School District Receives National Character Education Recognition

The Mehlville School District continues to receive accolades for its character education programs.

At Thursday's board meeting, Superintendent Eric Knost announced the district received 20 Promising Practice Awards. 

The awards are distributed through the Character Education Partnership (CEP), a nonprofit organization that encourages schools to share their strategies for service-learning. Eight elementary schools, three middle schools and both high schools earned national recognition for their programs. 

"Character education is evident in everything we do across the Mehlville School District and is critical to helping our students become ethical, compassionate, service-minded adults,” Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost said in a district release. “The number of Promising Practices we’ve earned over the past five years has continued to grow, and I know we’ll make even greater strides in the coming years as we further embed the principles of character education throughout our district."

The awards come one week after Trautwein Elementary School received the .

Six Mehlville schools also received Missouri's School-Wide Positive Behavior Support medals from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

The awards are given to schools that improve their students' behavior and academic performance. John Cary Early Childhood Center and Oakville Middle both earned gold medals for the 2011-2012 school year, while Bernard Middle, Beasley, Blades and Point elementary schools earned bronze medals. 

"Only 20 schools in the state of Missouri achieved gold status; 10 of them from the St. Louis area and obviously John Cary and Oakville Middle School are two of them," Knost said.

The following programs in the Mehlville School District have been honored with Promising Practice Awards this year:

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  PBIS Calendar and Houses
   
• 
  Gift Bags for Veterans
   
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  Students Promote Peace Project
   
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  Boys’ Fit Club
   
• 
  Project Stray Rescue at Forder Elementary
  Keeping Score, Our Character Counts
   
• 
  Strong Kids, Strong World
  Peace, Love, Hagemann!
   
• 
  OES Parent Speaker Series
   
• 
  Tiger Talk Interviews – Meaningful Connections
   
• 
  Daily Life Strategies
   
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  Bully Prevention Day
   
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  Developing Knowledge and Values through Mathematics
  A Middle School’s Empty Bowls are Filled with Hope
   
• 
  Pillows for Soldiers
  Teenage Health Consultant Program
   
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   Oakville High School Tiger Mentors Program
  It’s Not Just World Literature. It’s World Change.