Six Mehlville School District schools have been recognized by the Character Education Partnership, or CEP, for their efforts in character education, including Trautwein Elementary, which was honored with the prestigious Missouri School of Character award this year.

This recognition qualifies Trautwein to be considered for the CEP’s highest honor — a National School of Character.

“Trautwein Elementary’s continued character education efforts have been outstanding and I knew it would only be a matter of time before the school was honored as a Missouri School of Character. The Trautwein students, staff and community are very deserving of this prestigious award,” Deputy Superintendent Eric Knost stated in a district news release.

The CEP’s 2011 Missouri Schools of Character program also honored Bierbaum Elementary and Point Elementary as Emerging Future Schools of Character and Blades Elementary, Oakville Elementary and Oakville Middle with Honorable Mentions for their continued character education efforts.

An Honorable Mention is the award given before the State School of Character distinction.

“Each year, our district’s schools continue to earn awards for their character education programs, including Promising Practices Awards in Character Education, Champions of Character Awards, and now, the Missouri School of Character Award,” Knost stated. “These recognitions highlight the united effort to advance character education across the Mehlville School District.”

The State Schools of Character program recognizes schools for embedding the CEP’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education into their daily practices.

After receiving an Honorable Mention in last year’s program, Trautwein Elementary was honored with its Missouri School of Character designation this year following an in-depth application process and site visit by the CEP.