The House that Character Built: Developing Community with Heart and Service Talladega County Schools Principal: Mrs. Anna Jones Superintendent: Dr. Suzanne Lacey At Lincoln Elementary, community was strengthened through The House that Character Built. Serving 867 students in grades PK through 5, Lincoln Elementary revitalized its House System under the theme “8 Houses United as…
Fast Track FridaysColbert County SchoolsPrincipal: Mrs. Tracie WestSuperintendent: Mr. Nathan Fuller Hatton Elementary School (HES) created and implemented Fast Track Fridays, a student-centered intervention model designed to provide targeted, standards-aligned instruction, close skill gaps, and accelerate academic growth. Each Friday, all nonessential activities were paused to create a protected two-hour block of uninterrupted instructional time….
ACT Bootcamp Cherokee County Schools Principal: Mr. Bobby Tittle Superintendent: Mr. Mike Welsh Leading up to the 2024-2025 school year, Cherokee County High School had been in the low seventies on the State Report Card for the previous three years, scoring a 70 in 2022 and a 73 in 2023 and 2024. A student-centered plan…
R.A.D.A.R. Character InitiativeMacon County SchoolsPrincipal: Mrs. Tiffany WilliamsSuperintendent: Dr. Melissa Williams Tuskegee Public School implemented the RADAR Character Initiative as a comprehensive, student-centered framework designed to transform school culture and accelerate academic achievement. RADAR (Respect, Accountability, Discipline, Acceptance, and Responsibility) was embedded into daily instruction and aligned with the school’s Continuous Improvement Plan. Students played…
Milestones and MasterpiecesSatsuma City SchoolsPrincipal: Mrs. Suzanne BahrSuperintendent: Ms. Dana Price The Milestones and Masterpieces Student Showcases at Robert E. Lee Elementary were established to celebrate learning as a collective community experience. Originally designed to provide students with opportunities to share their work and to welcome families to campus, the initiative quickly evolved into a…
Individualized & Focused Academic Opportunity Oneonta City Schools Principal: Mr. Jeff Jones Superintendent: Mr. Craig Sosebee Recognizing that Oneonta High School was not fully meeting the needs of all students, Academic Opportunity (AO) was first implemented in the Fall of 2023. Academic Opportunity provided a period of thirty-five minutes every Tuesday and Thursday where students…
1936 ClubCullman County SchoolsPrincipal: Mr. Eric DickersonSuperintendent: Dr. Shane Barnette The 1936 Club at Cold Springs High School is a unique and welcoming organization dedicated to serving both students and the surrounding community. Our club is built on a simple but meaningful idea: anyone who wants to help others while having fun is welcome to…
Read to Wright: Reading Makes Everything Right Florence City Schools Principal: Dr. Thomas Casteel Superintendent: Mr. Bill Hopkins During the 2024–2025 school year, Harlan Elementary School launched Read to Right: Reading Makes Everything Right, a student-centered literacy initiative co-created by Florence City Schools Social Worker, Sonja Croone. Designed for K–2 students, the program builds a…
Transforming a School’s Culture through Character EducationTuscaloosa City SchoolsPrincipal: Dr. Darlene AtkinsSuperintendent: Dr. Michael Daria The Westlawn Middle School story is one that everyone should hear, as it is inspiring to see how change can happen when a school’s emphasis on character education serves as its roadmap to success. Historically, Westlawn struggled with low test…
Blooming in SEL Tuscaloosa City Schools Principal: Dr. Donmonique Morgan Superintendent: Dr. Michael Daria Blooming in SEL was a school-developed, research-based social-emotional learning initiative that served all K–12 students at STARS Academy, with intentional design for students in an alternative setting. Implemented during the 2024–2025 school year, the program integrated gardening, mentorship, leadership development, and…
