Name: Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives
Start: 2026-07-15T13:30:00-0600
End: 2026-07-15T14:30:00-0600

Welcome to URSA 2026 at Southern Utah University! All sessions will be in buildings on the upper campus (east end). Here’s the Campus Map (PDF) if needed.

Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives

Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT

GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109

In an era where traditional disciplinary measures often lead to burnout rather than behavioral change, it’s time to "flip the script." This session moves beyond punitive "stick" approaches to explore how high-impact, positive incentives can fundamentally reshape school culture.The secret to success lies in identifying "Student Currency"—what actually motivates today’s learners? We will move past generic stickers to uncover the social, digital, and experiential rewards that resonate with Generation Alpha and Gen Z. Attendees will learn how to build a scalable incentive framework that boosts three critical pillars:Academic Performance: Gamifying growth and celebrating "personal bests."Behavioral Excellence: Shifting the focus from catching students being "bad" to reinforcing the "good."School Spirit: Creating a sense of belonging that turns students into stakeholders.Whether you are in a small K-12 school or a large rural high school, you will leave with a practical "menu of incentives" and a strategic plan to implement a reward system that is sustainable, equitable, and effective.

Participants MUST HAVE one of the following platforms/devices in order to participate in this session: None

Participants MAY FIND IT USEFUL to have one or more of the following platforms/devices during this session: None

Speakers

Nathan Blackner

Principal, Richfield High School

Principal of Richfield High School. Nate taught biology, chemistry, physics both at high school and concurrent levels for 18 years prior to moving into an administrative role as an instructional coach and now as a Principal.

Wednesday July 15, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720

Leadership, Intermediate - basic core competency; some prerequisite skills required. | School-based Mental & Behavioral Health, Intermediate - basic core competency; some prerequisite skills required.

Session Format 1 hour traditional lecture/audience participation
Grade Level High School - grades 9 - 12
Audience District / School Administrators, Counselors or School-based Mental / Behavioral Health Professionals, Teachers, Instructional Coaches
Subject Area Leadership, Mental/Behavioral Health

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2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Nathan Blackner

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2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Nathan Blackner

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