Austin schools get character awards
Published 10:13 am Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Ellis Middle School and I.J. Holton Intermediate School students and staff pose with their awards from the Character Recognition Awards ceremony. Pictured are Ellis staff members Jennifer Gosha, Kristi Kreun, Lea Oelfke and Julie Walski, I.J. Holton staff members David Brown, Laurie Herman, Cori McRae and Jennifer Sims, I.J. Holton students Mallory Brown, Giselle Martinez and Molly Norton, and Synergy & Leadership Exchange Executive Director Wanda Sommers Wall. Photo provided
Ellis Middle School and I.J. Holton Intermediate School received awards at a leadership program earlier this month.
Gov. Mark Dayton proclaimed May 26 as Character Recognition Day in Minnesota. In celebration, Synergy & Leadership Exchange presented awards to nine schools and three community programs for excellence in character and ethical leadership development at the Character Recognition Awards ceremony at the State Capitol.
Ellis Middle School received two Minnesota Promising Practices Awards. The first award was for “School Wide Read,” a practice where all students read or listen to a novel that helps create a culture of empathy and compassion. In connection to the practice, students collected and donated over 650 toys to the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota. The second award was for “Ellis student groups POWER UP!,” a practice where student groups meet weekly to discuss struggles, assets and set goals towards making positive choices and persevering through challenges.
I.J. Holton Intermediate School received a Minnesota Promising Practices Award for “Random Acts,” a practice where sixth grade Language Arts students identified and performed “Random Acts of Kindness” in their community. After completing their actions, students did presentations describing the acts of kindness, how it made them feel and how they think it made the recipient feel.
The Minnesota Promising Practices award recognizes schools that have developed and implemented a practice promoting character development in their schools. The practice must be specific, unique and encompass at least one of the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education. The practices are shared on the Synergy website where other schools can learn about and implement them in their own school.
Synergy & Leadership Exchange (Synergy) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering collaboration to advance the development of ethical citizens, providing educational resources, and celebrating achievement and best practices in Minnesota schools, businesses and communities.
For more information about the Character Recognition Awards visit synergyexchange.org/Celebrate/CRA.aspx.
