7th Promising Practice Award for “See the Good, Be the Good, Spread the Good”

For the seventh year in a row, Smallwood Drive Elementary School earned a Promising Practice award from Character.org. The 2026 award is for its year-long character initiative named “See the Good, Be the Good, Spread the Good”. The culminating event on May 21 is a school-wide Community Day with service learning based activities for all grades and an assembly to announce the award.

Smallwood Drive was one of four elementary schools in New York State and 290 nationally and internationally to achieve the recognition from the national organization that fosters character development in children and teens. 

Smallwood Drive’s “See the Good, Be the Good, Spread the Good” is a schoolwide theme that connects character development to authentic service learning. The “See the Good, Be the Good, Spread the Good” initiative represents the next phase of Smallwood Drive School’s ongoing character journey. Over the past several years, the school’s work has evolved from encouraging empathy and intrinsic motivation through “Lending a Paw,” to empowering voice and shared ownership through “Our Community, Our Plan,” to deepening self awareness through “We Starts with Me.” This progression led us to a critical next step: moving from reflection to action.

A major focus of this year’s initiative is the intentional integration of service learning. Through a structured model, students engage in projects connected to real community needs, with a focus on supporting community helpers such as nurses, first responders, service workers, and local organizations. These experiences are intentionally connected to the classroom curriculum. For example, in social studies students explore the importance of community structures and supports to help them understand how different roles contribute to a functioning society. 

To ensure sustainability, the framework is embedded into daily routines. A key component is the daily “See the Good Community Member of the Day,” where students and staff submit authentic examples of kindness and leadership to the principal. These moments are shared during morning announcements, reinforcing that character is demonstrated through everyday actions. In one example, a student learned that a new classmate and his mother were new to the area and did not have family nearby. After sharing this at home, his family invited them to join their Thanksgiving dinner so they would not spend the holiday alone.

"This initiative has created a school environment where character is visible, valued, and practiced every day, resulting in a community where all members feel connected and inspired to contribute,” said Smallwood Drive Principal J. Richard Crozier. 

Actions taken this school year included:

• A schoolwide celebration on the first day of school that introduced the theme and established a shared vision. A buddy system pairs older and younger students, reinforcing belonging and modeling care and responsibility from the very first day of school.
• A schoolwide activity where each student created a flower filled with positive messages about what makes the Smallwood School community special. Together, these flowers grew into a garden of over 700. Displayed in the cafeteria, it serves as a powerful visual reminder that every individual contributes to the beauty and strength of the Smallwood community. 
• Students supported local veterans and nurses, connected with community helpers, and presented a check to a local animal shelter with funds raised through student-led efforts. In addition, all 700 students created artwork for a schoolwide exhibit that raised awareness and support for the SPCA.
• Student leadership groups, including Community Circles and Kindness Club, help extend this work through schoolwide initiatives such as the “Quilt of Kindness” and monthly kindness calendars, encouraging consistent practice and reinforcing habits of empathy and service.
• Through a structured, schoolwide approach, each grade level engaged in service learning experiences directly connected to their curriculum, aligning literacy, social studies, science, and social emotional learning to authentic community needs. Students followed a consistent process of investigation, preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration, ensuring that learning was both academically rigorous and meaningful.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Character.org for the seventh year in a row,” said Mr. Crozier. “One of the most distinctive components of this practice is the intentional creation of systems that both capture and make character visible across the school community. At Smallwood, character is not only taught, it is consistently recognized, shared, and celebrated.”

Previous Promising Practice awards earned by Smallwood Drive are:

• 2025 - “We Starts with Me”
• 2024 - “Our Community, Our Plan”
• 2023 - “Lend a Paw”
• 2022 - “Use Your Voice” 
• 2021 - “Mantra Monday”
• 2020 - “Power of a Puppet”