The school district was recently named a 2017 New Jersey District of Character and will be evaluated in March to see if it will receive a National District of Character designation.
When Cherry Hill Public Schools applied to become a New Jersey District of Character for the first time this year, it was unknown what type of feedback the district would receive.
While the school district has had about half of its schools receive New Jersey Schools of Character designations in the past, 2016–17 was the first time the district’s character education initiatives were being evaluated from the Barclay Early Childhood Center through the high school levels.
Kirk Rickansrud, principal at Thomas Paine Elementary School and coordinator of the District of Character application team, was just hoping the district would get some constructive feedback on its character education programming through this year’s initial application.
“We really didn’t think we’d get state or be considered for national,” Rickansrud said.
Rickansrud was thrilled when he learned Cherry Hill was one of only two public school districts in New Jersey selected as a 2017 New Jersey District of Character. The New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development selected Cherry Hill and New Providence School District in North Jersey as the only public school districts to receive the designation in 2017.
The application process to become a district of character is nearly the same as becoming a school of character. Designations are based on Character.org’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education and are given to schools and districts exhibiting a dedicated focus on character education.
“It’s the same principles, pretty much the same application process, but you have to paint the entire district,” Rickansrud said.
In Cherry Hill, a particular emphasis is placed on the district’s three core values: respect, responsibility and American citizenship. The district tried to highlight how all of its 19 schools have programs reflecting these values.
Rickansrud credited a number of people for the district’s success in character education. Each Zone PTA has a character education sub-committee focusing on character education at each individual school’s level.
Each school also has its own, unique character education programs and focuses on additional values. For example, Paine Elementary adds resilience and active citizenship to the existing district values.
“The character education committee at my school will come up with things that are unique to us,” Rickansrud said.
Each school also shares what it is doing with other schools in the district.
“We share ideas of best practices,” Rickansrud said. “Barton did this thing called Barton Family Day. I liked it, so we’re bringing it (to Paine Elementary).”
Rickansrud credited school leaders and Superintendent Joe Meloche for putting an emphasis on character education and added the district’s character education committee deserves a lot of credit for getting Cherry Hill Public Schools where it is today.
However, the most emphatic part of Cherry Hill’s application to become a district of character may be the reaction of the students. As part of the application, students in a focus group were surveyed on the district’s character education initiatives. The students surveyed were from elementary to high school level and represented schools from all over the township.
Rickansrud said the students’ reaction to the district programs was extremely positive.
“The kids’ focus group analysis was off the charts,” he said.
In addition to the district receiving an honor, A. Russell Knight Elementary School and Bret Harte Elementary School were both named 2017 New Jersey Schools of Character, and Sharp Elementary and Kilmer elementary schools received honorable mention.
The district will now advance to see if it can become a Character.org National District of Character. Since 2008, seven Cherry Hill schools have received a National School of Character designation. Rickansrud hopes the district can follow-up the success of previous years with a district-wide designation this spring.
