On May 19, 2017, the New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development presented its Tenth Annual Conference at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. The theme of the conference was CHARACTER IS FOREVER: Building Your Program to Last! This theme underscored the importance building a program with growth and sustainability in mind and focusing on the importance of outreach once your school has achieved recognition.
The conference began with a ceremony honoring the 23 schools and 2 districts named 2017 New Jersey Schools/Districts of Character. These schools earned this designation based on their implementation of the Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education of Character.org in Washington, D.C. These schools demonstrated that they have successfully met the criteria set down by Character.org to earn this recognition. The schools are…
A. Russell Knight Elementary School • Cherry Hill
Alexander Denbo Elementary School • Pemberton
Bret Harte Elementary School • Cherry Hill
Broad Street School • Bridgeton
Burlington County Alternative School • Mount Laurel
Campbell Elementary School • Metuchen
Cherry Hill Public Schools • Cherry Hill
Cinnaminson Middle School • Cinnaminson
Essex County North 13th Street Tech High School • Newark
Frank J. Smith School • East Hanover
Harrison Elementary School • Roselle
Helen A. Fort/Newcomb Middle School • Pemberton
Howard L. Emmons Elementary School • Pemberton
Jonas Salk Middle School • Old Bridge
Mahala F. Atchison School • Tinton Falls
Merriam Avenue School • Newton
Morgan Elementary School • Hamilton
New Brunswick Middle School • New Brunswick
New Providence School District • New Providence
Paradise Knoll School • Oak Ridge
Somerset Intermediate School • North Plainfield
Tinton Falls Middle School • Tinton Falls
Toms River High School • East Toms River
Whitehouse Elementary School • Whitehouse Station
Yardville Elementary School • Hamilton
Apshawa School • West Milford
Bell Oaks Upper Elementary School • Bellmawr
Canfield Avenue School • Mine Hill
Fort Dix Elementary • Fort Dix
Green-Fields Elementary • West Deptford
Harker-Wylie Elementary School • Pemberton
Jerome Dunn Academy of Mathematics, Technology, and the Arts, School No. 9 • Elizabeth
Joseph D. Sharp Elementary School • Cherry Hill
Joseph Stackhouse Elementary School • Pemberton
Joyce Kilmer Elementary School • Cherry Hill
Montville Township Public Schools • Montville
Pinelands Regional Junior High School • Little Egg Harbor
Riverview Elementary • Denville
Samuel T. Busansky Elementary School • Pemberton
Swimming River School • Tinton Falls
Terence C. Reilly, School No. 7 • Elizabeth
Unity Charter School • Morristown
Vineland Public Schools • Vineland
West Milford Township High School • West Milford
Aletta Crichton Elementary School • Pemberton
Dr. Albert Einstein Academy, School No. 29 • Elizabeth
John Marshall School • Elizabeth
Mary E. Volz Elementary & Middle School • Runnemede
NJ State Board of Education President, Mark Biedron, NJEA President, Wendell Steinhauer, and Character.org President and CEO, and Doug Karr participated in the Recognition Ceremony praising the schools for their success and speaking about the importance of good character as part of the educational program.
Mona Noyes, a founding member of NJASECD was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from NJASECD for her advocacy for good character in New Jersey’s schools. Dr. William Trusheim and Ted Frynkewicz were also recognized for their leadership in establishing NJASECD as an independent non-for-profit organization.
Doug Karr and Eileen Dachnowicz also recognized twenty-four New Jersey school and one district as National Schools/Districts of Character for 2017. Those schools are:
A. Russell Knight Elementary School • Cherry Hill, NJ
Burlington County Alternative School • Mount Laurel, NJ
Campbell Elementary School • Metuchen, NJ
Central Elementary School • East Hanover, NJ
Cinnaminson Middle School • Cinnaminson, NJ
Eldridge Park Elementary School • Lawrenceville, NJ
Harrison Elementary School • Roselle, NJ
Jonas Salk Middle School • Old Bridge, NJ
Maple Road Elementary School • West Milford, NJ
Merriam Avenue School • Newton, NJ
Morgan Elementary School • Hamilton, NJ
New Brunswick Middle School • New Brunswick, NJ
New Providence School District • New Providence, NJ
Paradise Knoll Elementary School • Oak Ridge, NJ
Richard Stockton Elementary School • Cherry Hill, NJ
Rosa International Middle School • Cherry Hill, NJ
Somerset Intermediate School • North Plainfield, NJ
South Brunswick High School • Monmouth Junction, NJ
Tinton Falls Middle School • Tinton Falls, NJ
Toms River High School • East Toms River, NJ
Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School • Hewitt, NJ
Washington Elementary School • Roselle, NJ
Whitehouse Elementary School • Whitehouse Station, NJ
Yardville School • Hamilton, NJ
Zane North Elementary School • Collingswood, NJ
Moderated by Eileen Dachnowicz, consisted of Thomas Santo, Mary Reinhold, and Chris Kelly who spoke about the importance finding ways to grow and sustain your program over time. Each of the panelists shared a unique story about their schools and their character journeys. The keynote panelists followed up with breakout sessions to further explore their thoughts on the conference theme.
Following the keynote, breakout sessions were given by experts and practitioners in the fields of Character Education, Social-Emotional Learning, and School Culture and Climate.
