FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chris Starr, Director of Marketing and Community Outreach The Peck School | 247 South Street | Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 539-8660, ext. 103 www.peckschool.org cstarr@peckschool.org
PECK SCHOOL RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD FOR CHARACTER EDUCATION MORRISTOWN, NJ, OCTOBER 18, 2016 –The Peck School received award recognition from The 2016 National Forum on Character Education during their annual meeting in Washington DC, October 14 - 15. The award was given to Peck in the Promising Practices category for a component of the school’s character education program known as InDeCoRe (Individual Development Community Responsibility). The InDeCoRe Program at Peck goes hand in hand with the academic program and stresses six core values in the Peck community – empathy, perseverance, honesty, respect, responsibility, and loyalty. Although Peck’s core values are reinforced daily, the school also celebrates signature events during the school year to emphasize the school’s motto that, “Knowledge must be guided by values.” One signature event is Kairos Night, which is commemorated three times a year during the fall, winter, and spring terms respectively. Kairos is the ancient Greek word for time – not the sequential and accumulative time described as “chronos” - but everlasting time. At The Peck School Kairos Night is an opportunity for families to pause, put away technology, spend time in conversation or at play, and foster closer familial bonds. To signify the beginning of a Kairos Night, the entire school gets together for a special assembly led entirely by students on the Peck InDeCoRe Committee (PIC). The student-led Kairos Assembly and the unique opportunities for student leadership within the assembly were particularly praised by the Character.org foundation – hosts of the National Forum. “These great ideas really highlight the creative efforts of amazing teachers all across America - and the world,” said Dr. Dave Keller, Program Director. “It’s great to recognize what’s going well. These practices represent practical, effective ways to develop empathy, enhance conflict resolution skills, and inspire good citizenship.” This year’s winning practices come from schools, districts, and youth-serving organizations from across the United States - as well as from Canada, China, Colombia, and Mexico. In addition to Peck’s Kairos Assembly, promising practices include unique anti-bullying programs, creative ways to integrate character and academic subjects, effective strategies for developing student leadership, and activities that build community – within the school and beyond. The Promising Practices program highlights what’s going well in classrooms across America and the world. The program is simple in scope and recognizes many wonderful ideas from passionate teachers who are making a real difference in the lives of their students. Each Practice must be tied to one or more of Character.org’s 11 Principles of Character Education. -------------------------The Peck School The Peck School is a co-ed, independent, K-8 day school in Morristown NJ with a century-old reputation for academic excellence and emphasis on character formation. With a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio, The Peck School strives to build in each student the capacity for disciplined learning and consideration of others, while preparing students to succeed in secondary school and to lead healthy, productive, and principled lives. About Character.org: Founded in 1993, Character.org, is a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. It works with schools and districts to educate, inspire and empower young people to be ethical and engaged citizens. It is led by education leaders who are dedicated to teaching youth how to be both smart and good through the advancement of quality character development in all schools. The impact of this is seen through improved academic achievement, decline in behavioral problems such as truancy and school violence, and an increase in an overall positive school climate. Visit www.character.org to learn more about the National Forum and the Schools of Character program.