Paw Prints honors middle school students for good deeds

New Albany Middle School students are routinely honored for academic and sports achievements – but not so often just for being good citizens.

Michael and Pam Brown, along with State Farm Insurance and Renasant Bank, are trying to fill that need.

They have reinstituted their Paw Prints program at the school.

In Paw Prints, middle school teachers nominate students for simply going out of their way to do something good, whether it is helping someone or taking care of some classroom task.

The Browns sponsored the program a dozen years ago and decided this year it was time to bring it back.

The awards program is held every nine weeks and this past week they recognized 40 students each from grades six, seven and eight. Each winner received prizes such as a T-shirt, $10 cash and candy.

Michael Brown told the students that at the next program one of the winners in each grade will have his or her name drawn at random. That student will be allowed to choose four friends who will be driven to lunch and around town in a limousine with a police escort.

The Movie Reel has also donated prizes in the form of movie passes and the Browns hope that other businesses will want to help sponsor Paw Prints so more and even bigger prizes can be given.

Due in part to their work with Paw Prints, the Browns were named middle school parents of the year when they were first sponsoring the program, and were runners-up for the state title.

Middle School Principal Paul Henry gives a high five to one of the winners.

Pam Brown tosses a prize to a winner.

These are all the winners from all three grades.

Students listen to see who the next prize winner will be.