Manners don’t have to be a thing of the past, or so say thefolks at Brookhaven Elementary School.

Using the catchphrase “PBS at BES,” meaning “Positive BehaviorSupport,” several children accompanied BES Principal DoloresGearing and teachers Marlene Martin and Patricia Turnage to theBrookhaven School District Board meeting Tuesday night and gave apresentation on the positive changes they’re making at theirschool.

“This is a schoolwide strategy for helping students achievetheir goals,” Gearing said. “We’re proud to be a part of such anexciting initiative.”

Gearing said schoolwide, everyone from teachers to janitors tobus drivers are giving little yellow tickets to children who areseen exhibiting good behavior in three different areas: Respect,responsibility and best effort. There is a special emphasis onstopping bullying behavior, she said.

“We’re looking to apply consistent consequences and positivereinforcement for students,” she said.

The group showed the school board and several parents a videowith examples of children doing things like picking up trashwithout being asked, and holding the door for each other at schoolas a song with the lyrics “respect yourself, respect others” playedin the background.

Gearing said research has shown that programs similar to “PBS atBES” have reduced problem behavior more than 90 percent in overhalf the studies that have been done.

In other school board action, Mississippi School of the ArtsDirector Suzanne Hirsch updated the board on the school’s progressin the first few months of school.

“We’re very blessed to have such immense support from thecommunity,” she said. “And especially in the light of all thechallenges that we’ve faced, we certainly couldn’t exist withoutyou guys.”

Hirsch said the school currently has around 130 studentsenrolled from 42 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. The budget is around$3 million, with possibly another budget cut on the way, shesaid.

“We’re trying to work through the budget issues by beingcreative, as we artists are,” Hirsch said. “(BSD Superintendent)Mrs. (Lea) Barrett and I are trying to figure out ways to shareresources.”

Hirsch said she is working on an economic impact study to seewhat MSA is actually doing financially for Southwest Mississippi.She said officials are also putting together an awareness campaignto people state- and nationwide know what MSA has to offer.

But Hirsch also wanted the board to know about MSA’s success.Last year’s graduating class of 48 students had a total of $3.2million in scholarship offers, she said.

School board member Carl Aycock told Hirsch the school districtoffers plenty of extracurriculars that MSA students are more thanwelcome to be a part of if they choose.

“We have things like soccer and band,” Aycock said, alsoreferring to the football team. “And if you end up with any 7-footartists, let us know.”

Hirsch said several of their students are already involved withthe soccer team, and that extracurriculars are very important toher.

“Our school is like a collegiate environment,” she said, addingthat anything that gives them high school adventures is welcome.”We’re very interested in making sure those kinds of things can bea part of their high school experience.”

Meanwhile, Barrett told the board that when report cards cameout recently, there was a positive response from parents.

About 98 percent of Mamie Martin Elementary School’s parentsshowed up to pick up report cards in person, she said. BES had 94percent come in, Alexander Junior High School had 91 percentparticipation, Lipsey Middle School had 90 percent, and BrookhavenHigh School had 73 percent.