National Schools of Character Winners Announced

WASHINGTON, May. 19 /PRNewswire/ --

Competition Identifies America's Best Schools for Positive Youth Development

WASHINGTON, May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has named 10 schools and one school district as 2008 National Schools of Character.

The winning schools have remarkable programs that stress respect, responsibility, service learning, bullying prevention, mentoring and tolerance. Formal assessments at each school validated the fact that quality character education improves social and emotional learning and academic achievement. It has a profound and positive impact on school culture, creating a climate where students and educators flourish.

"We received the highest number of applications in history, and the strength of the applications surpassed that of any other year," said CEP Executive Director, Joe Mazzola.

Each winner will receive $20,000 at the 15th Annual National Forum on Character Education held October 17-19, 2008, in Arlington, Virginia. Winners must use their grants to train others to improve their character education efforts.

The NSOC application process requires extensive documentation and assessment of each school or district's culture, academics, and character education programs. A Blue Ribbon Panel of experts in character education considered the written applications and determined the 11 national winners.

Mazzola said, "All the winners are national exemplars for excellence in quality, comprehensive character education."

2008 National Schools of Character: (For details on the winners, visit >.)

Babylon Memorial Grade School, Babylon, NY

Bower Hill Elementary School, Venetia, PA

Chesterfield Elementary School, Chesterfield, MO

Francis Howell Middle School, St. Charles, MO

Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale, IL

*Lindbergh School District, St Louis, MO

Rosa International Middle School, Cherry Hill, NJ

*Sappington Elementary School, St Louis, MO

Valley Park Middle School, Valley Park, MO

Waterloo Middle School, Waterloo, NY

Wilton Manors Elementary School, Wilton Manors, FL

(Sappington and Lindbergh will split the $20,000 grant.)

The Character Education Partnership administers the NSOC awards program made possible by generous support from the John Templeton Foundation, the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, and Lockheed Martin. The Character Education Partnership, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to helping schools develop people of good character for a just and compassionate society. To learn more about CEP and the National Schools of Character, visit >.

Contacts: Janice Stoodley, Director, National Schools of Character, 202-296-7743 ext. 15