Beyond "Class Clown": Celebrating Character in Our Students

 

The end of the school year is a time for celebration! We reflect on all the learning, growth, and fun that's been shared. Student awards are a wonderful way to acknowledge and celebrate these achievements, but sometimes the traditional categories fall short. Instead of labeling students, let's shift our focus to celebrating the incredible character they've demonstrated throughout the year. After all, who they are as a person is just as important, if not more so, than what they achieve academically.

Fostering Character

Why is character so crucial? Think about it: Knowledge is important, but character is what guides how we use that knowledge. Character traits like resilience, empathy, and integrity are the building blocks of successful individuals and a thriving society. By nurturing and celebrating these qualities in our students, we're equipping them with the tools they need to navigate the world, build strong relationships, and make a positive impact.

So, how can we move beyond labels and celebrate character? Great question! With this in mind, I've created a new set of EOY awards that focus on positive character traits. Let's take a peek!

Doodle Themed Awards

When setting out to design these awards I've been completely inspired by the "doodle." I've added quite a few new resources with this theme, but these awards are most exciting. Each award is based on a character trait vs the more traditional awards we're used to seeing/passing out. 

Each award comes in both a color and black and white version. They are also completely editable right in the PDF. This makes adding names a breeze...and what's better...is I've formatted it to auto-populate in both the color and B&W versions!

Student Nominations

Another aspect to this resource I'm really excited for is brining students into the mix! So often it's the teachers who decide which award goes to which child and for what reason. This year, I'm excited to have my students nominate their peers during awards season ;)

This resource includes 2 versions of the nomination form: a full and half page versions.

When presenting these awards, take a moment to share specific examples of how each student has demonstrated these admirable qualities. This personalized approach makes the recognition more meaningful and reinforces the importance of character development.

Let's make this end-of-year celebration a true testament to the incredible people our students are becoming. By focusing on character, we can inspire them to continue growing, learning, and making the world a better place.