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North, South high schools honored

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Valley Stream North and South high schools were recognized as 2016 New York State Schools of Character by Character.org, an organization that seeks to demonstrate the importance of character development in school curriculum.

“I am honored to be a part of such a dedicated team of professionals,” said North High School Principal James Bolen. “We all help to educate the entire student, and recognition such as this is one we all can take part in.”

Selected by the State Schools of Character Review Committee and Blue Ribbon Panel based on their applications and portfolios, the schools are now eligible for national honors from the organization, a nonprofit that strives to ensure young people are educated to be ethical and engaged citizens. The designation will be held for three years while each school retains its opportunity to make the national designation. That process will include site visits, during which faculty, students and staff will be interviewed by investigators who will decide whether the school effectively demonstrates what was in its application and portfolio.

Both high schools emphasize character education through a variety of district-wide programs, one being BRAVE, or Believe in the Rights and Values of Everyone. The mission is incorporated into lessons and activities throughout the school year.

The Physical Education Leaders class, which trains students as peer wellness educators, and the Beautiful Me self-esteem building program, are two of North High School’s efforts at building character.

South High School’s motto is “Small acts of kindness make a big difference,” and with the support of a character action team and a school culture committee, the school is able to incorporate that motto into the student experience. Principal Maureen Henry noted that the school also abides by what it calls the Falcon Five Core Values: Character, accountability, respect, excellence and service.

Both North and South high schools will be commended at a banquet in April.

Character.org president and CEO Becky Sipos said that having two schools from one district among the six schools chosen in the state is a notable achievement. “It’s very challenging to do at a high school,” she said, “to get all the faculty and students on board.”

She called the next phase of the contest a “rigorous progress.” If the schools have areas in need of improvement, they will receive feedback from the people doing the site visits and will have opportunities to “tweak” their programs, Sipos said.