Ram Fam Fancy Feast rewards Rousseau students for royal behavior

December 17, 2025

Rousseau Elementary School students are experiencing royal moments this year for treating their classmates like kings and queens.
 
Staff members are honoring students for their positive behavior with the new Rousseau Ram Fam Fancy Feast program. Every teacher nominates one Ram from their classroom each month to eat lunch in a “royal ballroom” with other recipients. They enjoy a feast at a table decorated with flowers and electric candles while movies like “Beauty and the Beast” play on a background screen.
 
Fourth graders Everly, Nora, Max and Hank spent one day eating lunch with Rousseau Principal Monica Jochum and Assistant Principal Wendy Barry. They said it was exciting to receive a fun reward for their kind actions in the classroom, on the playground and at cafeteria tables.
 
“It feels cool to be selected,” Hank said. “This is a lot of fun.”
 
“Kids can be picked by being respectful to others, even if teachers aren’t around,” Everly said. “They can do the right thing.”

 
Rousseau teacher Katie Sostad said the Ram Fam Fancy Feast has had a positive effect at school this year. In addition to teaching students about the value of being respectful, responsible and honest, it has also been a source of unity throughout the building.
 
“I think it is important to have a schoolwide program like the Ram Fam Fancy Feast because it gives students something exciting to look forward to and reminds them that their positive behaviors aren’t going unnoticed,” Sostad said. “It’s been so fun to see how excited the kids get, not just for themselves, but for their classmates too. When a student’s name is announced, the whole class cheers and celebrates together. It’s created such a positive energy around kindness and positive behavior, and it helps build a real sense of community in our school.”
 
Rousseau teachers Sara Yount and Katherine Anderson agreed with Sostad. They said the award’s schoolwide nature has made it even more special for students who are selected.
 
“The peer recognition associated with a public reward is often more motivating than the reward itself,” Yount said. “Being acknowledged by an adult and having their positive behavior noticed by classmates reinforces a sense of belonging and community. When a desirable, tangible event like the Fancy Feast is the reward, it provides a clear, exciting goal.”
 
“This is highly motivating for students,” Anderson said. “The Fancy Feast has been a wonderful addition to our school to help engage in positive behaviors.”
 
The idea for the Ram Fam Fancy Feast emerged this past summer as part of Rousseau’s School Improvement Plan (SIP). Staff members wanted to promote consistent schoolwide routines and expectations regarding kind behavior. They felt that rewarding students who were making safe, respectful and responsible choices each month would accomplish this goal.
 
Jochum said the upbeat reaction to the plan has been encouraging for everyone.
 
“We’ve had such a positive response to this, not only from students, but from families too,” Jochum said. “It’s been awesome to see.”
 
The Ram Fam Fancy Feast has served as an extension of the school’s existing Ram Bucks program. Students in Yount’s class, for example, can accumulate Ram Bucks for trying hard on assignments, sharing items with classmates, listening to others and being friendly in the hallways. They can then use their Ram Bucks to receive prizes like new pens to write with or special chairs to use for a day. Yount selects the top Ram Buck earner each month for the Ram Fam Fancy Feast.
 
“Each class does something a little different, but it is nice to have a whole school incentive that builds off of what we do in the classroom already,” Yount said.

 
Jochum sends each feastgoer a printed invitation for the upcoming event. Clara, a third grader, and Everly said it was a big moment when they received their personalized messages.
 
“I was really excited to get the invitation,” Clara said. “I hung it up on the fridge.”
 
“When I found out, I told my mom, and she was super proud,” Everly said. “That was a good feeling.”
 
The Ram Fam Fancy Feast has also taught students about the lifelong benefits of being responsible and compassionate. Hank said he has learned that kindness is something that should take place all of the time, not just when there is an audience.
 
“People can see when you work hard and help others,” Hank said. “They might not tell you right away, but they know when you’re nice to people.”
 
Fifth grader Gabryella said she feels good when she is kind to her classmates because she likes watching them smile. She said it would be fun to help others in her job someday.
 
“I want to be a nurse,” Gabryella said. “I want to get good grades because I’d like to have a good job like that. I like helping people.”
 
Jochum congratulated each of the recipients at a recent feast as they got up from their seats. Third grader Amara responded with a royal smile after hearing the kind words from her principal.
 
“I had a lot of fun today,” Amara said. “I’m really glad I got to come.”
 
LPS students learn about responsibility and kindness through many prosocial projects and activities like the Ram Fam Fancy Feast. Visit home.lps.org/prosocial to discover more ways students are building strong foundations in social, emotional, behavioral and interpersonal ways.
 
Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

---