Owen J. Roberts SD pilots Character Strong program after positive teacher feedback

Owen J. Roberts School District leaders presented a Character Strong pilot at the board’s curriculum committee meeting, describing a multi‑building trial that teachers said increased students' social‑emotional vocabulary, kindness and classroom leadership.

Dr. M (district administrator) framed the pilot as aligning to the district's new mission, vision and shared values and as a tier‑1 SEL resource that would free counselors to provide more tier‑2 supports. Jen Morgan (school counselor and elementary department chair) summarized the pilot timeline (site visits, spring pilot, teacher check‑ins) and said the pilot reached 35 classroom teachers and about 700 students with an 8‑week, developmentally differentiated implementation (K–5: 30‑minute sessions; sixth grade: 45‑minute sessions).

Several classroom teachers who ran the pilot gave on‑the‑ground reports. Nicole Senior, a second‑grade teacher at West Vincent, said she saw a "huge impact" on students' use of vocabulary and perseverance and added, "The kids love it." Fourth‑grade teacher Yolanda Seour said Character Strong provided ready‑to‑use lessons that helped students practice empathy and participate in meaningful discussions (for example, during Black History Month and Autism Acceptance Month). Sixth‑grade teacher Tammy Garner described a "character dare" assignment where students anonymously completed acts of kindness and collectively left encouraging notes for younger students.

Presenters outlined professional development and implementation logistics: company PD is scheduled in August (company session cited for Aug. 19), school counselors will team‑teach to support classroom teachers, paraprofessional training is planned, and a possible tier‑2 counselor pilot could follow in spring. Teachers and board members discussed scheduling constraints and asked whether the program could be extended beyond sixth grade given lower middle‑ and high‑school climate scores; several members urged teacher‑led presentations in PD so peers hear classroom practice.

No formal adoption vote was taken; presenters recommended expanding the materials and PD planning for full implementation next year, contingent on schedule adjustments and training.