma and other hardships.
“Today’s society is just stacked up against us. We have a lot of trauma-based children in our school. We want them to have a sense of safety and love, however they can get it,” she said.
WRTV
Students who go a month without behavior referrals earn rewards and recognition. Each class also chooses a Bulldog of the Month; that student’s photo is posted in the halls and the child receives a special party.
Kevin Brown, a fifth-grade student, said the program is about consistency. “It’s not just one day you should be good. It’s every day you should be good.”
Leo Caldwell, a fifth-grade student, said he’s noticed changes among classmates. “I’ve seen people change like them, not getting mad, them not having an attitude, then not getting write-ups as much as they used to.”
WRTV
Jenkins said staff frequently fill roles beyond educators, stepping in as surrogate parents, health-care navigators and mental health supporters when students need it.
“People take things for granted and assume that everyone’s parents the same. That all of our children receive everything. But we want to make sure we can do what we can do. Give them love when we can, give them hugs. We have to be the parents, the doctors, the healthcare providers. We try to meet their needs,” she said.
When students don’t earn rewards, Jenkins believes the program encourages students to keep trying. “If you did not get one this time, there’s always next month.”
School staff hope the small gestures — lollipops, recognition and a sense of belonging — will steer students toward brighter futures.
“We need a good fix and our children need every opportunity to be good,” Jenkins said. “They’re much more than their mistakes. I want everyone to understand we don’t have bad children and good children. We have children who make bad mistakes and children who make good choices.”
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is under a heat advisory with temperatures in the 90s throughout the week.
Many cooling centers will open throughout the state for those that need to find relief from the heat. Hoosiers looking to find cooling centers in their area can contact Indiana 211. To learn more, call 211 or (866) 211-9966.
Avaliable cooling centers can also be found by clicking here.
Marion County
For those living in Indianapolis, Indy Parks has several cooling centers across the city.
Those Cooling Centers are:
- Broad Ripple Park Family Center
- Brookside Park Family Center
- Christian Park Family Center
- Frederick Douglass Park Family Center
- Garfield Park Burrello Family Center
- Krannert Park Family Center
- Grassy Creek Environmental Education Center
- Pride Park Family Center
- Rhodius Park Family Center
- Riverside Park Family Center
- Stanley Strader Park Family Center
- Washington Park Family Center
- Windsor Park Family Center
- Watkins Park Family Center
- Thatcher Park Family Center
For addresses and hours of operations of these cooling centers, click here.
Beech Grove will also have two cooling Centers for residents starting Monday, June 29. Those hours and locations are:
- Beech Grove Senior Center, 602 Main St
- 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Hornet Park Community Center, 5245 Hornet Ave
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday
Other Central Indiana Cooling Centers
For addresses and hour of operations of cooling centers below, click here.
Marion
- St. Martin Community Center
- Grant County Family YMCA
- Grant County Rescue Mission
Kokomo
- The Kokomo Rescue Mission
- The Excel Center in Kokomo
Peru
- Community Resource Center
- Miami County Courthouse
- Miami County Health Department
- Miami County YMCA
- Peru City Hall
- Peru Public Library
- Peru Schools Administration Building
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — The National Weather Service out of Indianapolis has issued a Heat Advisory for all of Central Indiana and a High Heat Warning for parts of northern Indiana. The Advisory and Warning will go into effect at 12 PM on Monday and will run through 8 PM Thursday.
WRTV
A Heat Advisory means that temperatures in the 90s with dew points in the 70s, will lead to Heat Index values reaching 106. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.
Stay cool:
Drink plenty of fluids, check up on relatives and neighbors, and stay in an air-conditioned room when possible. If outside for extended periods of time, make sure to take frequent breaks in the shade as much as you can.
TODAY
Patchy fog early gives way to a partly sunny, warmer, and much less active day. Highs reach the mid to upper 80s, with a light south breeze around 5 mph. After the unsettled Saturday, this looks like a far more usable day for outdoor plans, with most of central Indiana staying dry from start to finish.
TONIGHT
Mostly clear early, then becoming partly to mostly cloudy toward daybreak. Lows hold in the low 70s, with a light south southeast breeze around 5 mph. Humidity stays elevated overnight, but quiet weather continues and there are no meaningful travel concerns.
TOMORROW
Mostly sunny and hot with highs pushing into the low 90s. A south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving, but the bigger story is the heat and humidity building in. Heat index values around or above 100 are possible during the afternoon, so outdoor plans will need extra water and more breaks.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows around the mid 70s and a light south southwest breeze. There will be very little cooling after sunset, and the muggy feel hangs on through the night. Dry weather remains in place.
TUESDAY
Sunny and even hotter, with highs in the low to mid 90s and a light southwest breeze around 5 mph. This is another day where heat becomes the main impact, and it will not take long to feel it during the afternoon. Outdoor work and summer activities will need to be paced carefully.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Clear and warm again, with lows in the mid 70s and a light southwest wind. The air remains sticky overnight, and there is still no meaningful rain signal for Indianapolis.
WEDNESDAY
Mostly sunny and hot, with highs in the low to mid 90s. Wind stays light, becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Heat remains the main concern, and another uncomfortable summer afternoon is expected across central Indiana.
7 DAY FORECAST
After Saturday’s leftover storm chances fade away, the pattern flips quickly toward heat and humidity. Sunday looks quieter and warmer, then Monday through at least Wednesday trend hot with highs in the 90s and heat index values over 100 possible at times. Rain chances stay very low through midweek, with the next better opportunity for showers and storms showing up later Thursday into Friday. Overall, the bigger concern after tonight becomes summer heat rather than repeated storm chances.
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