One of the many things that sets Lowellville Schools apart from other schools in the Mahoning County is our Character of Excellence Program. The Character of Excellence Program gives younger students the opportunity to meet and interact with their own superheroes while learning positive values and character traits. Over the years the Character of Excellence Program has improved the behavior of students and boosted school morale. Behind the creation of this program was a teacher who believed that wellness and character were the key to fostering a healthy school environment, Ms. Carlos.
Ms. Carlos had always had a love for health and fitness which she channeled into teaching when she started working as a PE teacher. When she first started at Lowellville she had realized that all over the country, students and even adults had a lack of character. Knowing this she decided to start a program that would teach and inspire children to become the best version of themselves by promoting six main positive character traits to guide them: Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Respect, Citizenship, Fairness, and Caring.
Starting up the program took a lot of work and cooperation from people throughout the school. For starters, the Wellness Club had to be formed and from there, through the assistance of the whole community, the Character of Excellence Program was created. In the 2017-18 school year a play starring the six Character Avengers officially launched the program. Since then the Avengers have taken part in many events throughout the school and community. From taking part in the local Fall Shopping Festival to the Character Assemblies, the Character of Excellence Program, Wellness Club, and Character Avenger Team have helped the school turn lack of character around.
Ms. Carlos wants to expand the program across the entire school in the future, using not only the Avengers but all of the high school and junior high school students to participate in mentoring the elementary students. She hopes for kids from diverse situations and backgrounds to be able to be advocates for younger kids and their character. Her favorite part of the program is events that promote literacy, wellness, and nature.
The Character of Excellence Program is a lot of work from everyone involved and is a service to the community and all of the kids growing up here. Without students, teachers, administrators, and community members taking the time out of their day to help, the program wouldn’t be possible. The program encourages wellness, positivity, and good character traits. Using superheroes and rewards the program effectively does this, while also creating a safe and fun environment for students in both the high school and elementary school to take part in.