CHOCOWINITY — Chocowinity Primary School is well on its way to creating a sense of community within its walls.

It’s all part of the school’s implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, which strives to reinforce positive behavior in students with a points-based reward system.

Chocowinity Primary has created four “houses”: Isibindi, the house of courage; Amistad, the house of friendship; Rêveur, the house of dreamers; and Altruismo, the house of givers.

“When we went to the Ron Clark Academy, we were introduced to the houses and kind of how that works,” teacher Lauren Johnson said. “We were given an overview of the qualities of each house, and we were able to pick what house we wanted to be in.”

On Friday, students attended a celebration in which they were randomly chosen for a particular house and went to meet their new team.

Principal Alicia Vosburgh said students will now be a part of the house for their whole career at Chocowinity Primary, attending school-wide assemblies together and participating in PBIS points competitions.

“It’s positive reinforcement, so they can earn points for their houses,” Vosburgh said. “It’s kind of like a competition, too, between houses.”

Johnson said the houses include students of all ages and backgrounds, and it is a good way to build community within the whole school.

“I love it because it’s giving a lot of the kids an opportunity to be around the kids they might not socialize with,” she said. “They were kind of forced to build that relationship across grade levels.”

Students must now strive to grow with their team in the positive characteristics that their house represents, according to Johnson.

“Really, we’re just trying to, you know, promote positive behavior through this system,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, it’s bringing them together as a team.”