Editorial Editorial (December 31, 2004)

Developing tomorrow's leaders

We know Pleasanton schools are among the top academically in California, but now we have national recognition for their efforts to also excel in our Community of Character program. Both the Pleasanton Unified School District and Amador Valley High School have been chosen winners in the 2004 National Schools of Character competition, a program sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based Character Education Partnership. Ours was the only school district in the country to win the 2004 award, an honor decided by a national blue-ribbon panel of professionals in the character education field. Amador Valley was one of only three U.S. high schools to receive the award, which included a National Schools of Character flag and a $2,000 cash incentive grant.

The recognition shows that when it comes to character education, Pleasanton schools live up to their commitment. The district's program is promoted and encouraged on every school campus with banners on the buildings and classroom instruction on the values of good character. And, for Pleasanton, it's much more than a school commitment. Banners proclaiming the expected behaviors that form the core of the character education program hang in front of the police station, at the Senior Center, the aquatic center and at other community and recreational facilities. Frequently, one of the banners also hangs from the Arch over Main Street.

The program began in 1999 when it was embraced by School Board Trustee Juanita Haugen. Working with Richard Puppione, Senior Director of Pupil Services, they formed a district-wide strategic planning team. Its members included students, parents, teachers, support staff, administrators and community members. Under the team's leadership, the district conducted a community-wide survey to identify the behaviors that residents of Pleasanton believed were essential to a child's development. The six behaviors ultimately identified were Responsibility, Compassion, Self-Discipline, Respect, Honesty and Integrity. These core traits, which came to be known as the "expected behaviors," form the basis of the district's character education program.

Although primarily a school district program, these values quickly translated into community-wide goals. The program spread through meetings and forums among churches, business and civic groups and other associations and organizations. These traits have become part of the daily lives of most of us. Just about any way you turn, walk or drive, you're likely to see a banner extolling one of the expected behaviors. Even City Council meetings, which are televised, open with a reminder about behavior expectations at public meetings.

As noted in the National Schools of Character 2004 awards booklet, many schools take pride in preparing their students to be tomorrow's leaders. "But," as stated in the awards presentation, "Amador Valley High School goes a step farther. It prepares students to be leaders today." In accepting the award at a ceremony in Houston, Amador Principal Bill Coupe explained that students selected annually to make up Amador's two leadership classes bear a large part of the responsibility for leadership. Any one of the more than 2,000 students at Amador has an opportunity to take on a leadership role. Strong links among the school, the district, and the community have become a dominant feature of Amador's character-building initiative, which the school calls "the Amador Way." At the district level, Superintendent John Casey gave the character education program his wholehearted endorsement when he took the top post in 2002. Keeping character education on the radar screen has become an important part of his job and he refers to the program frequently in speeches and in letters to families.

By selecting Pleasanton for its 2004 National Schools of Character awards, the prestigious Character Education Partnership has honored our school system for its success in integrating top academic performance with outstanding character education, a recognition that shows our community's commitment to developing tomorrow's leaders.

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