City Schools Stress Character Education

Editor's Note: This is the first story in a Patch series that will discuss character education programs in the Glen Cove School District.

Students in the Glen Cove School District are learning more than just reading, writing and arithmetic. They are also taught about the importance of building good character and not being afraid to speak up when they see bullying. 

The elementary schools, the middle school and even the high school all stress character education as an important part of a student's curriculum. 

At Gribbin Elementary School, which serves kindergarten through second grade, there is a program that runs from September through June, and each month, a different character trait is stressed.

Words such as respect, responsibility and caring are the focus of assemblies at each grade level. Francine Santoro, the school's principal, also reads a book about that specific character trait to the children. Each grade, administrators said, also performs a skit characterizing that trait. Then the teachers incorporate those themes in their classes and integrate them into the curriculum. 

"We tell the students don't forget the words we already did," explained Kristin Brosnan, the school's social worker. "We add on to them."

When it comes to anti-bullying activities, school officials said, they participate in a district-wide activity called Connected and Respected in the Elementary School Classroom, a 16-week program that teaches conflict resolution and self awareness.

"It builds a common language for the children," Brosnan said. "Each lesson builds upon the last, so they are always reviewing and learning new skills. It's got the same vocabulary and the same techniques. It's nice because it builds communications in the classroom and fosters new relationships. When kids know one another, they are less likely to bully."

At Connolly Elementary School, which serves third through fifth grade, the fifth graders are involved in a peer mediator program where they are trained in conflict resolution by the school's social worker.

The school's principal, Rose Sekelsky, said that there are also street signs in the building that reiterate the standards of character building. The signs include Citizenship City, Respect Road, Listening Lane and Sportsmanship Field.

In the main hallway, administrators said, there is also a bulletin board that states, "Connolly Helping Hands Across the Globe," where children post something they've done to help others locally or globally. 

"A student might post something if he helped an elderly neighbor carry bags or if he donated money to a cancer society," Sekelsky said as examples of efforts that students could list on the board. 

Connolly, Sekelsky said, also teaches the Connected and Respected curriculum, which also promotes positive self-esteem and good decision making. Administrators also mix the classes by bringing the fourth and fifth graders into the lower grades to participate in book exchanges and partner work.

"The idea here is if you get to know you're younger classmates, you are less likely to bully," Sekelsky said.