Guidelines & Award Criteria - Character Education Partnership

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN CHARACTER
EDUCATION NOMINATIONS
Each year, Character.org honors one individual for his or her long and steadfast commitment to the field of
character education. The person so honored receives the prestigious “Sanford N. McDonnell Award for
Lifetime Achievement in Character Education.” The 2015 award will be presented in Atlanta, Georgia,
before an audience of educators from across the nation and the world, during the National Forum on
Character Education.
This award is named in honor of Sandy McDonnell, the driving force behind the resurgent character
education movement in America. He dedicated much of his adult life to improving our nation’s schools and
developing good character in others, especially young people. Among other things, Sandy instituted a
company-wide ethics program as CEO of McDonnell Douglas Aircraft, founded and led CHARACTERplus in
St. Louis and served as National President of the Boy Scouts of America. He was also the founding
Chairman and inspirational leader of Character.org until his death in 2012.
How To Nominate:
Character.org is now accepting nominations for the 2015 “Sandy Award,” as it is informally called. The
deadline for all submissions is Friday, May 29th. Please email your nominations to Iris Wyatt at
iris@character.org. You may mail them to her, c/o of Character.org, 1634 I. Street, NW, Suite 550,
Washington, DC 20006.
Important Requirements:
All nominations are for individuals only (no groups). They must be limited to a one page, single-spaced
narrative summary that describes the candidate’s long-term achievements and contributions relative to
the award criteria (see Award Criteria). Please be very specific when describing the candidate’s work,
showing reach and impact where possible. Also, provide e-mail addresses and phone numbers for the
candidate and yourself, as nominator. Self-nominations are not accepted for this award.
Selection Process and Presentation of Award:
The winner of this year’s award will be chosen by a committee comprised of previous Sandy Award
winners and Character.org leaders. The winner will be announced in July. He or she will receive
transportation, two-night hotel accommodations, and free registration for the 2015 National Forum on
Character Education, where the award will be presented. The event takes place Oct. 15-17 in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Award Criteria:
The recipient of the Sandy Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education is an individual who,
over a significant period of time, has been an outstanding role model of good character and has also
met one or more of the following criteria:
1.
Strong and widely influential advocate of quality character education, or
2.
Outstanding contributor to any or all of the domains in which character development takes place
(school, family, community, sports, etc.); these contributions should reflect the implications for
education and, ideally, for character/moral/social-emotional education (as opposed to, say,
psychological research that does not address educational applications), or
3. Friend and supporter of character education—for example, by mentoring character education
leaders or supporting the field philanthropically—in a way that has made a significant difference.
Character.org
1634 I Street, NW | Suite 550 | Washington, DC 20006
Tel. 202-296-7743 | Fax 202-296-7779
Important Information:
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All nominations must be received no later than Friday, May 29, 2015
Each person may nominate no more than two candidates
Self-nominations and group nominations will not be accepted for this award
Please direct questions to Iris Wyatt, at iris@character.org
Iris Wyatt can also be reached at (202) 296-7743, extension 19
Character.org
1634 I Street, NW | Suite 550 | Washington, DC 20006
Tel. 202-296-7743 | Fax 202-296-7779