Waseca High School Recognized for Excellence

Synergy & Leadership Exchange (Synergy) has named Waseca High School a 2012 Minnesota School of Character.

At Waseca High School, staff and students view character education as a tool to achieve academic motivation and success. Parent and community involvement in the process is valued and evidenced through volunteerism, financial support, communications, and involvement in decision-making and leadership roles.

Waseca High School has demonstrated, through a rigorous application process, that they have improved academic achievement, student behavior and school climate because of its focus on character. Each year, Synergy recognizes schools for their outstanding character development of students through its sponsorship of the prestigious State and National Schools of Character program administered by the Character Education Partnership (CEP) in Washington, DC.

“CEP is thrilled to join with Synergy in recognizing these schools for their deep commitment to creating caring school climates where all kids thrive,” said National Schools of Character director Lara Maupin. “We also appreciate the work of our partner, Synergy & Leadership Exchange, to develop networks of character educators who help spread the word about the very real benefits of high quality character education.”

Synergy will honor the 2012 Minnesota Schools of Character in a ceremony at the State Capitol on May 17. Waseca High School’s application is now being considered by CEP for national recognition. CEP will announce National finalists in early March and National Schools of Character in early May.

After being named State and National Schools of Character, schools serve as models and mentors, helping other educators transform their school cultures and improve academics and student behavior.

For more information about schools of character, visit http://www.synergyexchange.org/Celebrate/MNSOC.aspx or www.character.org. 

2012 Gathering of Champions Logo Chosen

The votes are in, and the logo for the 2012 Gathering of Champions has been chosen! Congratulations to Brett Poppler, grade 3 from Humphrey Elementary in Waverly, part of the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted School District.

Synergy & Leadership Exchange (Synergy) received 32 outstanding entries from August to December. Entries were posted to the Synergy website for voting. Nearly 400 votes were cast throughout December and January.

Poppler’s original design will appear on promotional and event materials for the Gathering of Champions, which is held annually at Nickelodeon Universe® in the Mall of America. He will also receive a scholarship for his entry and will be acknowledged at the Gathering of Champions. This year’s event is scheduled for Aug. 3.

The Gathering of Champions is an annual statewide event honoring students who are named as Academic All-Stars by officials in participating schools. Nearly 4,000 people attended the Gathering of Champions at the Great Room in Nickelodeon Universe® at the Mall of America last year to honor and celebrate Minnesota Academic All-Star students. The honored students may include top academic achievers, students who have made a dramatic improvement in their academic work or achievement, and the top finishers in academic challenges and competitions at a regional or higher level endorsed by the Minnesota Academic League Council.

For more information on the Gathering of Champions and Synergy & Leadership Exchange, visit: www.synergyexchange.org

Look for information this spring on how you can nominate your students as Academic All-Stars! All Academic All-Stars and their families are invited to attend the Gathering of Champions on Aug. 3. Recognize your students for their hard work and effort this year!