Whole Child Education

Although high schools are often difficult environments for attaining character education goals, Lindbergh, located in a 2008 National District of Character, has successfully integrated character into school life with an intentional and proactive approach. Almost all service learning activities are curriculum-based. Ron Helms, principal, states, “The positive climate created with the We Are Lindbergh Way has contributed to a drastic decrease in bullying incidents in our school. The norm is to step up and make sure that our campus [is] free from bullying behavior.” Topic Time gives students the opportunity to discuss character issues that might not be addressed in the classroom. Helms also notes that “the word discipline has all but been removed from [the school’s] vocabulary, and is instead replaced with words such as responsibility or making it right.” Lindbergh has gained a reputation for being a place where core values are brought to life.
 

South Brunswick manages to challenge its students, staff, and community members by focusing on moral and performance character. At South Brunswick, Strive for Five serves as the driving philosophy for developing character by focusing on honesty, kindness, respect, responsibility, and service as the five tenets that shape the culture of the school. Principal Tim Matheney and activities coordinator Gina Welsh champion the effort to develop and sustain a culture of character and support their staff and colleagues as they, too, Strive for Five in their daily practice and long-range plans. South Brunswick coaches expect their teams to stand for something bigger than themselves; they encourage each team to identify a cause to champion and to find ways to sponsor that cause throughout the season.
 

Muskogee High School is celebrated by its community as the first-ever Oklahoma State and National School of Character. The Muskogee Roughers are now on the ROAD (Respect, Opportunity, Achievement, Determination) to Success because of the synergy that character development has created. The Advocacy program, initiated in 2008-09, has become a powerful connector that supports a sense of security and belonging among a highly diverse student population. Students feel cared for, and as a result, academic achievement is up and disciplinary referrals are down. Intentional opportunities to serve can be found everywhere at MHS, and 40 different student groups and organizations offer something for everyone.
 

Northview High School is a public separate special education school in the Special School District of St. Louis County. Northview serves a diverse student population with significant support needs as outlined in their individualized education plans. Students either require significant support to access curriculum or have not been successful in the traditional school environment. The movement from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation has been very challenging as we are a special education school working with students across the continuum. The character education journey has taken strong dedication and is the result of a steady increase in staff commitment.
 

Eagle Rock, an initiative of the American Honda Education Corporation, is both a school for high school–age students who have dropped out of school elsewhere and a professional development center for adults, particularly educators. The school is a year-round, residential, and full-scholarship school that enrolls young people ages 15–17 from around the United States in an innovative learning program with national recognition. The Professional Development Center works with educators from around the country who wish to study how to re-engage, retain, and graduate students. ERS's success hinges on character development as a means to improve academic performance.
 

Corpus Christi College is a co-educational high school of nearly 1,200 students located just south of Perth. The school provides a modern, exciting, and forward-thinking education experience for students, nurturing confidence, compassion, and personal excellence. The school is committed to educating young people to serve as school and community leaders and students are prepared to become life-long learners and global citizens.

Recognized as a MindMatters School in 2011 by whole child partner Principals Australia Institute, Corpus Christi College has established a functional school-based core health and well-being team with clear processes and roles to support their work. The school has increased the number of trained staff and the range of professional development opportunities available to support staff wellness. Students are encouraged to take proactive leadership roles in mental health and well-being initiatives and mental health and resilience themes are integrated throughout the curriculum and extracurricular activities. Parent, family, and community involvement has expanded with regular parent information forums and direct links with community mental health services.

Balga Senior High School is located in a northern suburb of Perth, a metropolitan area that is culturally diverse. The school has strong pastoral care programs that address the social and emotional needs of students. The school motto, "Strength in Unity," implies that cooperation is the key to providing a happy and pleasant environment in which all can strive for excellence in their educational pursuits.

Recognized as a MindMatters School in 2011 by whole child partner Principals Australia Institute, staff at Balga Senior High School are a vibrant and active team committed to ensuring that all students feel safe in a supportive environment and that the students' social, emotional, and physical needs are met. The school is a leader in connecting with the local community and has built relationships with many community organizations, including The Smith Family, North Migrant Resource Centre, and the Youth on Health Festival, Western Australia's largest youth performing and visual arts festival. Students participate in the festival annually. Student spirit groups provide practical opportunities for student voice in school thinking and activities and promote tolerance of differences through extra-curricular activities.

Recognized as a MindMatters School in 2011 by whole child partner Principals Australia Institute, Castlemaine Secondary College serves 760 students and is located 120 kilometers northwest of Melbourne. The school recently dedicated itself to improving relationships between all members of the school community, improving the personalization of student learning, and developing the school's community partnerships. This has in turn resulted in the school developing the capacity of all teaching staff to be teachers of well-being. The introduction of a new pastoral care structure, including small small mentor groups, has also aided in improving relationships and the personalization of student learning. In addition all teaching staff have become mentors, and they have a key role in serving as the first point of contact for parents and other teachers whenever there are any concerns about students in their groups.

Albury Wodonga Community College is an independent school for disengaged youth who face multiple barriers to learning and engagement in school. Since opening in 2006, the school has realized that it needs to provide both school and community level support for its students. The school is not solely focused on helping students finish school, but given the high number of students with mental health issues, is also committed to providing students with the knowledge and resources they require to cope with their issues. This includes knowledge of local support agencies and referral and links with community partners. Many students leave the school with the capacity to identify when they need support and know how to access it.

Recognized as a MindMatters School in 2011 by whole child partner Principals Australia Institute, Albury Wodonga Community College has increased opportunities for students to successfully re-engage with education, established alternative pathways for student success, provided programs for young mothers, built facilities to assist with engagement with and connectedness to the school, and created stronger and more efficient community partnerships to support off-site classes along with a case worker to follow up with those students with extensive needs.

Aitken College is a co-educational and independent preK–12 school serving families living in the northwest region of Melbourne. Students are encouraged to use their expanding knowledge as a basis for investigation, problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. The school's well-being and mental health program is proactive, hands-on, skill-based, and data driven. The school has developed a core team, comprising a wide range of dedicated staff that raises awareness of well-being issues and develops different mental health and well-being initiatives. This core team is then able to inform policy and program development based around key concepts of student-staff well-being as a whole-school approach and that every individual has an important role to play.

Recognized as a MindMatters School in 2011 by whole child partner Principals Australia Institute, Aitken College has a comprehensive life skills curriculum for all students that addresses self-image, self-esteem, relationships, sex and drug education, resiliency, bullying, mental health, and well-being. The school supports staff wellness, meditation classes for both staff and students, and a cybersafety group.