2008 Texas State School Character Education Award
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It is with great pride that we announce that West Intermediate is the recipient of the 2008 Texas State School of Character Award. They beat out over 300 Texas schools that submitted applications. Representatives from the Character Education and Student Leadership Program at Houston ISD, who sponsored the competition, will come to Cedar Hill in May for a public presentation of this prestigious award. West’s information has been forwarded to the Character Education Partnership (CEP) for additional screening for the National Schools of Character award. CEP will notify West Intermediate this March as to whether or not they are selected as a National Finalist.
The purpose of the Character Education award’s competition is to honor exemplars, showcase their work, and help the school inspire and lead other schools in character development. West Intermediate’s Character Education Site Coordinator, Courtney Brown, submitted a superior portfolio amplifying and supporting the Character Education efforts at West. The portfolio detailed the events and strategies used with students, parents, teachers, and community members to partner with one another to positively make Cedar Hill a place with the highest standards in character. Ms. Brown had to provide samples of lessons, projects, and events from the last three years that show evidence that the character education program at West Intermediate addressed ten primary principles. Ms. Brown stated that the Character Education Grant that the district received in 2006 provided them with many resources and events that other school districts did not have.
According to Karen Washington, Character Education and Student Leadership Program Manager, “The evaluation team applauds West Intermediate’s efforts in the field of character education. We know that applying for the State Schools of Character (SSOC) Award is a time-consuming process, and the hard work that went into your application was clearly evident.”
Ms. Brown stated that Character Education is an essential part of students’ education. She believes that their future success depends more on their character skills than on their academic skills.
