This Month's Best Practice
Each Month the Maryland Center for Character Education (MCCE) picks one of the Best Practices from a Character Education award winning school to share with you.
APRIL
This month's Best Practices is from an award winning school from 2006-2007.
BEST CHARACTER EDUCATION PRACTICES
School: Center for Career and Technical Education
Address: 14211 McMullen Highway SW, Cresaptown, MD 21502
Principal: Deborah M. Bittinger
Phone: 301-729-6486
E-Mail: dmbittinger@allconet.org
Title of Best Practice: PAT's (Positive Action Team) PRIDE
Primary Character Trait(s) Emphasized: Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, Excellence, Trustworthiness, Appearance, Ethics and Caring
Objective:
To connect, create, and channel character programs through ongoing faculty reinforcement of positive student behaviors.
Materials Needed:
Work Ethic Program – curriculum adapted from Allegany County Board of Education “Character Counts” program and the “Work Ethics Program” from the Georgia Department of Technical Education and Adult Education.
Certificates of Achievement such as: Student of the Month, Perfect Attendance, and Honor Roll.
Local Business Donations such as: gift certificates, coupons, hats, t-shirts, movie theater tickets, mugs, water bottles, CD’s and product samples.
School-Related Incentives such as: free yearbook, school theme stickers, prom tickets, field trip tickets, oil change, haircut, pedicure, manicure, student parking space and car wax.
Yearly School Attendance Prize such as: automobile for a senior with perfect attendance and a computer for a junior with perfect attendance (names are drawn at the end of the year).
Activities:
Student of the Month – The student is nominated and voted on by the faculty. The winner receives recognition on school marquee, in yearbook and an invitation to Student Recognition Banquet.
Principal’s Award – All seniors are presented criteria for the Principal’s award which include 95% attendance, active club membership, 3.8 grade point average, and 100% faculty approval. This award is given at the Certification Ceremony to the students meeting all criteria. Prizes include a monetary award, name displayed in school on a permanent plaque, as well as a wallet card to designate elite status of this award.
Life Saver Award – One faculty member receives this award at the end of the year. It is presented by the principal and the winner is determined by continual support and encouragement of one previously designated high risk student. The faculty member is presented a monetary donation for supplies in his/her classroom.
Student Recognition Assemblies – Students are recognized for perfect attendance, honor roll, student of the month, special activities in clubs, volunteer activities, high class averages and competition awards.
PAT’s PRIDE Caught Box – An award is presented each month to a student performing an unsolicited act of kindness. Recipient receives a certificate and a gift certificate.
Work Ethic Program – Work ethics lesson plan is distributed to all faculty members for use in first period class on the same day. On that day, traits are also discussed on the morning announcements.
Teacher-Student Mentoring – The principal generates a list of at-risk students, teachers volunteer to choose and mentor a student or students by encouraging their progress and bolstering their self-esteem. This is done privately without student knowledge.
Staff Member of the Month – Presented each month to a staff member exemplifying outstanding work ethics.
Can for Caring – Students are asked to donate canned foods for local shelters and needy families. This project coincides with the Work Ethic Trait of Caring. The homeroom with the most cans wins a pizza party.
Portfolios – During the junior and senior years, students complete a Career Connections course with the media specialist in order to create a professional portfolio to be taken to job interviews. Items to be included are resumes, references, awards, certificates, and photographs of their skill area work.
Leadership Class – The leadership class is a one credit course that teaches professional development skills. Due to the popularity of the course, a second section will be added during the 2007-08 school year.
Skills USA Picnic – Skills USA sponsors a picnic that teaches leadership skills, teamwork, and social interaction for students at the Career Center. Students must meet field trip requirements to attend the picnic.
Work Maturity Skills – Regular attendance, task preparation, use of time/task completion, human relations, accepting supervision, and safety are presented to students at the beginning of each school year. These work maturity skills are reinforced throughout the year by instructional staff and ties into the work ethics program currently in place.
Character Trait Road Signs – Metal road signs made by students depicting the character traits. These represent realistic signs and will be posted in hallways of the school as a reminder.
Extra Mile Award – Each month one faculty member is presented this award for going above and beyond the call of duty modeling work ethic traits.
The Maryland Center for Character Education
29 West Susquehanna Ave., Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21204Phone: 410-823-4902
Fax: 410-828-9661
E-Mail: MCCEcharacter@aol.com
