Glyndon Elementary Named School Of Character For 2018

GLYNDON, MD – Glyndon Elementary School was designated a State School of Character by Character.org, Baltimore County Public Schools reported this week. The school was the only Maryland institution to receive the designation for 2018, officials said.

Each year, Character.org invites schools around the country and internationally to apply for the designation. Applicants are asked to show that they make it a priority to focus on character development.

There are 11 principles schools must demonstrate they have adhered to in building character, such as creating a caring environment, fostering students' self-motivation and including families and the community.

“At Glyndon Elementary, to meet the needs of our students, we have chosen for several years to focus on restorative practices and positive behavior," Glyndon Elementary School Principal Tracy Robinson said in a statement. "This includes strengthening relationships among students and staff and increasing our use of virtuous language."

Continued Robinson: "We strive for our students to decipher, without direction from an adult, how to intrinsically demonstrate teamwork and gifts of character. Isn’t that what we are preparing them for when they become adults?"

Special educator Robyn Wolf, consultant Dara Feldman and the entire Glyndon community helped make the honor possible, Robinson said.

Glyndon Elementary is one of 64 schools and five districts in 17 states named a 2018 State School of Character. Next, Glyndon and the other schools and districts receiving state honors will be considered to become National Schools of Character, which will be announced in May and honored in October.

"We are truly proud of the 2018 state schools and districts," Character.org President/CEO Doug Karr said in a statement.

The initiatives undertaken by the 2018 Schools of Character "have created conditions for lifelong learning where students are thriving and growing into ethical and productive members of our society," Karr said.

Character.org is a nonprofit organization that is based in Washington, D.C. Its goal is to help create compassionate, ethical citizens.

Glyndon Elementary is not the first public school in Baltimore to receive the designation; Warren Elementary School in Cockeysville was named a School of Character in 2017.

RELATED: Warren Elementary School Named 2017 School Of Character

Photo of Glyndon Elementary School courtesy of Baltimore County Public Schools.