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Two South Carolina schools have been recognized by the national Character Education Partnership (CEP) as 2008 Promising Practices winners. Paul M. Dorman High School in Roebuck and Camp Bennettsville Wilderness Institute in Florence are among 130 schools and just eight high schools in the nation to be selected for the prestigious honor.
CEP gives the annual awards for unique, exemplary practices that encourage the ethical, social and academic growth of K-12 students through character education. The awards recognize educators for their efforts and encourage them to replicate their successful initiatives. “I congratulate these two schools and their communities for this outstanding honor,” said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. “Character education is integral to helping our young people become successful citizens. Not only do these students set an example for others in the state, they are models for their peers around the nation.” The winning national practices include creative strategies to engage parents and communities in character education initiatives, encourage student leadership, and offer students opportunities to serve others. “These educators have found exciting new ways to help and encourage all members of their school communities to be more involved and more caring,” said Lara Maupin, CEP program coordinator. “The results are kids that feel connected and are therefore more ready and able to learn.” Both the Dorman High and Camp Bennettsville programs will be honored at the 15th Annual National Forum on Character Education Oct. 17-19 in Arlington, VA. Retired Gen. Colin Powell will present the awards following a keynote address. Dorman High’s Student Athletes Think Reading is Special program (S.T.A.R.) has served more than 5,000 students in nine elementary schools in Spartanburg School District 6. The program began during the 2003-04 school year and promotes reading by giving high school student athletes opportunities to read to children and then donate the books to the school’s library. The higher schoolers work with one school a month over the school year’s nine months. During the reading sessions, they talk about good study habits, how to make sound decisions and answer questions about school and other related activities. After their sessions, many participating Dorman students have shared with school officials how much they appreciate the opportunity to positively impact the lives of their younger peers. Last February, Camp Bennettsville cadets joined the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office for a community cleanup in an area known primarily for drug activity. The cadets have also become members of the Teen Community Emergency Response Team. Trained under a Homeland Security grant, the cadets earned certificates from the American Red Cross, city police and fire and EMT offices for their first responder training. Finally, Camp Bennettsville cadets – formerly mentees – are now mentors for the various youth groups they have worked with and perform community service throughout Marlboro County. Camp Bennettsville is a division of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice Wilderness Institute. Under the direction of Sgt. Tyrone Abraham, “Mentoring from the Inside Out and Return,” is a collaborative of Marlboro High School’s TeenLEAD cadre, the school’s Army JROTC department, Camp Bennettsville JROTC cadets, the Bennettsville Kiwanis and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. The CEP’s Promising Practices awards program is made possible through the support of the John Templeton Foundation, the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, and Lockheed Martin. Based in Washington, D.C. CEP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to helping schools develop people of good character. This year’s winning practices will be featured in CEP’s annual National Schools of Character publication and on the CEP website. (Image provided by Dorman High School.)
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