Peters Township School District (K-12)
In 2010, the Character Education Partnership (CEP) named Peters Township School District as National School District of Character. The CEP panel of experts has given this honor to an elite list of 13 schools and 2 school districts nationwide. Peters Township has earned this award for character education initiatives spanning from kindergarten through high school.
Peters Township will be honored at an awards ceremony at the National Forum on Character Education on Friday, October 29 in San Francisco. In addition, the CEP will showcase the winners’ stories in its annual publication and on its website. Peters Township will be a model for effective character education for schools across Pennsylvania and the nation. To support character education programs across the District, the CEP gives each winning school or District a $3,000 grant.
Bower Hill Elementary School (K-3)
School Motto: Work Hard, Learn a Lot and Be As Busy As Bees. At Bower Hill Character Education identifies and fosters positive virtues in students through an intentional, systematic effort. This is exemplified by being recognized as a National School of Character by the Character Edcuation Partnership in 2008. These efforts help students develop good character for life. Bower Hill Elementary embodies character. The students typify Kids of Character. The staff exemplifies character. Bower Hill Elementary School, with a Kindergarten through third grade population, actively participates in the Peters Township Character Count Educational Program.
This program introduces the parents, staff and students to the pivotal qualities deemed by our vision. This vision leads students to study the positive traits of character and to apply them to succeed and be a valued member of society throughout their lives. Respect, responsibility, caring and honesty are traits that we deem to be crucial in molding our students. These four character traits chosen by staff, parents, administration and students are consistent with the community initiative. By allowing all to participate in a deliberate Character Education Program (through programs such as the Olweus Anti-Bullying Program), an environment that positively benefits students, staff and community has been created.
Each area of the school's curriculum integrates character education. Equipping students with the tools for positive character traits is viewed to be as important an aspect of their educational experience as the academic emphasis. The Character Counts program helps students internalize these traits by teaching and modeling moral actions. Our goal is to continue to develop the character curriculum platform for parents, staff, administration and students through comprehensive program that integrates character into the curriculum and into their daily lives. Character does count at Bower Hill Elementary. This is evident the moment one enters the Bower Hill Elementary building.
Pleasant Valley School (K-3)
At Pleasant Valley our school mission is: “Inspiring Minds and Nurturing Hearts”. This mission is accomplished through the rigor of our curriculum and the nurturing environment focused on character development. Our character education efforts are modeled and reinforced by our staff within the walls of our building, but its impacts are felt throughout our community and beyond. The Character Education Partnership (CEP) recognized Pleasant Valley as a finalist for the National School of Character in 2006 and for Promising Practices in 2004, 2012, and 2013.
Pleasant Valley promotes character development opportunities through its leadership teams. These leadership teams provide students the opportunity to develop character and leadership through focusing on their strengths in the areas of technology, giving back to the community, promoting friendships, and creating a positive school climate. These initiatives provide PV students the opportunity to make a difference in our school and beyond.
Pleasant Valley received two Promising Practices in 2013 for its anti-bullying initiative “Kid’s Stick Together Against Bullying” and for “PV Idol,” a student talent show used to raise funds for the American Cancer Society and non-perishable items for our local food bank. These intentional and systematic efforts provide students with the opportunity to develop skills that can be applied and practiced at Pleasant Valley with the hopes these skills are assimilated for the betterment of the world outside of school . Pleasant Valley students will leave our school with the skills and experiences to make the world a better place to live.
McMurray Elementary School (Grades 4, 5, 6)
McMurray was named a 2004 National School of Character by the Character Education Partnership (CEP). The CEP recognizes several schools each year for their exemplary work in implementing character education in a comprehensive and effective manner. McMurray also received a 2002 Promising Practices Award from the CEP for its One Thousand Acts of Kindness, a practice in which students carry out kind acts that serve others and their community.
A group of teachers, principals and counselors make up a character education and bullying committees that regularly seeks input and participation from parents, students and community groups, such as Peters Township Character Counts (PTCC). PTCC is made up of school, township and community groups that collaborate to promote character throughout the community.
This broad-based collaboration and focused building level approach helps to create a character initiative that permeates all aspects of life at McMurray Elementary. Students attend assemblies, participate in service and charitable activities, read stories and write about character traits. Teachers integrate and give greater attention to character related theme in the curriculum, counselors teach lessons that relate to character and principals teach lessons and help students to reflect on their character development.
The comprehensive efforts towards teaching good character are built on our core values – respect, responsibility, honesty and caring. These values are behaviorally defined on banners in the school. In addition, quotes of the week and words of the day provide interesting and inspirational opportunities for students to learn about character.
Peters Township Middle School
We began our chronicle in 2000 by revisiting our mission statement and designing goals and vision statements that truly reflected our choice of values. All staff members worked together to create declarations that tied into the characteristics of a moral, global citizen. The staff then presented them to the students who began choosing the yearly theme and tied it to their choice of grade level core team names. In 2010, the core teams were named after famous “Pittsburghers” who have made a positive impact in various walks of life. The middle school adopted a new and recurring annual theme of promoting Achievement, Character and Community to reflect our vision.
Character development is promoted through a comprehensive approach that includes curricular integration, service projects, student leadership initiatives and planned activities that occur during our daily homeroom period. During the seventeen minute homeroom time, character development is promoted through the use of announcements, videos and activities that teach and encourage such qualities as respect, responsibility, honesty, compassion and more. (Promising Practices Award in 2013)
Giving assent to the values includes hearing a character quote from the student announcers of our live daily broadcast called, The Works. The parent-student handbook focus is on our school-community and how the core ethical values give students the opportunity to demonstrate good character. The
handbook contains a “Character Continuum,” a chart that displays a visual representation of how students can put character into action and demonstrate integrity. In addition, the middle school maintains a focus on pro-social behaviors that range from promoting appropriate student dress to anti-bullying surveys and strategies that serve to promote a safe environment and positive school climate.
PTA parents created, developed, and implemented the Ambassador's Program that recently won a National Award of a Promising Practice and this practice has been refined and developed over the years through the leadership of our school counselors. The counselors are involved in the selection and training or student ambassadors who assist with orienting students and parents to the school and welcoming visitors.
PTMS celebrates and promotes Achievement, Character and Community each year through special promotions and projects that occur during Character Counts Week, Red Ribbon Week and Middle Level Education Week.
Peters Township High School
The Peters Township High School participates in the Character Counts Initiative in a variety of programs and events throughout the school year. Infused throughout the academic curricula and a co-curricular programs are opportunities to teaches and promotes character, leadership, mentoring, service, environmental stewardship and community involvement. Service learned is highlighted each year in the Mahatma project, when the World Cultures student work to "live the change they want to be in the world."
Each month, in our course curriculums, the CC Word of the Month is introduced and discussed in a number of different formats all with the design of encouraging students to practice that concept in their daily lives.
Each October during Character Counts Week, several groups of students meet with numerous grades in our primary buildings and middle school with the express purpose of modeling and discussing various Words of the Month. In addition, several students and faculty members do live discussions on our morning TV program providing the student body with their thoughts and behaviors regarding the Words of the Month.
Media is used to promote character development too. Our morning TV program routinely features the Character Counts Word of the Month, defines it and provides opportunities for students and faculty reflect on its meaning.
Finally, PTHS teaches and promotes sportsmanship through a proactive approach in athletics. Coaches and student athletes are provided with clear expectations for conduct. Coaches are encouraged and afforded training in how to employ positive coaching techniques.