STUDENTS STRIVE FOR `GOLDEN TRAY'

The Washington Elementary School Cafeteria is like eating in a nice restaurant, and children and faculty are pleased with the results of the coveted Golden Tray Award.

Each day classes during Washington's three lunch periods are monitored for manners and etiquette.

At the end of the month, the class that exhibited the most manners and etiquette wins the Golden Tray Award. The award is then prominently displayed in the winning classroom for the next month.

In addition to the award, the class dines on a specially decorated table in the center of the cafeteria on the day the award is presented. The winning teacher also is encouraged to give the class free time during the month as an extra reward.

School Principal Barbara Blanchard said the Golden Tray Award has been presented since the start of school this year. The award was modeled after the Golden Can Award, which was presented by the custodian to the class that had the neatest room.

"Whenever you're a teacher," Blanchard said, "you're always wondering how can things be made better. And this has been a good idea."

A large table in the center of the cafeteria is draped with a table cloth and several center pieces are placed in the middle for each month's winning class.

The award, a lunch tray painted gold and lettered, is presented during a quick ceremony in the cafeteria. The tray is taken to the winning classroom for display until the next month.

"It doesn't cost anything to do it," teacher Darla Snider said, "and it promotes good manners. In fact, they're better than a lot of adults you see when you go out to eat."

Snider said her third-grade class has won the award three months in a row. The children seem to enjoy the competition involved with winning the award.

"We like beating the fourth-graders," said 9-year-old Kristel Catterton, one of Snider's students.

Catterton said she also liked having the tray displayed in her room.

Lashante Mayfield, 9, said she liked eating at the decorated table. It was fun to sit in the middle of the cafeteria during the third- and fourth-grade lunch period.

Blanchard said the award has instilled good manners and etiquette into all of the classes at Washington Elementary School. The students already were behaved, but she wanted to make the cafeteria environment better.

"It's not like giving them a candy bar," Blanchard said. "This is more intrinsic. And, I think the kids like it more."

Blanchard said the competition for the award has led to other positive effects.

"We've even had good success with the kids eating all of their food," she said. "