School Community Coalition for Character Education and School Safety

Grade Level: 6-8

Academic Areas: Language Arts, math

Duration of service: Semester Long

Character Virtues: Caring, Justice and Fairness, Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Service Areas: Public Safety

Learning Goal: Research, gather, and analyze statistics about threats and violence in schools.

Standard: MST 1,2,5,6

 Learning Goal: Students will use collected data to persuade school and community official to support and promote the development of the coalition.

Standard: ELA1,2,3,4; H/PE/FSC 2,3

Learning Goal: Students will promote coalition and character virtues via billboards, banners, posters, Powerpoint etc. developed using artistic and technological creativity

Standard: Arts 2, 4; MST 5

Community need: Threats against schools are becoming more prevalent and disruptive to school learning environments and student safety. Communities must recognize and accept such problems as a whole community issue rather than just a school or district issue. Project activities will encourage schools and communities (parents, businesses, government officials, police, etc.) to form a School-Community Coalition for Character Education and School Safety.

Possible Community Partners: parents, businesses, government officials, etc.

Objective: To collaboratively and proactively address community issues leading to threats against schools and students

Objective: To develop and promote character virtues and moral responsibility by creating a coalition of parents, community members, students, teachers, etc.

Objective: Unite whole community develop and promote good citizenship within and beyond schools to reduce and prevent threatening acts against schools and students.

Virtue: Caring

Objective:Students will show concern for their peers, teachers and other members of the school and community at large.

Virtue: Justice and Fairness

Objective: Students will become aware of the impacts of threatening acts against school and others and learn to promote fair and ethical treatment of all.

Virtue: Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Objective: Students and community members will work collaboratively towards social cohesiveness by recognizing the importance of personal and collective actions on society and our schools

Students will learn about threats and violence in schools.

Students will brainstorm ways to stop violence in the schools.

 Key Service Activities

1. Students and teachers will create and disseminate a survey to student body, parents and community to gather data about frequency and types of threats within and against schools. Surveys will also solicit feelings and perceptions about threats and violence within area schools. Data collected will be used for persuasive presentations and essays designed to encourage development and participation on coalition.
2. District and community organizations will be contacted to request contributions/services (e.g., donations, photocopying, distribution, etc.) to help develop coalition. Local newspapers and advertising companies (e.g., billboards) will also be contacted to give support and promote the coalition and its objectives.
3. Students will prepare a presentation to be given to the community to encourage and recruit residents to participate in the formation of the coalition. Presentation will be offered at the school and will be advertised in local papers, town boards, cable access, etc.
4. Upon creation of coalition, students will collaborate with members to create a community vision and mission statement.
5. Students will creatively express vision and mission of coalition using technological, written and artistic talents. Creative expressions will be placed throughout the community (not just within schools) to encourage all residents to buy into the vision advertised by the coalition.
6. Students will develop a "Civic" handbook to be distributed to new and current families within the community. Students will submit personal reflection and needs statements to encourage new residents to respect, honor and adopt the virtues needed by all members of the school community.

1. (oral) Students will discuss personal experiences dealing with threats and violence within schools to justify needs of coalition. Sharing of such experiences will demonstrate need for selves and others to care deeply about the impacts on schools and communities. Student reflections/sharing will cultivate and foster development of coalition to promote civic responsibilities.
2. (written) Students will write a personal reflection about threats and violence within the school an how the character virtues can help deal with these situations.
3. (performance) Students will share feelings of justice and fairness and responsibility with the community via creative writing/poetry, music, dance and/or art work.

Students will celebrate the formation and vision of the coalition by the unveiling of a "vision" billboard or other type of display that includes samples of their work. Parents, community members, government officials and media will be invited to the unveiling.