National Character Walk at Hope Schools

In September, two remarkable Hope Leadership Academy participant schools, Edgewood Elementary in Homewood, AL, and Louis Pizitz Middle School in Vestavia Hills, AL, were selected by Kern Partners for Character and Educational Leadership (KPCEL) to be featured schools in their Character Walk program.

KPCEL is a growing network of educational leaders with a mission to “empower educational partners to build a symbiotic relationship between research, theory, and practice that advances character development, practical wisdom, and human flourishing.” Their Character Walks are intentional school visits where K-12 and higher education professionals from across the U.S. tour schools and universities to experience how character is embedded into the daily culture of schools with exemplary initiatives and implementation. However, these walks are about more than what is seen, they’re about what is felt. The goal is to observe how values are lived out in classrooms, hallways, and everyday interactions. Through facilitated group discussions, the attendees engage in meaningful dialogue with the goal to unpack key insights, exchange strategies and reflect on practical applications to take back to their own schools and classrooms.

Members of Hope staff were lucky enough to attend both walks and were reminded that culture doesn’t happen by accident. A culture of character is cultivated when leaders, teachers, and students alike commit to living out values every day, in and out of the classroom.

Pizitz Middle School has previously earned recognition as a National School of Character by Character.org, while Edgewood Elementary has been awarded a Promising Practice for its innovative approaches to character development.

The Hope Institute is delighted to see these schools spotlighted on a national level and proud to be a part of each school’s character journey. Together, we celebrate their success and look forward to supporting and spotlighting more schools doing great work in this area as they continue to cultivate communities where character thrives.