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Sign up for the Character Education Updates to stay informed, and visit our Character Education Website for information on legislation, resources, and State Schools of Character.
UPDATE INCLUDES:
SPOTLIGHT ON CHARACTER
- Honoring Excellence: 2025 Schools of Character State Board Recognition
- Sumner Elementary's Commitment to Character
- Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
- Become a North Carolina School of Character
OPPORTUNITIES & AWARDS
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December 3, 2025 Webinar: Choose Love Movement
- December 5, 2025 Webinar: K-5 Social Studies Family Curriculum Night
- December 8, 2025 Webinar: Transforming Schools and Communities with Revolutionary Love
- December 11, 2025 Webinar: Belonging First
- Innovative School Summit: Scholarship Opportunity
- Coffee & Character Chats
- Budgeting in 2025: Plan, Save, Thrive
INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS & RESOURCES
- Greater Good Science Center: Resources for Educators
- On-Demand Professional Learning
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Celebrate Our 2025 State & National Schools of Character!
We are excited to share that North Carolina’s 2025 National School of Character, North Shelby School, and 2025 State School of Character, Patriots STEM Elementary, will be formally recognized at the State Board of Education meeting on December 4th at 9:00 a.m.
📺 Watch Live: The meeting will be streamed publicly, and we invite you to watch as we celebrate the incredible work happening in character education across our state.
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Spotlight: Sumner Elementary’s
Commitment to Character
We’re excited to highlight Janet Holland, a 4th-grade teacher at Sumner Elementary, a North Carolina State School of Character.
Ms. Holland has developed a series of engaging, ready-to-use Character Education resources designed to support teachers in fostering empathy, teamwork, and integrity in their classrooms. Her goal is simple — to ensure every educator across North Carolina has access to free, practical tools for character development.
Educators can explore her Character Development slide decks, featuring engaging resources:
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Follow Us On Facebook and Instagram
We’re excited to announce that Character Education in North Carolina now has official Facebook and Instagram pages! Follow us for the latest updates on Character Development, Service Learning, Student Leadership, and more:
Help us show that Character Matters in NC! If your school or district is doing something impactful in the areas of character, leadership, or service, we want to hear about it. Send your stories so we can help spotlight the great work happening across the state.
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 Become a School of Character
The deadline for this year has passed, but it’s the perfect time to begin your journey so you’re ready for next year’s submission. Whether you’re just exploring or ready to grow, the NCDPI Action Plan will guide your team step-by-step.
Get started:
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Make a copy of the NCDPI Action Plan
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Determine your school’s readiness
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Explore NCDPI Resources aligned to the 11 Principles of Character Education.
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Contact Justyn Burgess to schedule a coaching meeting and walk through your application plan.
K-5 SOCIAL STUDIES FAMILY FUN CURRICULUM NIGHT
December 4, 2025 | 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM EST
Join the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the N.C. Parent Teacher Association (NCPTA) for a fun and engaging virtual night with parents and caregivers of NC students in grades K-5.
- Receive a copy of the December 4th release of the K-5 Parents & Caregivers’ Guide for elementary social studies.
- Engage in hands-on, minds-on, and make-it-take-it activities.
- Get practical ideas to support learning at home.
- Leave with meaningful activities, games, and learning tools to help support student learning experiences outside the classroom.
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 Transforming Schools and Communities
with Revolutionary Love
December 8, 2025 | 6:30 PM EST
Join the Greater Good Science Center for a powerful conversation about how love can transform the way we teach, lead, and build community.
This webinar will explore:
- What it means to practice revolutionary love in education
- How educators are transforming fear and despair into courage and connection
- Practical tools for cultivating love as an everyday practice of resistance and renewal
At a moment when the world can feel fractured, this conversation offers a reminder that love is not just a feeling, but a choice and a practice. Made for educators, open to all, this session offers inspiration and concrete strategies to help us nurture the kind of courage, connection, and care our schools and communities need most.
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Webinar: Belonging First
December 11, 2025 | 4:00 PM EST
Grounded in research that shows students learn best when they feel safe, seen, and connected, this webinar explores how educators can intentionally center relationships to strengthen school culture.
Join Griffin Gervais, founder of the Come Home Collaborative, and Katharine Bonasera of Collaborative Classroom as they share practical ways to embed social-emotional learning into the very foundation of classrooms, schools, and districts—rather than letting it exist in isolation. You’ll leave with actionable strategies to create caring, emotionally intelligent communities where students and educators can truly thrive.
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Innovative Schools Summit
Scholarship Opportunity
NCDPI is excited to offer scholarships to help educators continue their professional development. In exchange for the scholarship, NCDPI ask that scholarship recipients share their learnings with the broader educator community through a webinar or presentation with the NC Department of Public Instruction. Each scholarship will cover the conference registration fee and travel expenses. Deadline to apply is December 5, 2025.
New York (2/25/2025-2/28/2025)
Orlando (3/12/2025-3/15/2025)
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☕ Coffee & Character Chats ☕
Community • Character • Connection
December 10, 2025, from 10:00–11:00 a.m. & 3:00–4:00 p.m. (EST).
Due to the overwhelming response, we have opened two time slots for our December gathering. Once you register, you will receive an email with the meeting link. Join us each month for an informal virtual gathering where educators across North Carolina come together to share stories, reflect, and encourage one another in this work of building character and community.
Whether you bring a cup of coffee, tea, or your favorite morning drink, this is a space to:
💬 Celebrate stories of impact happening in schools
🌱 Share resources, strategies, and ideas
💛 Support one another in sustaining a culture of character
JOIN US — one cup, one chat, one community at a time.
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Budgeting in 2025: Plan, Save, Thrive
North Carolina students are invited to showcase their creativity and financial smarts in the statewide “Budgeting in 2025: Plan, Save, Thrive!” contest.
Open to grades K–12 across all public, private, charter, and home schools, this competition encourages students to explore what budgeting means today through essays, visual art, videos, posters, or creative writing.
Regional winners will advance to a statewide showcase, with top entries honored at a celebration event in early 2026. Prizes include scholarships and recognition on the NC Department of Public Instruction website and social media. Submissions are due by December 15, 2025—don’t miss this chance to inspire the future of financial literacy!
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UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center:
Resources for Educators
UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center draws on the science of well-being to help educators build kinder, happier schools where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Explore learning opportunities such as the free resource hub, monthly community meetings, a self-paced course, or join a community of practice.
On-Demand Professional Learning
Take advantage of recordings of NCDPI Character Education & Social-Emotional Learning on-demand webinars. Watch these recorded presentations to help you enhance your classroom experience and empower your students to become more empathetic, responsible, and caring citizens. These webinars will help you discover practical strategies to help your students regulate emotions, set goals, and demonstrate self-discipline. Character1 is the password for each On-Demand session.
Character Education
Leading With Character Improve the climate and culture of your school community based on the 11 principles of character education; Gain ideas and resources to improve school climate and culture from a state and national school of character; and understand the impact of character development on teachers, students, and overall school climate and culture
Intrinsic Motivation: Foster intrinsic motivation in students; develop a comprehensive, intentional, and proactive approach to character education at your school
Integrate Social-Emotional Learning in Your Classroom
Self Management: Discover practical strategies to help your students regulate emotions, set goals, and demonstrate self-discipline.
Responsible Decision-Making: Discover strategies to empower your students to think critically, make ethical choices, and contribute positively to society.
Self and Social Awareness: Discover strategies that help students build a deeper understanding of themselves and others while fostering empathy, emotional intelligence, and meaningful social connections.
Relationship Skills: Discover strategies to help your students cultivate strong interpersonal connections, communication skills, and conflict resolution
Would You Like To Learn More About Character Education?
Are you eager to create a culture of character in your classroom, school, and district using the 11 Principles of Character Education? NCDPI has professional learning opportunities to assist your school or district with your character education journey. If your school or district is interested in hosting a Character Education Professional Learning Opportunity, please take a moment to complete this survey to help our NCDPI team understand your needs. Contact Justyn Burgess, State Coordinator for Character Education, if you have questions.
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