By Eileen Oldfield Staff Writer
Hillsborough Elementary School administrators have a chance to reintroduce and reinforce character values to students as part of a character education program this year.
The program, sponsored by the state Department of Education, concentrates on developing respect, responsibility, caring, citizenship, and family values in elementary schools students. The Center for Social and Character Development at Rutgers University awards each school a $1,000 stipend for creating or improving character education programs.
”It felt pretty exciting because Hillsborough Elementary has been involved in character education in the past,” said Hillsborough Elementary School Principal Mike Volpe. “This programs should let us get a feel for what you’re doing right and the outcome.”
The grant can be used for any materials that help the school institute the program, from prizes for students to games or books that reinforce character lessons.
Though Hillsborough Elementary currently has programs for character education, the project creates goals and a specific plan for the school.
”The difference now is that, in the past, character education was something extra,” said Mr. Volpe. “It’s really made us focus and realize what we’re doing in the classroom to enforce it.”
The school formed a Character Education Committee to apply for the program; the committee consists of REACH teacher Susan Dittmar, classroom teachers Jennifer Hopson, Joyce Bordonaro, Stephanie Moore, librarian Jerrie Hoover, and resource teacher Henry Goodhue.
This year is strictly a planning year for the school, so the Character Education Committee will evaluate the practices the school uses currently. During the course of the project, the committee will visit Zane North Elementary School in Collingswood, a coaching school and a 2006 National School of Character, to observe the school’s programs.
In the spring, administrators from Zane North Elementary will visit Hillsborough to evaluate the school’s progress.
Though most of the year will be devoted to planning, administrators are already incorporating character education principles in everything from the daily announcements to student discipline.
”Character education is becoming a daily emphasis, through the morning message given by our principal, as well as integrating themes into academic subjects,” said Ms. Dittmar, the committee chair. “We as a faculty and staff are becoming more mindful of all of our students’ needs. Instead of addressing these issues during a once-a-month lesson, we are modeling and instruction these traits daily.”
Ms. Dittmar said that the committee is working on a “kindness pledge” that students would recite after the pledge of allegiance.
Though students may only be in the school from kindergarten through fourth grade, Mr. Volpe hopes the program creates a lasting impact on students in the school.
”Character education isn’t about getting kids to do the right thing only when you’re watching,” said Mr. Volpe. “The goal of character education is to get students to want to do the right thing.”
