Pennsylvania Elementary Students Go Bananas for Cafeteria Manners

Encouraging and rewarding cafeteria manners in young students can foster a lifetime of courteous behavior at dinner tables, in restaurant settings and throughout endless daily life settings.

To that end, Mount Wolf Elementary School in Pennsylvania created their Top Banana award program to recognize young students who demonstrate good manners, are helpful to others and clean up after themselves or even others in the cafeteria. The school houses grades K-3 and one student from each grade level is named a Top Banana each month, receiving the coveted banana-shaped trophy.

The program began in 2022 and was designed as an incentive for students to practice their manners and follow the school’s PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program. Mount Wolf Elementary School also implements the TRACKS code of conduct, which stands for Take responsibility for what you say and do, Respect self, other and property, Act safely and cooperatively, Come prepared to learn, Keep hands and feet to yourself, and Solve problems peacefully.

“Manners are contagious, especially on an elementary school level. You tend to see better results when you recognize good manners and positive behavior,” said Mount Wolf Elementary Cafeteria Manager Wendy Garman. “The students are very excited when presented with the Top Banana award. The banana trophies often wear silly hats and interact with our Christmas Elf named Kale, and the kids really love that.”

Garman and her coworkers make a point to acknowledge good manners each school day and keep a list of those working hard to be noticed. They meet at the end of each month and agree upon the winners, which she said is a difficult task due to the large number of qualified students. Mount Wolf Elementary is part of the Northeastern York School District, and the school serves about 100 students during breakfast and just under 200 students for lunch daily.

“I’ve noticed that many of the students are making an effort to exhibit manners and it has created a fun environment,” said Garman. “Some students are given the award because we’ve seen noticeable improvement over time while others are chosen because they always do what’s expected. The exciting element about competing to be a top banana is that no one is ever truly disqualified. Their attitude, how they choose to treat others and if they are being kind are always within their control.”

Many lessons are learned early in life and being named a Top Banana in elementary school just may result in a well-mannered teen and adult who is courteous and kind to all.