With the start of the second semester, faculty at Omaha Central have implemented a new positive behavioral currency called “Eagle Bucks.” Eagle Bucks are to be handed out by teachers to students who have been exhibiting upstanding conduct throughout certain points of the day. If a student receives an Eagle Buck, they are then able to redeem it for a reward during a scheduled cash-in time frame.

Assistant Principal Ms. Dierks expresses, “We’ve had the ABC slip in the past where kids could take that to their counselor and get a prize, and this is the same type of thing, it’s just that we keep trying to focus on the things that the kids are doing right because really most of our kids are doing the right things every single day. The goal is that maybe some of the kids that aren’t doing all the right things will be encouraged to go in line with them.”

In the beginning, students were able to trade in one Eagle Buck for a piece of candy. Central Staff are hoping to create more ways students can cash in their bucks. So far, cookie coupons and Hot Cheetos seemed to be a hit among many students. In the future, students can expect even bigger rewards such as a lunch with Principal Kirksey or sweatshirts and T-shirts. A junior, Sam Pieper, is optimistic for the future of Eagle Bucks. “I think Eagle Bucks are really cool and I am definitely going to be saving up for some of the new prizes coming,” Pieper said.

With the first batch of Eagle Bucks being made in black and white from teachers’ printers, there was some concern that students may have been counterfeiting them by copying and printing their own. Patrick Beemer, a sophomore, explains, “Yeah I’ve heard some people have been trying to inflate the Eagle Bucks by printing their own. It’s crazy.”

When asked, Ms. Dierks also indicated that there was some suspicious activity regarding students attempting to copy the Eagle Bucks. She added, “We sent all of these Eagle Bucks to printing and publications but there was a four-week delay and we wanted to start it now, so we hurried up and made our own to get things going. We heard maybe kids were counterfeiting them so now there will be an upgraded version that we will start rolling out. We will gradually start to sunset the old ones and then bring in the new ones and figure out what new items the kids want.” Future Eagle Bucks are going to see notable visual improvements and even contain their own QR code which will fasten the new and hopeful system in place.