Kansas State Department of Education
TOPEKA — Fifty-one Kansas schools and school districts will be honored during a special ceremony on May 7 at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site for their work in character education, which focuses on students’ social, emotional and character development.
School representatives across Kansas will be recognized for their efforts to positively affect academic achievement, student behavior and school climate. The awards are given through the Kansas Schools of Character Recognition Program, sponsored by the Topeka City of Character, Character.org, the Kansas State Department of Education, and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.
Character education is an educational movement that supports the social, emotional and ethical development of students. It is the proactive effort by schools, districts, and communities to help students develop important core ethical (recognizing what’s right) and performance (doing what’s right) values such as caring, honesty, diligence, fairness, fortitude, responsibility, grit, creativity, critical thinking, and respect for self and others. Character education provides long-term solutions to moral, ethical, and academic issues that are of growing concern in our society and our schools. Through character education, students learn how to be their best selves and how to do their best work while making school a place where students and educators feel comfortable and able to work.
Kansas Character Development Initiative Coordinator Sue Kidd said the Kansas Standards for Social, Emotional and Character Development give structure to the process of character education.
“Kansas school leaders understand that building a culture that focuses on student success academically, ethically and socially is built by developing character as well as life skills needed for good citizenship, employability and leadership,” Kidd said. “The 2015 Kansas Schools of Character put that belief into action in a highly effective way.”
State and National Schools of Character serve as models and mentors, helping other educators transform their school cultures and improve academics and student behavior.
National School of Character
Circle High School, Towanda, USD 375
Kansas Schools of Character
Pittsburg High School, Pittsburg 250
Complete High School, Maize USD 266
McEachron Elementary School, Topeka, USD 501
Honorable Mention Kansas School of Character
Kiowa County Elementary and Jr. High School, Greensburg, USD 422
Spotlight Award for Social, Emotional, and Character Development Standards
Abilene High School, Abilene, USD 435
Amanda Arnold Elementary School, Manhattan-Ogden, USD 383
Andover Central Middle School, Andover, USD 385
Baldwin Jr. High School, Baldwin City, USD 348
Beloit Jr.-Sr. High School, Beloit, USD 273
Bonner Springs High School, Bonner Springs-Edwardsville, USD 204
Complete High School Maize, Maize, USD 266
David Brewer Elementary School, Leavenworth, USD 453
Douglass School District, Douglass, USD 396
Great Bend High School, Great Bend, USD 428
Hill City Grade School, Graham County, USD 281
Indian Valley Elementary School, Blue Valley, USD 229
Iola High School, Iola, USD 257
John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Kansas City, Kansas, USD 500
Liberty View Elementary School, Blue Valley, USD 229
Lincoln Elementary School, Augusta, USD 402
Lincoln Elementary School, Clay Center, USD 379
Logan Avenue Elementary School, Emporia, USD 253
McDermott Elementary School, Liberal, USD 480
Merriam Park Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, USD 512
Morgan Elementary School, Hutchinson, USD 308
New Chelsea Elementary School, Kansas City, Kansas, USD 500
Nickerson Elementary School, Hutchinson, USD 309
Neiman Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, USD 512
Plum Creek Elementary School, Buhler, USD 313
Sabetha High School, Prairie Hills, USD 113
Santa Fe Trail Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, USD 512
Thomas More Prep-Marian, Hays, Salina Diocese
Valley Center Middle School, Valley Center, USD 262
Village Elementary School, Emporia, USD 253
Whittier Elementary School, Winfield, USD 465
Winfield Middle School, Winfield, USD 465
Promising Practice in Character Education
Anderson County Jr./Sr. High School, Garnett, USD 365
Cimarron Elementary School, Cimarron-Ensign, USD 102
Complete High School Maize, Maize, USD 266
Cheney District Schools, Cheney, USD 268
David Brewer Elementary School, Leavenworth, USD 453
Hill City Grade School, Graham County, USD 281
Hoisington High School, Hoisington, USD 431
Hoisington Middle School, Hoisington, USD 431
Iola High School, Iola, USD 257
Lincoln Elementary School, Augusta, USD 402
Maize South Elementary School, Maize, USD 266
Thomas More Prep-Marian, Hays, KS
Valley Center Intermediate School, Valley Center, USD 262
Winfield Middle School, USD 465