UC Schools Attendance Incentives: Cash Prizes, Movie Tickets, Car

By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
 
Union City, Tenn.–Going to school every day will have even more benefits for students in the Union City System.
 
With chronic absenteeism an issue throughout the country, students in UC Schools will be rewarded for perfect attendance in a variety of ways with a reward system that has been put in place for the 2019-20 school year.
 
Cash prizes, movie tickets, class parties and special luncheons are included among the list of incentives, with the biggest prize being a car donated by City Autoplex to be given to one lucky Union City High School student at an end-of-the-year drawing of those with perfect attendance.
 
“Chronic absenteeism is a growing problem everywhere, and we were looking for a way to curtail that at Union City Schools,” said Assistant Director of Schools Michael Paul Miller, who presented the plan to school board members at Monday night’s regular monthly meeting. “I think we’re all motivated at the end of the day by a reward system. As adults, we go to work every day and the payoff is we get a paycheck.
 
“We’ve looked at a lot of different ways to address the absentee issue and we believe offering incentives is a good way to ensure that students will make their best effort to be at school every day. No doubt that better attendance will maximize the learning experience for all our students.”
 
With goals of reaching maximum proficiency in elementary and middle school and earning on-time diplomas in high school, the reward system at each Union City School will be as follows:
 
UCES
Group Efforts

1. Each day students are present the entire day (no tardies, no early check outs), the class will earn a letter from the phrase PERFECT ATTENDANCE.  When the phrase is spelled out, the class will be rewarded with a class party.  This phrase will be placed in the hallways to inspire a school-wide competition incentive.
2. Students who have perfect attendance each month will be rewarded with ice cream in the cafeteria.

Individual Efforts

1. Every student that has perfect attendance for the month will be entered in a drawing for a prize. The prize will be four Cine movie tickets with four popcorns and drinks.
2. Every student that has perfect attendance for a month will also have their name in a drawing for a large end-of-the-year cash prize.  In order to be placed in the drawing, a student cannot have an unexcused absence or no more than five excused absences.  The more months that a student has perfect attendance, the greater their chance of winning.  Also, any student with perfect attendance for the year will get $100.

UCMS
Group Efforts

1. Each day students are present the entire day (no tardies, no early check outs), the class will earn a letter from the phrase PERFECT ATTENDANCE.  When the phrase is spelled out, the class receives a class party.  This phrase will be placed in the hallways to inspire a school-wide competition incentive.
2. Students who have perfect attendance each month will be rewarded with a free dress code day.

 
Individual Efforts

1. Every student with perfect attendance for the month will be entered into a drawing for a monthly prize.
2. Every student with perfect attendance for a month will get their name in a drawing for a large end-of-the-year cash prize.  The more months that a student has perfect attendance, the greater their chance of winning. In order to be placed in the drawing, a student cannot have an unexcused absence or no more than five excused absences. Also, each student with perfect attendance all year long will get $100.

 
UCHS
Group Effort

1. Every student with perfect attendance for a month  (no tardies, no early check outs), will receive a special lunch in the cafeteria such as a Mexican food buffet.

Individual Effort

1. Every student with perfect attendance for a month will be entered in an end-of-the-year drawing for a car provided by a local dealership (City Autoplex). In order to be placed in the drawing, a student cannot have an unexcused absence or no more than five excused absences. Also, every student with perfect attendance for the entire year will get $100.