Telling Your Story to Validate and Sustain Your Efforts
We are living in an age of the media, and it is very important to remember to take advantage of that in telling your story. Guidepost #6 is the spot where you follow the actions, but not the ethics of advertising: promote your product.
Make certain that your school, your community, your county, and your state know what strides you are making in social and character development. How has it affected school discipline? Attendance? Academic performance? Attitude of students, staff and parents? Faculty meetings are ideal starting points to congratulate staff members on the progress they have made, but go far beyond that. Newsletters to parents and community, presentations on local television stations, articles in newspapers, mentoring of other schools, applying for state and national awards-all of these serve as excellent ways to spread the good news and ensure the continuous support of your initiative. A good suggestion: a public relations committee ready to tout your progress via the media.
The action plan you develop in Guidepost # 4 should contain an objective that focuses on making sure you set things in motion to track your progress and herald your successes. For example, is there staff or students who like to take digital photos or movies of events for your records and website use? Have you alerted the local press to your annual cycle of events so they can be sure to have someone attend if they find it of interest?
A Closer Look at Guidepost #6 Within Schools
Radix Elementary School
Zane North Elementary School
Carl W. Goetz Middle School
Memorial Middle School
Pequannock Valley School
School: Radix Elementary School, Williamstown NJ
Grade Levels: PreK – 4
CONTACT
Raymond C. Dinovi, Jr.
Principal
(856) 728-8650
E-mail: rdinovi@monroetwp.k12.nj.us
Website: http://www.monroetwp.k12.nj.us/es/radix/radix.htm
Guidepost #6 Telling Your Story to Validate and Sustain Your Efforts
Radix is humble and receives their rewards from seeing others grow from their guidance, not talking about what they have done well. Radix sees their role as facilitators for the growth of other schools, just like they do with their children in school. Radix has participated in two mentoring projects, serving as coaches for schools that desire to strengthen their character program. This provides a mutually rewarding experience. Yearning to learn from others, seven years ago, Radix visited other schools. Today, Radix opens their doors to people searching to positively impact their school through character education. Radix speaks nationally at conferences about the process of effectively implementing change. Radix continues to enhance their program always learning from others. “Speak softly- but carry a big stick”
School: Zane North Elementary School, Collingswood NJ
Grade Levels: PreK – 6
CONTACT
Thomas Santo
Principal
(856) 962-5710
E-mail: santo@collingswood.k12.nj.us
Website: http://zane.collingswood.k12.nj.us/index.jsp
Guidepost #6 Telling Your Story to Validate and Sustain Your Efforts
Coaching and mentoring experiences within the district of Collingswood has been fostered and promoted by the Zane North Character Education team members. Visitors have scheduled tours of Zane North School and have engaged in dialogue with staff members as well as paraprofessionals. On a no frills budget, the Character Education was recognized as a National School of Character and State of New Jersey School of Character. After a two-year process of revising, editing, and reassessing a second application was submitted. Sharing the process encourages, supports, and guides schools toward building their own school of character.
Professional development continues for staff and administration. Presentations in regard to character education at state, regional, and national conferences communicate strategies and techniques developed over the past eight years. Local newspaper and media attention have given opportunity to share the success of character education implementation. Articles for publication further stimulate interest in the fundamentals of our character education initiative. Site visits with elementary schools and conversations with administrators ignite risk taking. Finally, representatives from the Singapore Ministry of Education visited Zane North Elementary School in Collingswood, New Jersey to observe nationally recognized social emotional growth and character development initiatives.
School: Carl W. Goetz Middle School, Jackson, NJ
Grade Levels: 6 - 8
CONTACT
Carol Lawrence
7th grade Literacy Teacher
(732) 833-4610
E-mail: calawrence@jacksonsd.org
Website: http://goetz.jacksonsd.org/home.aspx
Guidepost #6 Telling Your Story to Validate and Sustain Your Efforts
At the Goetz Middle School there is a myriad of ways to tell the stories of the many achievements of the students and their character education /service-learning projects. The students themselves write reflections, design pamphlets, and prepare news releases. They also produce PowerPoints presentations and commercials that advertise the current cause to increase awareness and raise funds when needed. The school newspaper is published quarterly and contains a special column devoted to both character education and service-learning. The RACER program has also published RAP- the RACER Awareness Publication to inform and involve parents three times a year. RAP strives to introduce the program, update the program, and give a final message. To photograph and document events the Character Education/Service-Learning committee provides disposable cameras to capture candid shots of students during their classroom experiences. The technology classes compile all the materials provided and produce project archives in both digital and hard copy formats. The librarian at Goetz reaches out to the local news media on a regular basis to keep them informed of the many newsworthy projects happening at Goetz. We also make use of the school district’s public relations personnel whenever possible. The Goetz School has told its story many times and received coverage from the Asbury Park Press, the Tri-Town News, the Jackson Reporter, and New Jersey 12 TV. Goetz has also been recognized by Consumer Reports as Safety Crusaders and received on-line coverage. Last year the “Get In The Know About CO” program was recognized by local businesses, NJ 12 TV, and received a visit and commendation from Senator Singer. This year our Character Education program “Fostering Respect and Responsibility for Nature-the Environment and Endangered Species” project received recognition when Congressman Smith spoke to the students about how the values of Respect, Acceptance, Citizenship, Empathy, and Responsibility (RACER) are the foundation of his life and career. These favorable experiences with recognition have served to validate the importance of a solid Character Education program, sustain our efforts, and strengthen our commitment to Character Education.
School: Memorial Middle School, Fair Lawn, NJ
Grade Levels: 6 - 8
CONTACT
Laurianne Brunetti
Character Education Coordinator/7th-8th LAL
(201) 401-2351
E-mail: lbrunetti@fairlawnschools.org
Website: https://www.edline.net/GroupHome.page
Guidepost #6 Telling Your Story to Validate and Sustain Your Efforts
Our school services the middle school child, a complex and ever-changing individual. Character education has become the strand with which we connect, celebrate and create opportunities to grow and to achieve. Our early focus on small ideas and small acts has grown because it provided the “light” our students needed to see themselves and their world more clearly. Ten years ago when this process began, our school was struggling with high rates of disciplinary infractions, falling grades and test scores, a changing and transient community, cultural and social challenges, rising percentages of special education students, feelings of apathy and increasing enrollment which pushed the limits of class size and space. It was a time that seemed dark. There is a saying that we use often, “There are two ways of spreading light, to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” We believe that we needed to help our students to see the light. Focusing upon Character Education has brought us out of the dark.
The key indicators of the success of this initiative are the attitudes, behaviors and metamorphosis of our students, our staff and our community. “Celebrate Character” has begun to pave the way towards a deeper level of dialogue and a broader understanding of the principles and the practice of developing strong character. The opportunities created for our students have allowed them to develop a personal level of responsibility, trustworthiness, caring and citizenship while promoting mutual respect and fairness. Students now describe and analyze personal and even historical conflicts using the language of character, “This action was insensitive and uncaring.” “That event was caused by a lack of respect.” This “new language” has helped our students to communicate on a more mature level and to gain a better understanding of how the absence or presence of character can create either problems or solutions. The Principles of Character Education also provide the vocabulary lexicon used by the principal and our guidance department during disciplinary meetings with students. Actions are examined not only as behavior infractions but as choices made so that our students feel empowered to use their words and actions to help and heal instead of hurt and harm.
Students are taking pride in their work and taking responsibility for their learning. They are beginning to understand that they have a stake in their education because it is the vehicle that will direct and deliver them to their future lives. The school building has transformed into a learning community where “character lives.”
We have also taken on the responsibility of gathering and reviewing evaluative data each year that provides additional insight into the impact of this initiative in a variety of areas which include but are not limited to: academic achievement, reduced disciplinary infractions, volunteerism, social consciousness and overall school culture. We continuously work to develop new methods and approaches to improving and assessing our program and practices in order to serve and address the needs of our students, parents, staff and community. Students see themselves as “points of light” and have come to recognize that the “pillars of character” stand within them. Our staff, our parents and our community has come together to share, to celebrate and to plan ways that allow them to share their professional and personal strengths as role models for character. Students feel that the school is a safe and friendly place where they count and they are counted upon. They understand that if “Character Lives Here” it is because it lives in each one of the members of our community and together we have the power and the potential to be a community that appreciates, supports and “celebrates character.”
School: Pequannock Valley School, Pompton Plains, NJ
Grade Levels: 6 - 8
CONTACT
Dr. William H. Trusheim
Principal
(973) 616-6050
E-mail: william.trusheim@pequannock.org
Website: http://pvms.pequannock.org/index.cfm?sid=39
Guidepost #6 Telling Your Story to Validate and Sustain Your Efforts
We have been involved in some form of character education since 1995-6. In the beginning, the scope was limited to emphasizing certain character traits on a monthly basis. Over time, this grew to a much more formalized program of school-wide or grade level activities under the aegis of “Character Counts!” Some examples included poster contests to provide student-created, permanently-mounted pillars made up of student art work. Essays and poems with a character ed focus were selected for publication in the school’s literary magazine. These initiatives were accompanied by appropriate celebrations to honor those students whose work was selected for display or for publication, as well as all of the participants from the student body.
We looked for a more substantial way to infuse character education in the fabric of our school. Approximately six years ago, we added a service learning project to our eighth grade social studies classes that is called “Take Action.” This project replaced a more traditional research component with something akin to action research. In “Take Action” students identify a societal need, issue, or cause that had personal meaning for them. They conducted research to learn more about the issue and then created an action plan to address the issue in some meaningful way. These phases of the project satisfied the course requirement, but students had the option to implement their action plan if so desired. Most of our students have chosen to carry out their plans and make a difference in our community. This program has grown every year and has been recognized on the state and national level. Students also gain significant recognition within our community from the groups they have helped and from press and media coverage. Most importantly, the altruistic rewards reaped by the students have been quite meaningful for them. We instituted a recognition program akin to a celebration of the various projects and this was well-received by our students.
Last year, as a national finalist school, we had the opportunity to invite members of our community to attend a meeting with the visitation team. This experience was a wonderful validation of the impact of character education in the eyes of parents and the community members. Their comments served as a testimonial to the impact of our character ed initiatives on community life in our township. Knowing how strongly our community felt about our work has encouraged us to redouble our efforts to continue to make character education a permanent part of the fabric of our school and community.
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