• What is Character Education?
     

    As defined by Dr. Thomas Lickona, character education is the deliberate effort to develop virtues that are good for the individual and good for society. In the North Tonawanda City School District, we believe in promoting a learning environment that values student success, parent and community partnerships, and staff excellence. Our goal in providing character education is to develop the abilities of children to become responsible for their own behavior as well as to strengthen identified character traits that will help our students to become successful, contributing members of society.

     

    The North Tonawanda City School District celebrates students who exhibit positive character traits and make good choices. Each of our five elementary buildings recognizes students in its own unique way; whether through pizza parties, ice cream socials, special assemblies and other rewards, we believe in celebrating students who model good behavior.

     

    Character Traits we value in the North Tonawanda City School District are:

    Responsibility
    Being accountable in word and deed; having a sense of duty to fulfill tasks with reliability, dependability, and commitment.

    Perseverance
    Pursuing worthy objectives with determination and patience while exhibiting fortitude when confronted with failure.

    Caring
    Showing understanding of others by treating them with kindness, compassion, generosity, and a forgiving spirit.

    Self-discipline
    Demonstrating hard work in controlling emotions, words, actions, impulses, and desires; putting forth one’s best effort in all situations.

    Citizenship
    Being law abiding and involved in service to school, community, and country.

    Honesty
    Telling the truth and admitting wrongdoing; being trustworthy and acting with integrity.

    Courage
    Doing the right thing in the face of difficulty and following one’s conscience instead of the crowd.

    Fairness
    Practicing justice, equity, and equality; cooperating with one another; recognizing the uniqueness and value of each individual within our diverse society.

    Respect
    Showing high regard for an authority, other people, self, and country; treating others as one would want to be treated and understanding that all people have value as human beings.

    Integrity
    A firm adherence to a code of moral and ethical values; being honest, trustworthy, and incorruptible.

    Patriotism
    A love for and loyalty to one's country.

     

    Manners

    The socially correct way of behaving that includes standards for conduct such as politeness and etiquette.

     

    Cooperation

    Working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit.

     

    Creativity and Imagination

    Originality and inventiveness.