Schools

Woerther Elementary Gets National Nod

What makes Woerther Elementary School in Ballwin stand out? One word: Character.

in Ballwin received a 2011 National Schools of Character Award, officials announced Wednesday.

The award is given annually to schools that embody a combination of social, academic and cultural excellence, as determined by the Character Education Partnership, a non-profit education advocacy group based in D.C.

Participating schools must apply for the award at the state level, with the winners later competing nationally. Representatives of the Character Education Partnership then award select schools using the CEP’s “Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education” as a framework.

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Roxanna Mechem of the Rockwood School District said the principles are aimed at creating a school structure as conducive to learning as possible.

“We’re talking about the safety of the schools, what the quality of the relationships that students have with teachers are like, the relationships between teachers and parents … all of those are factors that help the school environment be a place where learning can take place,” Mechem said.

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The award was issued to a total of 46 schools across the country, 15 of which are in Missouri and 6 of which are in the Rockwood School District. Missouri had nearly twice as many recipient schools as runner-up New Jersey, and only six states were represented with more than one school.

For the complete list of schools awarded, click here.


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