CASE STUDY
Monterey’s Activities Director wanted a way to reward students for showing up to games and spirit days. With Minga, points and praise boosted participation, and digital hall passes and tardy check ins gave back 1,392 hours of class time.
- 1,392hours of class time gained
- 29%less time out of class
- 3,779praises for good behavior
Monterey High School
Solutions used
THE CHALLENGE
Great Events, Low Turnout
Monterey has a tight-knit feel, with many teachers who went to school there themselves, but getting students excited about activities was hard. Events were promoted on Instagram and TikTok, which didn’t reach everyone, and there was no way to reward students for school spirit. Hall passes were on paper, and there was no clear process for checking in tardy students.
Key problem areas:
- Instagram and TikTok didn’t reach every student
- No reward for taking part in events
- Hard to track participation, behavior, and tardies
- Paper hall passes bogging down teachers and admins
- No clear tardy check in process
We were really struggling with school spirit and getting people to engage with our activities, spirit days, and games. Before, there was no incentive to go. My goal was to find some sort of platform that would make it easier to communicate about events and easier to reward students for participation.”
THE SOLUTION
Points for Showing Up, Plus Passes and Tardies
Activities Director Steven Piña found Minga at the CADA conference in 2022 and saw it as a better fit than 5 Star, the platform he’d been considering. Monterey soft-launched the school feed and hall passes in the first semester, then rolled out everything in the second.
Students now earn points for events and spirit days and praise for good behavior, and they check in to Saturday Academy to earn extra credit. Tardy students get quick check ins and late passes, and flexible scheduling gives students more choice in their learning.
What Minga offered:
- A school feed for announcements and events
- Points that reward participation and positive behavior
- Quick tardy check ins and late passes
- Event check in, including Saturday Academy
- Customizable digital hall passes
We’re now using Minga with fidelity and it’s really transformed our campus. We’re able to track so many of our student behaviors, use FlexTime to give students so much more choice in their education now, and get kids excited to go to events and earn their points.”
THE OUTCOMES
Rewarding School Spirit Built a More Involved Campus
1,392 hours of class time gained
Students spent more time in class over the school year.
29% less time out of class
Time in the hallways fell 29% and hall passes fell 22%, comparing fall and spring semesters.
3,779 praises for good behavior
Teachers recognize things like helpfulness, kindness, and going above and beyond.
More students at events
Points for events and spirit days, like school colors day, gave students a reason to show up.
Student leaders run their own events
37 groups, from ASB to Cheer to Vocal Arts, create and promote their own events.
More choice for students
Flexible scheduling lets students pick learning activities that interest them.
The best thing about Minga for me is the ability to reward my students for participation. I’m able to build a school community that is interested in showing up to things and having fun. My job is the Director of Fun, and Minga helps me be the Director of Fun.”
See How Minga Can Help You Reward Students for School Spirit
Get results like Monterey High. Schedule a 30-minute demo and see how Minga can help you reward school spirit.
