Moral Action and a Challenging Curriculum: North Salisbury Elementary School Free

All students at North Salisbury Elementary School are given the opportunity to participate in the S.E.E.K (Students Extending and Enriching their Knowledge) and T.A.D. (Thinking and Doing) programs. The S.E.E.K program is a pull-out academic program for Wicomico County students in Grades 3-5. High performing students work within a small group and are invited based on standardized test scores, report card grades, and classroom performance. Students meet 1 day per 6-day cycle, for approximately one hour. During that time, the teacher provides activities designed to enhance critical and creative thinking skills, as well as problem solving, communication, and leadership skills. These activities encourage students to be creative problem solvers, learn to express their thoughts and ideas, listen to the ideas of others, discuss differing opinions, and work together as a team to achieve a common goal. In addition to being responsible in this program, students must also be committed to maintaining high performance in their classrooms. This enrichment program will hopefully lead to more students qualifying for the T.A.D. program.

The T.A.D program is a differentiated instructional program for students who are identified as gifted and talented in third through fifth grades. These students meet one class per 6-day cycle with an itinerant T.A.D teacher. The units of study provide opportunities for the students to develop proficiency in concepts and skills of the regular curriculum while also providing content, instructional strategies, and setting for learning that may be unique for gifted students. Students in this program are evaluated at the end of each of the three units of study. The checklist includes activities completed during the unit and an assessment of the student’s work/study skills. We enhance communication between parents and T.A.D teachers through individual conferences, PTA meetings, and additional phone calls, and notes as needed. North Salisbury has had students and teachers recognized for excellence in education and leadership by the Maryland State Department of Education.

During our T.A.D. Climate Science unit, each of the four elementary T.A.D. teachers focused on one aspect and the potential impacts of a changing climate on this particular aspect. The four categories we focused on were wildlife, infrastructure, economy and agriculture. Students in groups concentrated on wildlife, and each group reached a consensus regarding their particular wildlife species.

For example, a group of fifth grade students researched the potential impacts of rising sea level on the spotted turtle species. After gathering research and planning the presentation, the students decided how to “spread the word” about their concerns. So, for their action plan, this group composed a letter that was sent to local Delegate Chris Adams. As indicated in their letter, the group felt that by establishing a Spotted Turtle Awareness Day in Maryland, support for this local species would be heightened. The T.A.D. students and teachers received a response from Delegate Adams who indicated that they should compose a follow-up email to encourage additional Maryland delegates to support this proposed bill. The students were invited to the state capital to testify on behalf of their proposed bill. Although the proposed bill did not pass, Governor Hogan met with the students to thank them for bringing this problem to legislators’ attention. The governor then met with them personally and saw for himself the learning environment that created and developed such productive learners. The students presented an overview to their audience. This was a project that evolved when students had problem-based learning opportunities and were allowed to utilize authentic research to identify and then offer realistic solutions to those problems.

Academics are important here at North Salisbury School, but Character Education is considered just as important. Former Principal Ruby Brown encouraged character education throughout the school and advocated for it. In 2009, as school counselor, I began classroom lessons where we conduct classroom guidance lessons based on one of The Six Pillars of Character (Character Counts!, 1992): respect, responsibility, fairness, citizenship, trustworthiness, and caring. In addition to classroom guidance lessons, the student advisor and I meet with individual students and groups to help meet the social and emotional needs of the students. The six pillars are discussed in detail during classroom guidance lessons and on morning announcements, and students have the opportunity to submit examples or artifacts reflecting these six pillars that are displayed for others to see. Principal Dave Harris recently purchased banners displaying the 6 Pillars of Character, and now they are on display for all to see! It’s pretty amazing to see the students stopping in the hallway and looking at the signs.

Our school’s belief is that celebrating diversity is a core component of the school’s mission and goals, so students can learn to accept and appreciate diversity and tolerance of other cultures and countries. Dr. Roxie Dennis, a student advisor, travels to Nigeria for mission work. On a trip to Nigeria, she asked the Nigerian students what they would like for her to bring them from America on her return trip. The Nigerian students asked that she bring ink pens so that they could do their schoolwork. Subsequently, one of our 4th grade students learned of the need and decided to help. Former principal, Ruby Brown asked the student to write a proposal outlining how she planned to collect the ink pens. In addition, she encouraged the student to get her classmates involved. The students made posters to hang up in the school, as well as utilizing the morning announcements as a platform to promote the pen drive. The pen drive collection was called “Rock and Roll to Nigeria.” Over 400 ink pens were collected and sent to the Nigerian students. One of North Salisbury Schools 6 Pillars of Character is caring, and this pen drive directly connected this service-learning project to our student population. The pen drive was not connected to an academic program; rather, one student wanted to give back and help others and she took the initiative to help others.

Recently, North Salisbury had a “World Walk.” Each of the three grade levels researched different regions of the world and were charged with creating and designing projects demonstrating their research findings. The third-grade classes visited Antarctica, whereas our fourth-grade classes went to South America visiting the Amazon Rainforest, the Easter Island, Chile, and Colombia. Our fifth graders and their teachers visited Asia, and while there, they stopped in to learn specifically about Thailand, China, and Vietnam. The students, teachers, parents, and other staff members came together to work on the projects helping students conduct the research or putting up the displays in the hallways.

One particular student, Savannah began planning the implementation of a Kind Kids Club with other North Salisbury School students. The school principal at the time, Ruby Brown, encouraged Savannah to write a proposal outlining all of the details of the club. The school year ended before the Kind Kids Club could be implemented. However, the club never left Savannah’s mind or heart, and in the fifth grade she began her quest to start the Kind Kids Club. This club was to promote “kindness” throughout the school, among the students, staff, parents, and strangers. Each homeroom teacher selected kindness ambassadors who would attend the monthly meetings and represent their homeroom. During these meetings, the students made cards and kindness bracelets and they created posters that would be displayed. Savannah invited students in the magnet and traditional programs to participate. The Kind Kids Club students gave up their recess once a month so that they could have meetings. Savannah’s mother, along with the school counselor and other parents would volunteer their time to oversee the meetings. The students were also “kindness agents.” As kindness agents they received badges and were given the task of anonymously completing as many kind acts as they could. The teachers really loved to get anonymous cards and treats in their mailboxes at the end of a long week at school. We concluded a successful year with Kind Kids Club celebration. Savannah plans on taking her kindness initiative on to middle school where she will start a Kind Kids Club.

Each December and May students of North Salisbury School are given the opportunity to shop for themselves as well as their loved ones. Calvin Burrell, the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports chair at North Salisbury School, along with other staff members, transform the multipurpose room of the school so that it is set up like a store, and students are able to come down and “purchase” up to three items. The items that students could purchase range, for example, from body washes and books, to scarves. The items are slightly used items that are donated by staff members, or new items that are purchased with PBIS funds. Students are able to purchase items for their parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends. Students have expressed joy in being able to “buy” items for their loved ones, and scarves and body washes are a popular choice for mothers and grandmothers. Some of the finer items are put into a silent auction, where the staff are able to bid on the items for themselves.

The students do not use real money; they used “Mustang Bucks.” Most recently, we converted Class Dojo points into monetary value, so students are able to shop. Students earn the Mustang Bucks and Dojo Points by showing positive character in the classroom and outside of the classroom. Students earned bucks in the cafeteria and on the school bus as well. The money raised goes back into the PBIS funding for the school.

North Salisbury School partners with Salisbury University and places future teachers with veteran teachers as a part of their teaching practicum. While at North Salisbury School, student intern, Abigail Miller, got to be a part of something much bigger than her internship. Aside from traditional content, Abby says that she was lucky enough to have an experience where the school is more focused and driven to improve the relationship between the school and the local community. Along with her mentor teacher, Laura Snapp’s, support and help from our fifth-grade students, Abigail says that they were able to upcycle and sell almost a dozen old farmhouse windows. Once we had the windows in our possession, we had to clean them up. One parent in particular volunteered time to sand down the frames and remove any hardware that was sticking out of the sides. After the windows were ready to come into the classroom, students would wash the glass to remove any dirt, dust, and shavings from the wear and tear. Once the windows were free of chipping paint, hardware, and dust, it was time to paint. Using images from online resources and books in the classroom, inspiration struck. Strokes of paint across the windows formed shapes of snowmen, trees, redbirds, cartoon characters, and more. In order to get more students involved, Abigail outlined a picture on the backside of the glass with a dry-erase marker. Students were called in small groups to help paint parts of the windows. For snow, they used a combination of their fingerprints. as well as cotton balls to get a fluffier effect. One by one the windows were painted with sentimental strokes of color, showing how hard the students worked on the projects. Paintings sold as they were being finished, some even before the paint was dry. With all the windows sold, our fifth-grade class raised nearly $400 for two amazing causes. Proceeds were split 50/50 to benefit the Wicomico County Humane Society and Hope and Life Outreach, a homeless service and charity.

North Salisbury School has a rich tradition of recognizing community members like first responders and veterans. The unit, “Historical Documentaries: Preserving the Past for Future Generations,” enriches student’s understanding of history. Students learn to understand their historical roots and develop historical perspectives by reconstructing the past through the study of a primary source. The students locate veterans in the community, develop a survey to ascertain general information about their service to our country, and then use the survey as a catalyst to begin researching and developing specific questions for in-depth interviews of the veterans and their experiences. Meeting veterans and hearing of their experiences first-hand brings history alive and not only gives students an appreciation of the personal sacrifices of the men and women who serve our country, but also helps them recognize the importance of historical documentaries as an invaluable way to archive our nation’s history.

Leanna Morris, a third-grade student at the time, helped a WWII veteran receive his medals after nearly 7 decades. When Leanna was at North Salisbury School, her teachers assigned a Veterans history project for the Library of Congress. Leanna met with Mr. Charles Mowbray who had been a sailor aboard the U.S.S. Wilkes-Barre during World War II. His responses on the survey stated that the Navy appealed to Mr. Mowbray because he’d grown up on a river. Mr. Mowbray served at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and he helped rescue sailor from the U.S.S. Bunker Hill after kamikazes hit it. Mr. Mowbray shared these stories and others with the students of North Salisbury School. During his visits he shared photos and memorabilia and paper cut-outs of the medals he had earned for his service; medals he had snipped from catalogs. Leanna noticed that in the 67 years since the war, Mowbray had never received his real medals, not even his victory medal. Leanna summed it up perfectly saying, “He fought for our freedom and risked his life to fight for our freedom, and he deserves his medals.” Leanna wrote a letter to Senator Barbara Mikulski on behalf of herself and her concerned classmates. The teachers at North Salisbury set out on a mission to get a representative from the senator’s office to come and present Mr. Mowbray with his medals during a ceremony, a ceremony that neither Mr. Mowbray or Leanna would know about. The day of the ceremony came. Mr. Mowbray had friends from his church and his family there. Leanna sat with Mr. Mowbray, and they were called to the front of the auditorium. It was at this time that Lenna first noticed the medals and she started jumping up and down. Mr. Mowbray received the combat action ribbon, American campaign medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific campaign medal. In addition, he received the China service medal, a discharge button, an honorable service lapel pin, the occupation service medal, and lastly, his victory medal. This entire presentation of the medals was recorded by the CBS Evening News and shared on national television on the Sunday morning news.

North Salisbury School is full of stories like these. The selflessness that the students and staff display regularly speaks volumes about our kind and caring community. Role models have played an integral part of the character development of the students. The staff in this school, beginning with office associates, custodians, our school nurse, our cafeteria workers, and even our crossing guard all have demonstrated their support and understanding of how their role in character education have made a positive impact on our school’s environment. These school heroes have not just been role models for students to aspire to emulate, they have shown that they are caregivers, supporters, listeners, sincere adults who show daily that the inherent philosophy promoted in character education, is a sincere belief system.

Character is integral in the development of people as individuals. Character Education is promoted at North Salisbury Elementary School daily by classroom guidance lessons that are taught by the school counselor and student advisor. Teachers are encouraged to remain in the classrooms during these sessions so that they are able to hear the dialogue, and students are encouraged to share their thoughts, contribute ideas, and discuss their feelings and actions.

Student learning takes place both inside and outside of the classroom. When students see a need, they are encouraged to write proposals, and to write letters to senators and delegates so that their voices and concerns can be heard. Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and it is important that they know the importance of giving back and helping others. In addition, it is important for students to know the importance of getting an education.