Centre honored for social skills

Centre USD 397 was the recipient of a National Promising Practice Award from the Character Education Partnership. The award is in response to Centre’s Character Buddy program to teach students social skills for future success. School representatives have been invited to the Character Education Partnership Forum in November in Washington, D.C.

Previously, Centre’s Character Buddy program won the Kansas Schools of Character award. Superintendent Jerri Kemble, sixth-grade teacher Marci Cain, and character assembly coordinator Angela Basore attended the awards program in Topeka.

Centre initiated the Character Buddy program last August by pairing high school students with elementary school buddies. Groups of buddies would sit together in monthly assemblies and participate in character building activities that changed from assembly to assembly. Each assembly included drawings of character coupon winners. When a student was noticed exhibiting good character behavior, they were given a “character coupon” to turn in to the office for the drawing. Winners were rewarded with a trip to Al’s Café.