Every month students and staff gather in the cafeteria to recognize the hard work and effort students invest in their training at Springdale. Awards range from recognizing the students who helped the maintenance and kitchen staff to bestowing the highest honor, the Dragon Award, on a student who has shown themselves to be dedicated to their training and invested in the center culture.

Not only are individuals recognized, but the trades are in competition to earn the title of Trade of the Month, which includes a reward of a trade pizza party. Trade of the Month is calculated by adding up the number of hours of volunteering and work-based learning students in the trade have completed. In addition to that, the number of students who completed their GED or High School diploma are taken in to account and the number of graduates who left with a job.

Student Personnel Officer Chris Roberts tracks all the rewards and makes sure the system runs smoothly. “It’s important to call out good choices and to acknowledge when our students are working hard,” she says. “It starts with positive behavior reports that any staff member can give. Then the trade and academic awards where instructors get to highlight students who are sticking to their goals. Then the Dragon Award, which is not an easy award to receive. There have been months where nobody has been given the Dragon Award because nobody qualified.”

To win the Dragon Award, a student must have already been recognized by Academics or in their trade, participate in center meetings and activities, average a “4” or higher on their evaluations, as well as generally represent SJCC positively both on and off center. The recipient of the Dragon Award is given a certificate and a SJCC dragon necklace.

The incentive programs on center are important to model how work is rewarded and recognized. It’s also key in demonstrating how staff appreciate the effort students put in to their training and studies.