Kids generally aren’t the most virtuous creatures on the planet. In elementary school, kids can fall into the “me first” trap pretty easily. To remedy that way of thinking, St. Ambrose of Woodbury Catholic School, a school for kindergarten through eighth grade, created a program called The St. Ambrose Way to help build character in students.
“The children need to be held accountable for their actions,” says third grade teacher Tiffany Madigan. “In school we focus on academics, and rightfully so, but they need to know how to get along with others, take care of themselves, and be accountable for everything they do.”
Madigan is one of the teachers on the character development committee at the school who helped start and oversee the program. The St. Ambrose Way, now in its fourth year, focuses on one core tenet of character building each month, with a different grade taking the lead to showcase that character trait to the other students. There are six tenets: Be welcoming, safe, thankful, accountable, clean and the best you can be.
“We want to be clear in communicating behavior expectations, with the goal that this is a safe place to learn and grow,” principal Betsy Osterhaus-Hand says. “We want to promote positive relationships and limit negative peer relationships that can happen in schools.”
Each month, the grade responsible for showcasing a given tenet is in charge of reminding students of the tenet during morning announcements and creating a visual display showcasing the monthly theme on a bulletin board near the school office. For example, the theme in September was “be welcoming,” and third graders were in charge. Some of the focuses for the month included greeting others with a smile, respecting others’ comments and opinions, and being inclusive.
On the bulletin board, the third graders created a “welcome wagon.” Every student in the school had to write down how they would be welcoming throughout the month and the third graders pinned students’ names on a giant wagon display on the board. “We know how many kids are here, but you don’t really realize how big the school is until you start stapling all those names up there,” Madigan jokes.
Madigan says she has seen a positive impact from the program. When students are able to get directly involved with activities, they are more excited, which is how The St. Ambrose Way has helped students get more involved. Even when her third graders aren’t leading the month, Madigan makes a point to incorporate the theme into her classroom.
The oldest students in the school are eighth graders. Kris Woolsey, who teaches eighth grade English and literature, sees the older kids taking more of a leadership role with The St. Ambrose Way. Instead of having roles and activities defined for them, eighth-graders create their own ideas and expectations for how to represent the trait for the month. They also help lead and set a good example for the younger students. “By the time they’re in eighth grade, they can take The St. Ambrose Way to the next level and do it not just because they are supposed to, but because they know how to act,” Woolsey says.
Woolsey has taught at the school for 15 years and seen more growth in students since the program began. She says students learn a little more about themselves and are ready for life after middle school. “I think they’re ready to be good citizens in general and more aware of how what they do affects everyone around them.”
For more information on St. Ambrose of Woodbury Catholic School, visit the website here.
