Marthasville Elementary recently was certified as a “Promising Practice” by Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character in schools and communities.
A total of 152 Promising Practices in schools and organizations throughout the United States were certified.
"We are extremely proud to recognize the schools and organizations that have developed and implemented a Promising Practice,” said Dr. Arthur Schwartz, President of Character.org. “Each of these programs and initiatives have demonstrated significant impact and strongly align with the principles that help schools and organizations cultivate a culture of character.”
This year’s character development practices and initiatives included peer mentoring, service-learning, and conflict resolution approaches. Many of the Promising Practices also involve parents and the local community.
The project submitted by Marthasville Elementary was called, “Hearts and Minds Grow Here.” Spearheading the project was counselor Robyn Busekrus.
The Hearts and Minds Grow Here Garden is a place where students live out the school’s values; with community support, the students’ hearts and minds grow daily.
The Hearts and Minds Garden is a special place where students are not only taught Marthasville’s values, but they get to live into them. They get to experience the benefits of having an outdoor learning space that is hands on.
The garden goes far beyond traditional outdoor classrooms because it is a vehicle of instruction for both academics and character education values.
The students get to proactively and systematically learn about being caring, responsible, safe and respectful. The learning comes to life when each of the students have a specific role and responsibility based on their grade level. The students us the garden as a place to regulate their emotions and deescalate. They are encouraged to explore and it empowers students to use their strengths.
The garden also is a place with deep community supports. Families and business have rallied to support its growth and the benefits have reached far beyond the school. It is truly a community garden.
The Blue Jay Way is deeply rooted in the culture at Marthasville Elementary.
Students and staff demonstrate their commitment to being safe, caring, respectful and responsible across all environments.
The Hearts and Minds Grow Here project goes far beyond intentional planning for teaching character education to our students. It has created an intersection between explicitly teaching Marthasville’s values, practical life skills that are important to the community, and personal development with the students. It has been a strong vehicle for ensuring that students have the comprehensive, intentional, and proactive approach to character development.
“The garden is creating a profound impact on our students. Our students not only learn specific lessons about being responsible, but the garden has helped amplify their learning by allowing students to experience the benefits of being responsible. They have learned the importance of caring for our plants,” said Marthasville Elementary Principal Kristen Daffron. “Their role within the school community is important because each grade level has a specific responsibility tied to the garden. They learn to be caring citizens because they recognize their importance of caring for their environment, which is exceptionally important in our rural community. Additionally, they have learned to care for our school building in profound ways."
“Students experience safety in the garden because they use the space as a place to regulate their emotions. When a student is dysregulated, they go and till the dirt, water the plants, and reflect on what they need to do to successfully regulate their emotions in the classrooms. In the garden, they get to practice how to respectfully work with our community members as partners to help our garden grow," Busekrus said. "At Marthasville Elementary, our students internalize our core values because they not only are taught them, but they live them in our Hearts and Minds Garden.”
Character.org will honor each 2022 Promising Practice recipient (schools and organizations) at its National Forum to be held October 19-20, 2022. Click here for more information on Promising Practices.
Marthasville Elementary Promising Practice
Marthasville Elementary recently was certified as a “Promising Practice” by Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character in schools and communities. The project submitted by Marthasville Elementary was the Hearts and Minds Grow Here Garden.
Marthasville Elementary Principal Kristen Daffron, middle, displays the Promising Practice certificate with Marthasville Guidance Counselor Robyn Busekrus, right, and School District of Washington Director of Social Emotional Learning Rachael Wilcox, left.
Pictured is the Hearts and Minds Grow Here Garden at Marthasville Elementary.
