Diocesan schools deemed national schools of character
March 6, 2020 at 9:37 p.m.
Two Catholic schools in the Diocese of Trenton were among only 81 in the nation to be recognized as 2020 New Jersey Schools of Character by Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character in schools, families, sports teams and the workplace.
St. Peter School, Point Pleasant Beach, and St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft, learned of their awards in a letter from Dr. Arthur Schwartz, Character.org board chairman and interim CEO, who wrote, “These school representatives, including educators, parents and students, are working together to create stronger communities that exemplify the character strengths of honesty, caring and responsibility.”
The principals of the two winning schools expressed pride in their Catholic educational communities.
“We are honored to be recognized as a school with a Character Education program that positively impacts our students,” said Neil Begley, principal of St. Leo the Great School. “[The school] is committed to the continued spiritual, academic and personal growth of our students. We continue to cultivate this journey of character and its impact in our students’ lives.”
Tracey Kobrin, principal of St. Peter School, said, “I am so proud to lead this strong and vibrant community. St. Peter School is a school that fosters respect, reverence and responsibility. Anchored in faith, our students make us proud every day.”
Founded in 1993, Character.org is a group of educators, business leaders and researchers who recognized the need for a national organization devoted to fostering character development in communities. It has validated and certified character initiatives in schools across the country and internationally through their “Eleven Principles of Effective Character.”
The principles encourage school communities to promote core values; define character to include thinking, feeling and doing; use a comprehensive approach; create a caring community; provide students with opportunities for moral action; offer a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum; foster students’ self-motivation; unite staff through collaborative learning; foster shared leadership; engage families and community members as partners, and assess the culture and climate of the school.
This year, the field of nearly 200 applicants was winnowed to 81 state and district winners, 38 of them from New Jersey. Each winner holds its designation for five years. Statistics gathered by the organization show that, in a state school of character, teacher turnover rate is 4 percent, while the national average is 16 percent; the student drop-out rate is 3 percent, roughly half of the national average, and 88 percent of the students feel safe, contrasting with the national average of 59 percent.
Applicants are asked to supply evidence how they meet each of the 11 principles of effective character in the form of test scores, behavioral statistics, school climate surveys, documents, web links and videos. State schools of character are announced during the last week of January each year; winners are invited to apply for national designations, which are announced each May. New Jersey has had the greatest number of state and national schools of character in the nation since 2017, said program state co-coordinator Mary Reinhold.
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Two Catholic schools in the Diocese of Trenton were among only 81 in the nation to be recognized as 2020 New Jersey Schools of Character by Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character in schools, families, sports teams and the workplace.
St. Peter School, Point Pleasant Beach, and St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft, learned of their awards in a letter from Dr. Arthur Schwartz, Character.org board chairman and interim CEO, who wrote, “These school representatives, including educators, parents and students, are working together to create stronger communities that exemplify the character strengths of honesty, caring and responsibility.”
The principals of the two winning schools expressed pride in their Catholic educational communities.
“We are honored to be recognized as a school with a Character Education program that positively impacts our students,” said Neil Begley, principal of St. Leo the Great School. “[The school] is committed to the continued spiritual, academic and personal growth of our students. We continue to cultivate this journey of character and its impact in our students’ lives.”
Tracey Kobrin, principal of St. Peter School, said, “I am so proud to lead this strong and vibrant community. St. Peter School is a school that fosters respect, reverence and responsibility. Anchored in faith, our students make us proud every day.”
Founded in 1993, Character.org is a group of educators, business leaders and researchers who recognized the need for a national organization devoted to fostering character development in communities. It has validated and certified character initiatives in schools across the country and internationally through their “Eleven Principles of Effective Character.”
The principles encourage school communities to promote core values; define character to include thinking, feeling and doing; use a comprehensive approach; create a caring community; provide students with opportunities for moral action; offer a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum; foster students’ self-motivation; unite staff through collaborative learning; foster shared leadership; engage families and community members as partners, and assess the culture and climate of the school.
This year, the field of nearly 200 applicants was winnowed to 81 state and district winners, 38 of them from New Jersey. Each winner holds its designation for five years. Statistics gathered by the organization show that, in a state school of character, teacher turnover rate is 4 percent, while the national average is 16 percent; the student drop-out rate is 3 percent, roughly half of the national average, and 88 percent of the students feel safe, contrasting with the national average of 59 percent.
Applicants are asked to supply evidence how they meet each of the 11 principles of effective character in the form of test scores, behavioral statistics, school climate surveys, documents, web links and videos. State schools of character are announced during the last week of January each year; winners are invited to apply for national designations, which are announced each May. New Jersey has had the greatest number of state and national schools of character in the nation since 2017, said program state co-coordinator Mary Reinhold.