HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-05-16, Page 11The Huron Expositor • May 16, 2007 Page 11
News
Public school principals talk about character
Aaron Ja,ek1in
Representatives from the schools in
the Seaforth and Clinton area met last
Thursday and talked about how they've
been working to cultivate character in
their students.
Kim Black, Seaforth Public School
principal, started the meeting with some
background.
She said the Avon Maitland District
School Board had originally left one of
their goals - developing positive citizen-
ship qualities in their students - up to
individual schools.
"Schools were allowed to do what they
wanted," she said. "So, in order to get a
commitment in the schools to build that
goal, they started a committee. The com-
mittee then went to community forums."
The Citizenship Working Group
received funding three years ago when
the Ministry of Education mandated bul-
lying prevention programs. They then
had three community forums in Mitchell
where a list of 10 attributes was drafted.
Black said each school has two related
goals: anti -bullying and citizenship.
"Every school is embedding the attrib-
utes into practice," she said.
Black said that generally, schools are
celebrating one attribute each month
and that there are regular assemblies to
recognize students displaying various
attributes.
Black said that Seaforth Public School
also gives awards to students for com-
munity service.
'They receive a small bear and a cer-
tificate," she said..
Gladys Rock, Hullett Public School
principal, said her school also celebrates
a monthly attribute where students
reflect on attributes in different ways,
often by making slide shows or posters.
``Courage was one we had a lot of fun
reflecting on. What would make you
really brave?" she said. "One of the little
students said, `Courage to me is what I
think my grandpa must have had to face
when he was dying of cancer.'
Central Huron Secondary School prin-
cipal Herb Klassen said that one way
character education comes into play is
when students misbehave. leachers will
talk about the kind of character a stu-
dent didn't display while misbehaving.
"If a student goes over the top, they
submitted photo
Aleshia Gagnier, a Gracie 6 student at Seaforth Public School, builds a crane
during the recent TechnoChallenge held at the Seaforth arena.
come to the office."
When they get there, they have to fill
out a form explaining why they're there.
'The first question that's asked of them
is, 'What kind of character didn't you dis-
play that you should have?' he said.
He said that identifying the actions
that land a student
in trouble are neces-
sary for changing
the behaviour.
Klassen talked a
little about the
school's dispute res-
olution program.
"Some students
are continuously
running into prob-
lems," he said.
"Some are being
bullied; some are
bullies."
He said the school
has done some dis-
pute resolution
training with senior
students.
"They become
peer mediators.
They're actually
brought into a court
sort of situation
where the students
will deal with those
antagonists and try to solve the problem
within their own group."
Jane Morton said that Blyth Public •
School, where she's principal, does a lot
of the things that the other schools do,
like focussing on a particular attribute.
See BLYTH, Page 21
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