Eastern Christian Celebrates National School of Character Designation

Eastern Christian School is one of only three school districts nationwide, and the only Christian school, to be named a National School District of Character.  The designation was bestowed by Character.org, a national association based in Washington D.C. established to promote character and leadership education in schools throughout the United States.  In addition to the three National School Districts of Character, 64 individual schools nationwide were also named National Schools of Character.  Eastern Christian had been named a New Jersey School of Character in 2014.

What is the National School of Character designation?

Eastern Christian’s recognition as a National School District of Character is the culmination of a multi-year effort to emphasize character as a critically important element in leadership development. This emphasis on leadership has been one of our main strategic goals since our 2011 Pre-K-12 accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. One of Eastern Christian’s most important missions is the development of young men and women of Christian character and competence, who are prepared to become leaders of their families, churches, communities, and organizations around the world. This effort includes assigning real-life leadership roles to students throughout their time at Eastern Christian and thinking about life and relationships through the lens of a set of Biblical core values as we “pursue the character of Christ.”

Why is the National School of Character designation important?

Eastern Christian’s designation as a National School of Character is important because it provides us with independent, external verification by a national organization specializing in character education. This designation confirms that our leadership and character education programs are thorough and effective throughout our school. This process required an extensive review and report regarding our character education program and two exhaustive on-site reviews by representatives of Character.org. Our internal review and the evaluations by Character.org led us to make a number of improvements in our already strong character education program.

What does the National School of Character designation mean going forward?

Eastern Christian will retain the National School District of Character designation for a period of five years, from 2015 through 2020.  During this period, Eastern Christian is expected to act as an advisor and exemplar for other schools across the country that aspire to become Schools of Character.  By meeting this obligation, Eastern Christian has the opportunity to fulfill a leadership role among other schools, and especially among faith-based schools, across the country.  During this five-year period we will use the lessons learned through the application process to continue to refine and improve our programs for the benefit of our students, families, and community.

We are sincerely thankful to our fantastic school families, students, faculty, staff, and community supporters, for their  strong commitment that is recognized by this award.  We are especially thankful to our loving God for his incredible blessing on our school for the last 123 years. The Lord is good… His faithfulness continues through all generations!