Character Education

Since opening its doors in 2006, NSA continues to remain true to its founding vision of creating a strong character education program which was a hallmark the school’s founders were passionate about. More than 18 years later, this holds true and continues to set this K-8 charter public school apart from other schools in the community. This year, the school will focus on leadership, wrapping this character trait around various lesson plans, service projects and school celebrations. Our Leadership Council will produce weekly videos, viewed by all grade levels, reinforcing our NSA values of Citizenship, Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, and Excellence within the context of leadership. 

2024-2025 Character Education Theme: Leadership

At NSA our approach to character education has evolved over the years. During our startup years, we used a directly taught approach with an emphasis on application through service learning. Our children learned many attributes of famous heroes and great people. All of these accomplishments line our hallways and show the power of goodwill innate in children.

As we evolved, we came to realize that character is not a program, not a process, not a curriculum. It is what we believe about children and how they learn. It means that we, as staff and parents, share those values and model them daily.

While we continue to use a thematic approach and engage in weekly discussions on all grade levels, we believe that character education is most prevalent within the culture of our school. Our beliefs are stated in our NSA Code of Conduct. As a school, we firmly believe that our parents are the children’s first teachers. Our role as educators is not to supplant but to support what our parents believe and to provide an environment where we teach and model those beliefs.

At NSA, we do not ponder the question, “Can character be taught?” Rather, we continually seek ways to improve, refine, and further our cause of growing the goodness of every child in a core of knowledge and a core of character.

K-5 Program Overview

All Kindergarten through fifth grade students attend quarterly character education assemblies and monthly character education lessons. Students also receive conduct awards each quarter for exhibiting excellence in character.

2013 National School of Character Award

NSA was recognized as a 2013 National School of Character (NSOC) by Character Education Partnership (CEP). NSA was the only school in Colorado and the only public charter school in the nation to receive this recognition in 2013.

Each year, CEP selects schools and districts that demonstrate through a rigorous evaluation process that their focus on character development has had a positive impact on academic achievement, student behavior, and school climate. Selected schools are then expected to serve as models for other schools, helping them to achieve the same results. NSA was one of 29 schools and districts that were recognized at CEP’s 20th National Forum on Character Education, held in Washington, DC on Oct 24, 2013.