Cranford High School received FOUR awards for “Promising Practices” from the “National Schools of Character” Program.

This is a national program sponsored by the Character Education Partnership in Washington, D.C. that recognizes “schools and districts demonstrating outstanding character education initiatives that yield positive results in student behavior, school climate and academic performance.” The practices were showcased in both the publication of the CEP and at its national forum in Atlanta.

CEP is a national non-partisan coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to developing moral character and civic virtue in our nation’s youth as one means of creating a more compassionate and responsible society. According to Janice Stoodley, Program Coordinator, “Receiving one practice award is an honor, but receiving four is unprecedented.”

The four initiatives cited as “Promising Practices” are:

  • The Visible Woman- developing female leadership through service
  • The Technofillies- females helping the community through technology
  • Diversity- tenth grade interdisciplinary promoting tolerance
  • Community as a Classroom- eleventh grade interdisciplinary unit fostering service to the community via math and science


    • This is the second year in a row that CHS garnered FOUR awards. It is the only school nationally to receive such unprecedented honors.
    Last year's winners were:

  • CONquest – an interdisciplinary freshman project based on “a life of consequence”; developed by Eileen Dachnowicz and the CONquest Team.
  • Peer teaching Power – Peer Development Program that aids freshman transition to high school and conducts puppet presentations in elementary schools vs. substance abuse; developed by Kitty White.
  • Puppet Pedagogues- an advanced crafts project in which puppets designed by students teach important lessons to toddlers in our Child Development Program; developed by Dr. Josephine Harris
  • The Scholars’ Circle – an enrichement program that shaped students to become community leaders; developed by Eileen Dachnowicz

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