‘Choose Love’ garners Whole Child Award

Clinton City Schools’ Jessie Lewis’ Choose Love Movement is the 2020 Whole Child Award Winner.

The award is given to one or more schools or programs that are leading the way in North Carolina for positively impacting students through one or more of the Whole Child tenets. According to Dr. William T. Vann III, director of special programs, the Whole Child tenets are health, safety, engagement, support and challenge.

North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCASCD) members and member districts are given priority, Vann noted.

The district-wide program (Jessie Lewis Choose Love Movement) was said to have shown results in improving anger management, helping athletes in need, showing gratitude and controlling negative emotions. Parents are even witnessing students bring the strategies home, many said.

“NCASCD is proud to present this award to a program that has shown results across the district and continues to impact students and families as the program grows,” Dr. Lillie Cox, executive director of the NCASCD, stated. “We are pleased to help support the continued success of the Jessie Lewis Choose Love Movement in Clinton City Schools. Congratulations to all educators and students who are making this Whole Child Award come to life in their district.”

Representatives from Clinton City Schools will be virtual presenters at the Whole Child Conference on Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m.

According to the NCASCD website, “NCASCD is a long established, well organized association and is the premier organization which cuts across job titles in enlisting all categories of educators in the improvement of educational opportunities for children.”

The NCASCD website noted that a Whole Child Award is designed to showcase schools that have gone beyond a vision for educating the whole child. The education leads to actions that result in learners who are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically active, artistically engaged, prepared for economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling.

The award acknowledges those schools that have changed the conversation about education from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the development of the whole child.

Superintendent Dr. Wesley Johnson finds the news rather exciting.

“We’re super excited to receive this award from the NCASCD to celebrate the accomplishments of our district with Choose Love,” Johnson commented. “We feel like we have been working really diligently in all of our schools to work on the social emotional needs of our children that are in our schools. We want to thank all of our teachers and our staff members, our guidance counselors, everybody who is intricately involved in ensuring that not only our educational needs of our students are met but also that the social emotional needs are met. This is so important during this time of the COVID season that we’re going through. We really work hard to really thing about the whole child and meeting the whole child’s needs and that’s why it’s so important and such an honor to receive this award.”

According to Vann, Scarlett Lewis founded the Choose Love Movement in 2013 after her son’s death.

“Jesse Lewis was a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy,” Vann explained. “The movement focuses on character development and evidenced based social and emotional learning curriculum for children, parents, and communities. The goal is to teach individuals how to manage their emotions, feel connected, and have healthy relationships. It is sad to hear about how the movement came to be. However, the creation of this movement out of such a tragedy is a rainbow in the cloud. Today more than ever there is a need to focus on the social wellbeing of our students and their families. Knowing that this program is taught in over 90 countries and all 50 states is heartwarming.”

Vann believes that winning this award confirms CCS’ commitment to strengthening the health and resilience of all individuals within the community.

“This award also shows that we are having a positive impact in the lives of our students and families,” Vann added. ‘Knowing that we have achieved state recognition gives us confirmation that we are moving in the right direction. It is great to receive state recognition for our efforts. We are proud to accept this award with the hope that we continue to build upon the positive things that we are doing within our school system.”