LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – At Los Alamitos High School, supporting each other and participating in school activities play a big role in the community. However, some students find it irrelevant or uninteresting to attend school events. To encourage students to participate in activities and events across campus, a new reward system called Griffin Bucks has been instituted this semester.

To earn Griffin Bucks, students can attend sports games, dances, or other school-wide events. Posters will be hung at each event with QR codes on them; if people have the 5 Star Students app downloaded, they can scan the QR code and redeem their Griffin Bucks.

“Students can log into the 5 Star Students app or website anytime to view their total points and see what they’ve earned,” said Mrs. La Vache, the LAHS activities director.

Once students have collected their Griffin Bucks, they can redeem them to earn prizes at the end of the semester, including AirPods, LAHS spirit wear, portable speakers and more.

“The program was created to encourage student involvement and build a stronger sense of belonging and school spirit at (LAHS),” said Mrs. La Vache. 

This new system has been in place since October, with a goal to encourage and reward students for getting more involved on campus. However, the result of Griffin Bucks has been less than expected. 

“I don’t really use the Griffin Bucks. I go to the games, but I don’t scan them,” said Madison Quary, an LAHS junior.

LAHS is reaching out to the students and rewarding them with items that are desirable, but students pay no attention to their efforts. Many students walk by the posted QR codes without noticing them. 

The new system gives students a chance to win big ticket items, but they seem to not care about the various announcements made for Griffin Bucks. Despite efforts, students are still not attending games or scanning the posters.

Griffin Bucks is a fairly new system, so many students are unaware it exists. In order to get more awareness about it, it is important for people to scan the papers hanging up and persuade their friends to do so. 

“I didn’t even know they existed,” said Natalia Somoano, an LAHS freshman.

This system encourages students to reach out to each other, have more school spirit and enjoy the activities the school offers. 

Because Griffin Bucks is new to the school, it is unclear if the reward system is working. By the end of the year it will be obvious whether or not the system is worth it. Will Griffin Bucks become a thing students love or will it be another thing they roll their eyes at?