On Friday, May 3rd, Carver presented its Child of America award to Theresa Rangel, principal of Tracey Elementary School, for many reasons, not least being that Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character education based in Washington DC, named Tracey a 2019 Connecticut School of Character.
Character.org just designated Tracey Elementary School as a National School of Character. Tracey is the only school in the state of Connecticut to earn this national title, joining 87 schools and 3 districts in 24 states across the country. This follows the state character designation made earlier this year. Character.org will honor Tracey at the 2019 National Forum to be held Oct 24-27, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Here is the story as reported in The Hour.
“We are honored to have been awarded this prestigious distinction, and look forward to continuing to share our journey and experiences with others. Character education is part of our school culture, but our students are learning that good character goes well beyond the classroom. Having good character is a way of life,” says Tracey Principal Theresa Rangel.
Criteria for selection are based on Character.org’s 11 Principles of Effective Character, which include providing students with opportunities for moral action, fostering shared leadership, and engaging families and communities as partners in the character-building effort.
Each day, more than 400 K-5 students at Tracey are challenged to leave their “PRINT” on the world by living the core values embedded in the Tracey pledge: Problem solving, Respect, Integrity, Being Neighborly, and Taking Responsibility.
The school’s character education program has significantly enhanced the climate of the school, and supported academic growth and achievement. Tracey School has become one of the highest performing schools in the district. The school was one of only 14 in Connecticut to earn the “Distinction” moniker this year for both high performance and high growth in ELA and Math, for all students and for high needs students as a separate category.
Carver conducts an after school program at Tracey for 5th graders.