ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP - "I guess I'll just have to be good this year."

That was the way a Rock Hill Middle School student assessed a new discipline program enacted last fall.

While the student's comment may be amusing, faculty and staff at the school say the program is working: Discipline problems are being reduced and kids are learning that good behavior and a good attitude can be rewarding - very rewarding.

The program rewards students for such things as coming to school prepared to study, being on time, having a good attitude, punctuality and attendance. While there is a punishment factor, school officials stress the positives of good behavior.

"One of the problems with discipline is, it's usually a negative thing," Principal Wes Hairston said. "Rather than reward good behavior, we punished the ones misbehaving. We think this new program is working."

At the beginning of each week, each student is given three imaginary tomahawks - this is Redmen country, after all. Students can lose a tomahawk if they are late, do not turn in homework in any class, break rules or get sent to the principal's office.

Students can collect up to 27 tomahawks each nine-week grading period. Those who lose no more than seven may attend a "Redmen Rally" where they can win such prizes as bicycles, homework-free passes and stereos.

"We always have two or three big prizes,"

seventh-grade science teacher Kathy Gore said. "We also have a piggy bank they can win. Teachers put money in and somebody wins it."

Adam Kuehne has lost a total of six tomahawks all year, and one grading period he wheeled out with a new chopper bike. "I saw it and I thought, 'Boy, I hope I win that,'" Kuehne said.

Money to pay for the program comes from the principal's fund, faculty and staff donations and from fund-raisers.

Teachers must write up reports when slicing off tomahawks. This report is kept in the student's file, creating an effective paper trail for those students who continually misbehave. Homeroom teachers keep a large scorecard that tallies each child's tomahawk collection. Teachers say kids are eager to inspect their weekly totals.

"One advantage in this plan is that all of the teachers are following the same policy," special education teacher Bob Hutchinson said. "Since all the teachers are following the same policy, the students know exactly what is expected of them."

Plans are underway now for a blow-out rally at the end of the year. While previous rallies have lasted two periods, the final rally will last all day.

At the end of the year, kids with no tomahawk removals will spend a day at Lake Vesuvius and have their names entered in a drawing for a grand prize. Teachers are hoping to give away a complete computer set up.

Rachel Stevens will likely be one of those students sunning herself at Lake Vesuvius: she has not lost a single tomahawk all year.

"It's a little exciting," she said of her opportunities for fun and prizes.

"I'll make sure I have my homework."

Teachers concede there will always be those kids at the head of the class who are always well behaved and always prepared with or without incentives. And unfortunately there will always be those students for whom not even a chopper bike is incentive enough to stay out of the principal's office.

But for those kids who fall somewhere in between, the program is a lesson about rewards versus punishment, positive behavior versus negative behavior and encouragement to do the right thing.

On the punishment side, kids whose behavior does not permit them to attend the fun rally have an assembly of their own in the cafeteria at the same time, only instead of prizes, the students get extra work assignments.

The discipline policy still has its stick if the carrots do not entice some to good behavior. Losing too many tomahawks will prompt notes home to parents and various forms of punishment such as suspension.

Data shows the program is doing what it was intended to do.

"I'm kind of amazed," Hutchinson said. "At the end of the third nine-week grading period, 105 kids have not lost a single tomahawk. That's 55.8 percent of the student body. " More than 71 percent had five or less infractions.

Hairston said the numbers of kids being suspended is dropping.

The first nine-week grading period, 80-90 kids were in the cafeteria listening to the festivities in the gym down the hall. Then the idea caught on: the next nine-week grading period, that figure fell.