UPDATE INCLUDES: 

NORTH CAROLINA STATE AND NATIONAL SCHOOLS OF CHARACTER 

• Person Early College for Innovation and Leadership
• Sumner Elementary 

OPPORTUNITIES & AWARDS  

• Grant Opportunities

• Summer Employment: NC Governor's School 
• Laws of Life Essay Contest 

INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS & RESOURCES  

• On-Demand Webinar:Service-Learning
• Free Webinars

• Portrait of a Graduate 

Person Early College for Innovation and Leadership Recognized as a National School of Character and North Carolina State School of Character 

Shirlrona Johnson, Principal

Steve Dunevant, Social Studies Teacher and Character Coach

Judy Bradsher, Executive Director of CTE, CCP and CIHS for Person County Schools.

Dr. Ron Anthony, Assistant Superintendent for Person County Schools

Person Early College for Innovation and Leadership (PECIL) opened in 2016 with an overall school focus on STEM, Character, Leadership, and Service Learning. The school administration, faculty, staff and students came up with the school's core values, known as Keys to Success. Core values were infused into daily classroom practices, school events, and disciplinary practices to fully embed them into the school culture. The staff recognized the need to model and demonstrate traits of kindness, grace and perseverance; they recognized the importance of teaching the whole child through the character initiative and seeing the impact of this initiative on our students. The goal has been to create a school culture in which our students, parents and staff feel valued and respected in a safe and positive environment to teach, learn and grow. All stakeholders have been involved in building the culture of character and supporting the core values through providing activities for service learning and community service as well as by participating in school events that support our character initiative. Everyone knows the school's core values and the role they play in supporting our school vision/mission that all stakeholders helped create.

The principal of PECIL, Ms. Shirlrona Johnson, stated "Character Education has had a big impact on our entire school climate. The 11 Principles of Character Framework has been an excellent resource for us to evaluate our school's culture and climate as part of our school's continuous improvement process. We have been intentional in the relationships we have built with our students, each other, and other stakeholders. We believe we are teaching our students the traits necessary for success in not only school but in life. Being a responsible citizen, being a team player in the workplace, and helping them to develop empathy and compassion for the plights of others-and know they can take moral action- are all part of why Character Education is important in schools.  Our school is not a perfect place, but we are all growing and learning together because of placing emphasis on Character Education."  

Sumner Elementary Recognized as a North Carolina State School of Character 

Tiffany Hinton, Principal

Shelena Chavis, Assistant Principal

Ashley Witten, 2^nd Grade Teacher

In 2014, Sumner Elementary began researching how to implement Character Education to improve academic performance and school climate and culture. Research showed that Character Education helped students to learn, grow, and make positive choices. A Character Education team implemented initiatives that placed it at the heart of the school. The implementation of the 11 Principles Framework for Character Education informed the school improvement process and Sumner discovered character drives academic achievement. The administration and staff understood that before academics, they must instill positive character into their students for them to be successful lifelong learners. The faculty and staff at Sumner believe that providing students with a positive learning environment, embedded with opportunities to engage in character development is the foundation for students adopting a love for coming to school. As Sumner Elementary has continued to focus on Character Education and service to the community, the students and staff have grown in immeasurable ways, with the most rewarding being students becoming active participants. Character Education is, without a doubt, the driving force at Sumner Elementary.

Summer Employment Opportunities

Are you interested in working with exceptionally talented, intellectually engaged high school students in a thriving learning community this summer? If so, come join us at the NC Governor’s School.

NCDPI has openings in a variety of positions, ranging from Instructors to support staff to Teacher Assistants/Counselors (TACS). The summer session will be from June 12-July 15 for staff (June 18-July 15 for students) and will be at two campuses: Meredith College and Winston-Salem State University.  

Being on staff at NC Governor’s School will allow you to play a role in a life-changing summer for these amazing students. It’s an opportunity to work with students in an environment where creativity and curiosity are valued and learning takes place without the pressures of grades or tests. 

NCDPI will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews through an on-going process.

Position availability, job descriptions, and application are available Governor’s School Employment Information. 

For General Information on NC Governor’s School, please visit the NC Governor's School website.

If you have questions, please contact Rodney Allen at ncgovschool@dpi.nc.gov.

Grants

Laws of Life Essay Contest 

The Laws of Life essay contest encourages middle school and high school students to reflect and write about a core value that means the most to them – and why.

• The program is available to all students in middle schools and high schools across the world.

• All essay writers will be recognized by Character.org. We will also recognize the most compelling essays and feature them on our website and social media channels.

Submissions are due March 23, 2023, and can be submitted through this online form at any time. 

On-Demand Professional Development: Service-Learning   Watch this recorded presentation to help you understand:  How to incorporate service-learning in your school and community.  How to develop a comprehensive, intentional, proactive approach for character education at your school   Register Here  Password: Character1 (Case Sensitive)  Helpful resources included in the professional development include:  Participant Copy of Slides  Reflection Journal  Webinar Evaluation    You can find On-Demand Professional Development for your character journey on our NCDPI Character Education website. Topics currently include:  How to apply to become a State and National School of Character  How to use data to implement a comprehensive, intentional, proactive approach for character education  at your school How core values are defined, implemented, and embedded into school culture How to foster meaningful relationships in your school  How to create opportunities for students to take moral action.  More webinars will be added throughout the 2022-2023 school year. If you have a topic you would like to know more about regarding Character Education please email Justyn.Burgess@dpi.nc.gov

Choose one of the following dates (all at 3pm EST):

February 15              

March 16

Register 

This free 1-hour webinar will offer attendees the opportunity to learn how to create a culture of integrity in their classroom, school, and district. Dr. Cohen will introduce a wide range of approaches, strategies, and practices that school leaders can immediately implement to equip all students to choose the harder right than the easier wrong.

Portrait of a Graduate An initiative led by the N.C Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to define the skills and mindsets students need for success after high school. aims to ensure that North Carolina students are well equipped for the broadest range of postsecondary opportunities. Aligning with State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Catherine Truitt’s 2022 focus on the “Year of the Workforce,” the Portrait can be adopted by schools and districts to better prepare the state’s 1.5 million students for civic life, career or college. As determined by the design teams that were part of the initiative, the statewide Portrait identifies seven competencies that students should possess upon graduation from high school to help them thrive in the 21st century.  To learn more about the Portrait and competencies, click here.

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