Brookside named school of character

The goal is to allow our students to be well-rounded citizens in our world.”

Unal Karakas, principal

Principles of schools of character:

-Core values are defined, implemented, and embedded into school culture.

-The school defines “character” comprehensively to include thinking, feeling, and doing.

- The school uses a comprehensive, intentional, and proactive approach to develop character.

-The school creates a caring community.

- The school provides students with opportunities for moral action.

-The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character, and helps them succeed.

-The school fosters students’ self-motivation.

-All staff share the responsibility for developing, implementing, and modeling ethical character.

-The school’s character initiative has shared leadership and long-range support for continuous improvement.

-The school engages families and community as partners in the character initiative.

-The school assesses its implementation of character education, its culture and climate, and the character growth of students on a regular basis.

Brookside Elementary School has been named a 2022 State School of Character — the only school on Long Island, and one of just 68 schools across the country to receive this distinction from Character.org.

“I am so proud of the work our entire school community engages in daily to ensure our students are celebrated, supported and nurtured, said Principal Unal Karakas. “Becoming a State School of Character exemplifies the robust Character Education program that we’ve created to provide our students the most well-rounded education possible.”

The award recognizes Brookside’s focus on its students’ social, emotional and ethical development. The award has 11 criteria, centering on emotional intelligence, community service, leadership and growth.

Jasmine Nelson, 10, shared what she and her classmates love most about Brookside. “People work together and show how they’re feeling,” she said. Tristan Doresca, 10, talked about how the monthly assemblies are lots of fun as well as beneficial to students.

The assemblies have celebrated Hispanic History Month, hosted discussions on anti-bullying and mental health, and recently paid tribute to black history with a presentation on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. featuring video clips, a read-aloud, and a hands-on project in which students wrote their dreams for the world on heart-shaped paper and arranged their collected ideas into the shape of a heart.

“Students are leading this work … it makes it so empowering,” Karakas told the Herald. He has prioritized student voices and leadership. What once used to be teacher- and administration-led morning announcements, for example, are now student-driven, integrating meditation and social-emotional practices.

Social-emotional learning helps students understand and manage their emotions, focusing on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. “Our teachers let us express our feelings every morning,” Jasmine Nelson said. Karavas said he believes that the programs aimed at enhancing student voice and inclusivity build character, not only individually but also of the community, “The goal,” he said, “is to allow our students to be well-rounded citizens in our world.”

“This [character] designation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty, administration and families in Brookside,” district Superintendent Dr. Shari L. Camhi said.

A rigorous five-part application process is required for School of Character recognition. The entire school community is involved throughout the process.

“Each of these schools and districts have put into place a comprehensive initiative that equips and empowers their staff to reinforce and model a range of positive core values that will shape and form the hearts, minds, and choices of their students,” Dr. Arthur Schwartz, Character.org’s president, said.

Brookside joins Lenox, Meadow and Plaza elementary schools, which have also been recognized by Character.org in recent years.