Liberty Elementary students embrace kindness

Second-graders give 100 valentines to Canton senior center.

At Liberty Elementary in Canton, the term “character education” means more than merely putting a weekly word on a bulletin board. For the almost 1,250 students in kindergarten through fifth grades, learning what attributes constitute good character is backed up by classroom discussions, student reflections and the constant encouragement to put those attributes into action each day.

The school adopted a program last spring called “#BeKind” as a pro-active move against bullying. Students and faculty received #BeKind t-shirts, and kids were challenged to do something kind every day, including during the summer break. Another kick-off in the fall put the program in high gear.

“If you stop any kid who’s been here more than a week, they can recite the ‘be kind’ chant,” said Principal Doug Knott. “It’s a simple program with a positive perspective. It almost acts like dominoes: The whole idea is that your kind actions are going to spur on additional kind actions.”

The emphasis on character is reinforced during the day, explained Assistant Principal Pam Green.

“This is something that’s embedded throughout the entire day, and expectations are that teachers give regular reminders to students,” she said. “We talk about respecting others, inspiring others by being kind, displaying responsible behavior, exhibiting excellence and empathy to be a kind school; that’s the challenge we have for ourselves. Empathy in particular can be really hard for kids, especially when they’re little and it’s ‘all about me.’ Sometimes we forget that kids are kids and need to be taught proper social skills and manners, which isn’t to say the parents don’t care because they do. But this approach creates a bigger sense of family.”

Part of the #BeKind program challenges each classroom to come up with ways to serve others through outreach projects. A team of fourth and fifth graders brainstorm about activities the school can do, such as collecting stuffed toys for the county’s first-responder program or delivering 100 boxes of Valentine wishes to residents of a local senior center. Regular meetings with the student leaders have helped keep the momentum going, said Green.

As simple as it is, the program has made an impact. And it caught the attention of the international nonprofit Character.org that last year earned the school a Promising Practices award. A few weeks ago, the same organization named Liberty a 2017 State School of Character. The honor is just one of 80 given out across the country, and the only one given to a school in Georgia. But what Knott finds most impressive is the way the program has altered the climate in the school.

“The way I have seen the change is in interactions,” said Knott. “The culture of the building from when I got here three years ago is different. It was a fine-running machine, but now it’s clear there’s a focus on character. The staff and parents have embraced character education, too.”

Knott is now working to quantify the program’s impact by studying the number of discipline referrals. “That’s a piece of data we’ll look at to be considered a national school of character,” he said. “The program is now in its first full year, with our first anniversary this spring, and I think we’ll see how much things have changed. Just by watching the kids, having conversations with them and observations, you get a clear understanding about how successfully it’s working.”

Pre-Festival Concert by the DeKalb School of the Arts. 7 p.m. Thursday. Avondale First Baptist Church, 47 Covington Road, Avondale Estates. dsa.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

“The Wizard of Oz” by Jerry’s Habima Theatre for all ages. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. March 16 and March 18, 1 p.m. March 19. $25 to $35, $10 to $15 children 12 and under. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta’s Morris & Rae Frank Theatre, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Georgia’s only theatrical company directed and produced by professionals, featuring actors with special needs. Susie Davidow, retiring this year after directing the MJCCA’s Blonder Family Department for Special Needs for 16 years, will be honored. Tickets: 678-812-4002, atlantajcc.org/BoxOffice or atlantajcc.org/habima.

Music and Poetry of Sidney Lanier: “The Land, the People and Providence” concert by the Glenn Chancel Choir. 7-8 p.m. March 19. Free, including free parking in Emory University’s Fishburne Parking Deck, 1672 North Decatur Road, Atlanta. Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, Glenn Sanctuary, 1660 North Decatur Road, Atlanta. The music and poetry of this 19th century Georgia poet will be commemorated upon the 175th anniversary year of his birth. Lanier also was a flute player, composer, author, scholar and literature and poetry lecturer. glennumc.org.