At Brooks Global Studies Elementary, students and families recently gave up sugary drinks for two weeks.
They collected $1,426 — money they would have used to buy those drinks — and donated it to help build a well for a village in Rwanda.
That project is one example of how teachers at Brooks weave core subject instruction with lessons about being a good citizen at school, in the community and in the world.
It’s the type of work that has made Brooks Global and Guilford County Schools models for character education.
Character education is not about proselytizing, said Fay Gore, section chief of K-12 social studies for the state Department of Public Instruction.
“It really is a way to build engaged citizens who exhibit good character, leadership and service to their community,” said Gore, who is also the state’s character development coordinator.
The school’s hallways, already colorful with intricate murals, include displays of student works and photos of students being recognized for showing good character.
Those activities and lessons observed at other schools will be used as examples of character education for other schools.
State law requires local boards of education to develop and implement character instruction. Officials have to integrate that instruction — and specific traits such as courage, good judgment, perseverance and respect — into the standard curriculum. But how that’s done is left to school officials.
Most school systems don’t focus on character education to the extent seen in Guilford County, officials said.
Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green ramped up the focus on character education shortly after he was hired and after getting community feedback about discipline concerns.
Officials said what makes Guilford County stand out is that the emphasis on character development is strong from the central office down to individual classrooms.
