The Mehlville School District once again is being honored for its efforts to make character development a key component in its education strategy.
The Character Education Partnership, or CEP, has awarded Margaret Buerkle Middle School, Oakville Middle School and Wohlwend Elementary School as State Schools of Character.
In addition, CEP has chosen the Mehlville School District as a State District of Character. Nationwide, only 48 schools and districts received character honors for 2014, according to a district news releawse.
The addition of the three schools to the previous list of State Schools of Character — Blades Elementary, Oakville Elementary, Point Elementary, Rogers Elementary and Bernard Middle — and National Schools of Character — Beasley Elementary, Bierbaum Elementary, Hagemann Elementary, Trautwein Elementary and Mehlville High School — brings the Mehlville School District total of honorees to 13.
“We are extremely pleased with the increasing recognition that the Mehlville School District is a place where children succeed as good students and good citizens,” Superintendent Eric Knost stated in the release. “The fact is — we’re really not doing things much differently. We’ve stressed behavior as a vital part of the educational process for many years. Our goal is to become a National District of Character.”
“These schools and districts have passionately created cultures where students and teachers feel safe and cared for, and where children and adults are strong enough to do the right thing,” Russ Sojourner, CEP’s Schools of Character director, stated in the release. “By intelligently and intentionally focusing on relationships while emphasizing excellence in all areas of development, these schools have created the ideal conditions for learning — where students are thriving and growing into future leaders.”
State and National Schools of Character will serve as models for other schools by helping them to achieve the same results. State sponsors will recognize their applicants and winners in state-level awards ceremonies. Being honored as a State School of Character puts schools on the path toward becoming a National School of Character.
CEP is a national advocate and leader for the character education movement. Based in Washington, D.C., it is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals committed to fostering effective character education in our nation’s schools.
For more information about the Schools of Character Program and how schools can improve through high-quality character education, visit
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