Long Elementary School has been named a 2009 Missouri School of Character.

Missouri Schools of Character meet rigorous standards, confirmed by site visits.

They exemplify the national standards of character education that advocate the development of core values that unite the community, a sense of belonging and autonomy among pupils, parents as partners, a meaningful and challenging curriculum and intrinsic motivation.

Schools and districts are honored annually through a program coordinated by CHARACTERplus, a division of the Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis Inc. The St. Louis Rams Foundation sponsors this statewide recognition.

“Our character education leadership team spent more than a year working on the MOSOC application. I am grateful to all who have helped us gain this prestigious recognition,” Long Principal Brian McKenney stated in a news release. “It is wonderful to have CHARACTERplus and the St. Louis Rams recognize the important character initiatives in place at Long School. We see valuable results with character education, through positive student behavior and stronger academic performance and leadership.”