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Parents start building a child’s character at home, but
educators can help reinforce good character traits through
school activities. At Schalmont Middle School, the Character
Education Committee (CEC) is helping formalize those efforts
through the Sabre P.R.I.D.E. program.
Character
Education Committee
Character education has long been woven
into the MS environment, but a visit by a motivational speaker
in the fall of 2007 gave the effort some new inspiration. “We
looked at the climate in the building and took an inventory to
find out where we could expand our efforts,” said MS Associate
Principal Matt Morgan.
Morgan is also the chair of the CEC. He and
the teachers who serve on the committee developed a more formal program focused on getting
kids to show personal responsibility in daily effort, or
P.R.I.D.E. It currently involves a few key recognition and
reward systems, but the committee hopes to eventually expand the
program and include parents in its further development.
“We’re trying to take a proactive view of
discipline. Instead of being reactive and assigning punishment
for inappropriate behaviors, we want to get kids thinking about
how they treat their classmates, teachers and family,” said
Morgan.
Sabre P.R.I.D.E. Program
One of the committee’s most visible efforts
is the Star Program. Students can earn a star by performing
random acts of kindness for anyone in the MS – students,
teachers, teacher aides, secretaries, janitors, etc. Anyone can
nominate a student for the award, but teachers fill out the star
cards that are eventually displayed on two large bulletin boards
near the MS cafeteria (pictured at right). Walk past the bulletin boards, which are
painted like a night sky, and you’ll find stars with notes that
say things such as:
- “For helping
another student rebuild her project after it was broken”
- “Takes care
of science animals every morning”
- “Helped a
sixth-grader who fell down pick up her things”
- “Got an
extra dollar back and returned it because it wasn’t hers”
- “Excellent
show of respect for the flag during homeroom pledge of
allegiance”
At the end of each grading quarter,
administrators hold a prize drawing for the students who earned
stars and formally recognize the grade level with the highest
number of total stars. Rewards for the first quarter in 2008-09
included Sabre P.R.I.D.E. bracelets donated by the Schalmont
Athletic Association. As of January 2009, more than 100 students
had earned at least one star.
Another committee effort is the Word of the
Month. Posters bearing words such as “respect,” “responsible,”
“kindness,” and “thankful” can be found throughout the MS. Each
poster includes a definition of the word and an inspiring
thought. Some teachers have incorporated these words into class
activities. There are also hallway bulletin boards dedicated to
students’ thoughts on the Word of the Month and other Sabre
P.R.I.D.E. principles.
Expanding the
MS Program
Several students and committee members have
taken advantage of character education programs outside of the
MS. For example, eight Schalmont students took part in the
Schenectady County Embraces Diversity Study Circles in the fall
of 2008. Thanks to the MS PTO, a professor from Sage College
attended a CEC meeting and spoke to members about the college’s
Academy for Character Education. These activities have helped
participants build skills that can impact the school environment
and generate a lot of ideas for continuing to expand the Sabre
P.R.I.D.E. program.
“In middle school, students are
at a rough age. It’s a big transition, and we want to help them
make that transition as smoothly as possible,” said Morgan. |
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