The character education program has been in existence for a number of years at Central School. It began as a survey given to parents as part of the SITE council. The parents shared the character traits they instilled in their children and would like to see modeled at Central. The traits were: self-discipline, compassion, honesty, positive attitude, respect, responsibility, and perseverance. The staff sent representatives to various workshops and seminars to learn about curriculum and teaching strategies.
The decision was made to not adopt a commercial curriculum and textbook.
Instead, the staff chose to role-model the traits through the discipline plan, presentations, team builders
and embedding them within the academic curriculum.
The first years of the program were funded entirely through grants that were carried over from the previous year or renewed based on current information. As a show of support for the program, Dr. Edwin Church and the school board agreed to allow a yearly budget in the spring of 2005. It allowed more opportunities for the staff to pursue better quality performances as well as some less costly local performances for the assemblies.
Today, the effects of a strong character education program are evident. Central School has met the Standard of Excellence for many years in assessed subjects. There are fewer incidents of bullying and physical violence and a common vocabulary between the teachers, staff, and students. The character education program sets high goals and expectations and the students are achieving at an exceptional level. Central School is proud of its character education program. Many presenters have commented on the self-discipline and respect shown towards them by our students during presentations.