Kehrs Mill Elementary receives national honor
By DIANE PLATTNER
Kehrs Mill Elementary School in the Rockwood School District recently became one of just a handful of schools to receive a national character award.
The Character Education Partnership (CEP) recently named Kehrs Mill Elementary as a 2010 National School of Character. Kehrs Mill is among an elite group of only 11 schools and two school districts nationwide to receive the honor.
Kehrs Mill Elementary Principal Margaret Lucero said that she is excited that the efforts of staff, students and parents are being recognized.
"This is a very caring community with well-behaved students who meet our KM (Kehrs Mill) expectations," Lucero said.
Lucero credited the school's teachers and staff for promoting good character as part the foundation of a warm, welcoming school environment.
"I also want to send my appreciation to all of our Kehrs Mill students and parents who choose to do the right thing, stand up for others and make our school and community a better place," Lucero said.
The CEP's Blue Ribbon Panel of noted professionals in education selected Kehrs Mill Elementary and the other recipient schools based on the following 11 principles of effective character education:
- Promotes core ethical values and supportive performance values as the foundation of good character.
- Defines character comprehensively to include thinking, feeling and behavior.
- Uses a comprehensive, intentional and proactive approach to character development.
- Creates a caring school community.
- Provides students with opportunities for moral action.
- Includes a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character and helps them to succeed.
- Strives to foster students' self-motivation.
- Engages the school staff as a learning and moral community that shares responsibility for character education and attempts to adhere to the same core values that guide the education of students.
- Fosters shared moral leadership and long range support of the character education initiative.
- Engages families and community members as partners in the character-building effort.
- Evaluates the character of the school, the school staff's functioning as character educators and the extent to which students manifest good character.
The CEP in 2006 named the Rockwood School District as National School District of Character.
Lucero said that the Kehrs Mill Elementary students expressed great pride in being recognized for such an exclusive honor.
"I asked the Student Council officers to make the announcement to the entire school, and to quote them, they said, 'Cool' when they heard about us being named a National School of Character," Lucero said.
Based in Washington, D.C., CEP is a national advocate and leader for the character education movement. The nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals is committed to fostering effective character education in U.S. schools.
