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.

MAY

This month's Best Practices is from an award winning school from 2005-2006.

 

BEST CHARACTER EDUCATION PRACTICES

 

School: South Carroll High School

Address: 1300 Old Liberty Road, Sykesville, MD 21784
Contact: Eric King, Principal  
        
Phone: 410-751-3575
E-Mail: eaking@k12.carr.org
             

Title of Best Practice: Student Empowerment

Primary Character Trait(s) Emphasized: Respect, Caring, and Responsibility

Objective(s): To build competence and character through student empowerment:

• Empowering students to lead
• Building trust by respecting and valuing student input
• Facilitating organizations and clubs to meet student interests
• Addressing student social needs and reinforcing life skills
• Establishing a success-based classroom learning climate every day

Brief Description (including such items as materials needed, persons responsible, sequence of activities, observable results, references, etc.)

• Student after-school meeting on bullying and harassment for students, and a student-led panel discussion at faculty inservice on October 13, 2005.

• Student activities and projects honoring veterans for Veterans Day November 11, 2005: Wall of Honor, Chain of Honor, reception for veterans with interviews and assembly.

• Article in Education Week publicizing character education at South Carroll; December 14, 2005 edition.

• Student-planned Unity Day March 23, 2006 – student-generated and funded assembly with six multicultural presentations, distribution of "ONE" T-shirts to all students and staff; signing of Birmingham Pledge in Advisories.

• Student presentation of their participation in the U.S. Department of Justice's SPIRIT Program at faculty inservice April 19, 2005.

• Three student presenters (and three faculty members) at Montgomery County Public Schools Symposium, "School Connectedness Is Prevention," June 19, 2006 at University of Maryland, Shady Grove. This was a three-hour session entitled "School-Wide Efforts to Build Competence and Character," for high school teachers' professional development, MCPS Safe and Drug-Free Schools program.

• Students attending Carroll County Public Schools Character Education Institute at Carroll Community College on July 28, 2006.

• A strong Advisory program with sessions on academic and social skills, character development, and postsecondary planning; student input on sessions.

• Numerous clubs organized by students to serve their interests, and opportunities for involvement in extracurricular activities.

 

 

 

 

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The Maryland Center for Character Education
29 West Susquehanna Ave., Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21204

Phone: 410-823-4902
Fax: 410-828-9661
E-Mail: MCCEcharacter@aol.com