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 2008-2009.
BEST CHARACTER EDUCATION PRACTICES
School: Howard High School
Address: 8700 Old Annapolis Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Principal: Gina Massella
E-Mail: gmassella@hcpss.orgPhone: 410-313-2871
Character Education Contact: Shannon Grieve
E-Mail: sgrieve@hcpss.org
Title of Best Practice: L.E.O (Leading Each Other)
Primary Principles Emphasized: 1, 4, & 7 - Character Assets, Positive School- Climate, Leadership, Community Service, School Pride/Integrity
Objective(s): Students will build and sustain positive leadership from within the student body by participating in leadership workshops, utilizing opportunities to lead, and by developing committees that support LEO’s mission.
Description:
LEO was developed in 2005-06 in an effort to improve the overall school-climate. 30 students and 10 staff members participated in an off-campus retreat that was led by Fusion Partnerships. During this retreat, the group focused on self-reflection, school-reflection, community reflection and finally a vision for Howard High School. After completing the retreat, LEO’s (LEO students), developed yearly plans including a 9th grade peer mentoring program, a mentor program for our communities elementary- aged students, a peer mediation program, a spirit squad, an anti-bullying campaign, community service. Since the 05-06 school year, the LEO organization holds yearly lock-ins to invite the new applicants to reflect and develop new plans for the upcoming school year. Students are invited to apply by completing a process that includes 3 criteria. The first is that the student is meeting their academic potential. The second is that the student is involved in other extra-curricular activities ( so they can use their leadership capacity throughout the school), and the final criterion is that students make a commitment to having a positive impact on Howard High School.
L.E.O has been funded through the University of Maryland MACRO grant and SGA. Administrative support has also been key in sustaining this program. Administrators are actively involved in the activities of this program, and therefore, students have bought into its significance and are empowered by it.
As a result of the efforts of the L.E.O students, suspension rates related to student-conflict have decreased significantly and continue to go down each year. Also student-involvement is increasing each year. It is the philosophy of the program that student involvement will naturally increase school pride and integrity. And with student involvement, leaders will grow and continue to impact their peers.
As the sponsor of the L.E.O organization, I am grateful for the support of the administration. Along with other staff members, we have been able to provide opportunities for leadership growth through workshops, retreats, and lock-ins. This year, the L.E.O students participated in at least one of the following committees: Community Program, Brother/Sister Program, Peer Mentor Program, Spirit Squad Committee, and the Anti-Bullying Committee. Each committee planned and implemented activities supporting the goals related to the L.E.O mission.
Principle 1: Promotes core ethical values as the basis of good character.
L.E.O students have participated in retreats, workshops and lock-ins. These lock-ins promote self-reflection, developing a vision and collaborating to make a plan of action. During the self-reflection activities, students have an opportunity to reflect and share the “masks” they where at school. Students are encouraged to take of these “masks” and be themselves. Accountability is also a big part of the self-reflection portion of the event. In developing a vision for Howard High School, students discuss ways of holding each other accountable in promoting a positive school-climate. This is the core part of what L.E.O stands for. Leading Each Other is essential to the integrity of the organization so that students are taking responsibility and pride in making Howard High what it is and what it will be.
Principle 4: Creates a school community
L.E.O students are the leaders of Howard High School. The 3 criteria necessary to be a L.E.O are to be meeting academic potential, being involved in HHS extra-curricular activities and to be willing to make a commitment to having a positive impact on our school. LEO students visit our feeder middle schools to share their stories, give advice, and share information that will help these incoming 9th grade students to be successful. They act as tour guides and small group discussion leaders for the 8th grade students when they come to visit our school in June. They are group leaders again during our Incoming 9th Grade Overnight Retreat in August. During these 3 interactions with the feeder middle schools, the L.E.O’s are able to create a welcoming environment and at the same time, set the expectations for their new schoolmates.
The students of this organization have impacted the school by facilitating increased student-involvement and school-pride. The spirit squad committee, and the brother/sister committee encouraged the student body to attend games, performances, and academic competitions. Attendance at these events has flourished. The spirit squad recruited students to commit to attending certain events and the brother/sister committee organized teams and clubs into brother and sister clubs in an effort to support each other. Their work made a difference and is observable when attending Howard High events.
Principle 7: Strives to foster students’ self-motivation
L.E.O is about students leading each other. Students are empowered when they can observe the change they have made. The students are confident and motivated to continue to make change as each year, some L.E.O’s graduate and new L.E.O’s emerge. Each spring, the senior L.E.O ‘s hold a lock-in to introduce the LEO mission to the new L.E.Os. These students plan and lead the exercises and activities so that their legacy is passed on.
The Maryland Center for Character Education
29 West Susquehanna Ave., Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21204
E-Mail: MCCEcharacter@aol.com
