Greenfield, Birmingham Covington designated as 2023 National School of Character

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. --  Birmingham Covington School and Greenfield Elementary were each recently recognized as a National School of Character by Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character development in schools and communities.

Greenfield and BCS are two of only four schools in Michigan to earn the national designation. Birmingham Public Schools is not a stranger to having schools being recognized by the organization, as every school in the district has earned a national designee at least once, dating as far back as 2004. Seaholm High School was the most recent, earning national recognition in 2020.

“What a tremendous honor this is for our district,” Birmingham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Embekka Roberson said. “As a national district of character, we are extremely proud of our schools for continuing to seek their individual designation. Congratulations to the hard-working staff at BCS and Greenfield for understanding the importance of cultivating the whole child.”

Character.org will honor the schools and districts as the organization’s International Forum in Washington, D.C. in early November. The organization empowers people of all ages to practice and model core values that shape the hearts, minds and choice of every person.

“We are pleased to announce and celebrate the schools and school districts that have earned this national recognition,” said Dr. Arthur Schwartz, President of Character.org. “Each of these schools has put in place a comprehensive approach to help students understand, care about, and consistently practice the character strengths that will help them flourish in school, in relationships, in the workplace and as citizens.”

Criteria is based on the organization’s principal framework, which includes key indicators on creating a caring school community where everyone feels they belong, providing students with opportunities to practice and reflect on their character strengths and engaging families and communities as partners in the school character initiative.