Winners of Virtue and Character Education Award announced

Nine Central Valley elementary schools were honored last week with the university's Virtues and Character Recognition Award for 2000.

The awards were presented to the winning schools by the School of Education and Human Development. The school's Bonner Center for Character Education and Citizenship announced the winners at the 16th annual Conference on Character and Civic Education April 5 at the Fresno Convention Center.

President John Welty was the keynote speaker for the all-day conference, which is an annual event held to inform and instruct student teachers. The purpose of the conference is to teach responsibility for interprofessional collaboration and for character and civic education.

The award recognizes the outstanding work of local schools in promoting virtues and character education in school curriculum, said Jacques Benninga, director of the Bonner Center.

All elementary schools in the Central Valley were eligible to apply for the 2000 Virtues and Character Education Award by submitting an extensive application. The Bonner Center co-ordinated final selections and site visitations.

The winning elementary schools were Ann Leavenworth (Fresno), Burroughs (Fresno), Burton (Porterville), Ft. Washington (Clovis), Jefferson (Dinuba), Mountain View (Clovis), Nelson (Clovis), Pixley (Pixley), and Sun Empire (Kerman).