Hawkbills are part of a new 2014-2015 incentive program run by The Arrowhead Way at Arrowhead High School. Hawk Bills are aimed at increasing positive student behavior.

Hawk Bills are printed on a piece of green paper modeled to look like a dollar bill,  that can be collected and redeemed at select school stores and establishments on campus.

The places HBs can be redeemed are the Hawk’s Nest, or school store,  and Wally’s Grounds at North Campus and The “U” at South Campus. At the Hawk’s Nest, students can spend 5 HBs on either frozen yogurt or a $1 store credit. Students can also rent out the store for a period by spending 20 HBs.

At the coffee shop Wally’s Grounds, a junior coffee or tea costs 3 HBs, and premium drink costs 5 HBs, and students can also rent the shop out for a period for 20 HBs. At The “U,” drinks cost 2 HBs and food costs 3 HBs.

“I’ll most likely be spending my Hawk Bills on tea from the coffee shop,” says junior Callie Pilgrim.

“There are no specific guidelines for how Hawk Bills can be gained as every staff member may be looking for different things,” says Adam Boldt, school psychologist.

Boldt is part of The Arrowhead Way team. The Arrowhead Way is a group of staff who work together to promote the Arrowhead Way, which means being respectful, responsible, and appropriate. This team helps promote these values not only in a classroom, but also in life.

Many students have already received Hawk Bills.

“I got my Hawk Bill in American Lit when I answered a question right,” says Pilgrim.

Other students have received the bills for doing other things such as scoring well on tests or helping out a teacher or fellow student.

Boldt says teachers hope Hawk Bills will be an incentive for the students at both campuses to focus on school and follow the Arrowhead Way.

The Arrowhead Way team thinks that this will help the students even after they graduate high school.

“Arrowhead staff are knowledgeable about the traits that other adults find valuable. Many students would likely be shocked to learn how far being appropriate, responsible, and respectful will get them in their careers,” says Boldt.

However, there are some students and teachers who do not agree with the Hawk Bill system.

“I haven't used any in my class because I'm still getting to know my kids,” says history teacher Tamara Varsos. “There are so many other things that I am concerned about that I can't focus on them now, but once the school year settles down, I will use them more.”

Many of the students at Arrowhead believe that this system is not beneficial, and could cause trouble. Hawk Bills have even been referred to “as useless as monopoly money” by student Lindsay Toth.

“I think that this system makes it easy for some teachers to show favoritism in the classroom,” says junior Sadie Sarinski.

When asked, most students who do not like the system say they do not think students should be rewarded for things they should already be doing.

Junior Ben Snyder goes so far as to say, “I find that Hawk Bills are childish, silly, and irrelevant to everyday school life. I think it is immature to have such a system because I am 17 years old and don’t believe I need to be rewarded for answering a question right.”

Even with this clear opposition from the student body, most students feel that Hawk Bills are a good system that they are excited to participate in.

“Hawk Bills have definitely influenced how I act in the classroom,” says Pilgrim. “They make me want to participate more and work harder.”