Cierra Johnson, a sixth-grade student and vice president of the student council, explains what it means to be Student of the Month at the recent Schools of Character awards ceremony at Lake Forest Elementary Charter School in New Orleans.(Photo by Johnny Morgan)

The LSU AgCenter recently recognized the Lake Forest Elementary Charter School in New Orleans as the state’s first School of Character.

Traig Varnado, LSU AgCenter 4-H agent in Orleans Parish, said the Schools of Character program is open to every school in the state. The judging criteria are based on the Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education as defined by the Character Education Partnership.

Character Education Partnership is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals based in Washington, D.C., committed to fostering effective character education in U.S. schools.

“This school has shown that they are doing what it takes to build character in each of the students, and we wanted to show them that having good character makes a difference,” Varnado said.

Mardele S. Early, CEO and principal of the Lake Forest Elementary Charter School, said her philosophy of education is “back to basics.”

“Here at Lake Forest Elementary Charter School, it’s like old-fashioned education, old-fashioned teaching,” she said. “We nurture the mind, body and spirit of the child. We’re not only concerned about the academic achievements of the child, but we’re also concerned about the child becoming a global productive citizen.”

Early said the staff at her school makes sure students are community-minded, with civic awareness.

“We make sure they understand their surroundings and know they have a vital role in making sure that their city is a great city,” she said.

At the awards ceremony, Paul Coreil, LSU AgCenter vice chancellor and director of extension, told the students winning the award is very special and required hard work and commitment.

“We have 245,000 kids in 4-H in Louisiana, and I tell you, I’m more proud of you today than all 245,000 of them for what you’ve done,” Coreil said. “The Saints won the Super Bowl on the football field, but you have won the super bowl of character.”

Cierra Johnson, a sixth-grade student and vice president of the student council, said she is proud to have won of the School of Character award.

“It really makes me and my friends happy to know that we are the first school to win the award,” she said.

The Schools of Character program, which was initiated in Louisiana this year, is designed to honor exemplary efforts in social-emotional development and character education, as well as to showcase work in those areas and facilitate leadership in the character development field, said Kim Jones, LSU AgCenter 4-H program development specialist.

“This program is part of the National Character Education Partnership’s Schools of Character, and this is our first year so we have a major marketing job ahead of us to get more participation in the program,” Jones said.

As the state winner, Lake Forest will be entered in the competition for the National School of Character at the Character Education Partnership’s National Forum on Character Education in San Francisco in October.