Importance of Character Education
Socialization, successful communication and conflict resolution skills are an essential part of all APE Center’s programs. Such Character Education application is especially important nowadays when students from the early age spent hours playing video games and phoning instead of interacting with their peers face to face.
Various Art forms serve as the tool providing the students with a wide range of hands-on activities to enable their multi-sense learning, and practice their cooperation and communication skills. Extra focus is aimed at enhancing team work and a mutual support instead of competitiveness.
The after-school programs take place in schools, community centers or libraries.
Anti-bullying program “Bully-proof School” is currently running at West Elementary School in Athens, OH.
BULLY-PROOF CLASS THROUGH STORY-TELLING &THEATER TECHNIQUES
Grades K-6
Anti-bullying program developed and taught by a teacher and school counselor Domi Adamova.
The curriculum area is Character Education and Language Arts. Through story telling, music and various theater techniques (role-play, hot chair, voices in head) students learn what bullying is, how to deal with bullying being a victim, or a bystander, how to help a bully to change, and a lot more.
Teachers and students are given posters and list of resources on the bullying topic. This lesson covers Language Arts, Character Education, and Social Skills.
Currently running at West Elementary School, Athens, OH.
Can be arranged to be taught as a regular after-school program in your school.
Can be also an addition to your Social Studies classes increasing citizenship skills as one of the benchmarks for Social Studies standards.
DIVERSITY-FRIENDLY SCHOOL
Grades K-6
Program developed and taught by teacher and a school counselor Domi Adamova.
The program enables students to meet, interact and understand people who are physically, psychologically, or mentally differently-abled.
The program can be incorporated into the school curriculum through assemblies, whole-school projects, and special events according to the needs and wishes of a particular school, but it can also take place once a week as an after-school program.
Teachers, parents and school personnel will be given materials and lesson plans, as our aim for the program is to be sustainable.
Can be arranged to be taught as a regular after-school program in your school.
SOCIAL SKILLS THROUGH THEATER
Grades 3-6
Interactive Theater and Social Skills Workshop
Program developed and taught by a teacher and school counselor Domi Adamova.
This set of interactive workshops gives children a chance to be creative, increase their self-esteem and practice their social skills, cooperation and team-work outside the usual school setting.
The program is closely tied to Character Education and Art
Everysession children will first participate in discussions on different social and living skills followed by putting the skills into practice through various theater means: role-play, simulation, forum, improvisation etc.
Children will also experience different parts of a theater production: e.g. script writing, acting, prop and backdrop making, improvisation, and masks and costumes making. The process and what children learn through their team-work and interaction with each other is most important in this course. However, at the end of the course there will be a short performance as an outcome of our cooperation.
Currently running at ARTS/West, Athens, OH.
Fridays, 4:30 to 6pm (90min),
September 14th, 2007– December 14th, 2007
ALLIANCE FOR FRIENDS IN HARD TIMES
(AFHT Club)
Grades K-6
Program developed and taught by a teacher and school counselor Domi Adamova.
This school counseling initiative supports school counselors' role in the schools.
It enables students to support each other when experiencing difficulties at home or at school. Come and join us in becoming an ally!
Possible AFHT Club topics:
Divorce issues
Academic issues
Grief - death of a close one issue
Maturation
Drug and substance abuse
Friendship issues
And other issues according to the needs of a school/grade/class
Advantages of AFHT Club:
Enhances students' empathy skills
Strengthens students' skills in dealing with problems in their lives
Enables students to resolve their problems
Helps students to feel better and so study better and have better academic results
The content discussed in particular groups is highly confidential (confidentiality is signed by a contract), that way all the participants can feel free to share their feelings and difficult situations.
The program can be incorporated into the school curriculum during lunch and recess time, or regularly each group once a week as an after-school program in your school.
JASMINE & JUNIPER
Grades K-6
Program developed and taught by a teacher and school counselor Domi Adamova.
A whole-school guidance program friendship, self-esteem, cooperation and team-building; brings together the whole school community to work on a creative project.
- An original musical designed in a way that a whole school can actively participate in its production.
Students are provided with the opportunity to try out their ideas and investigate their skills. They serve as actors/actresses, dancers, singers, costumers, prop and backdrop makers, publicity artists, musicians and stagehands.
Students experience the sense of community, cooperation and support that comes hand-in-hand with such broad involvement in a project.
- The musical sends several messages to the audience: Don’t give up, trust yourself and keep trying, and that friendship needs care, patience and tolerance.
This guidance program was developed and lead by Domi Adamova, and piloted at West Elementary School in Athens, OH, in spring 2007. There were 120 students participating in the production.
The whole program is 2.5-months of after-school (3:45-5:30pm) activities and practice. Ms Adamova comes to your school and works with the kids in afternoons. As an outcome of the whole intervention there are two or three shows (1 hour long).
“The haunting melody floated over our gymnasium, which was packed to capacity with adoring parents, interested fellow students, and crowds of curious townsfolk. The rousing applause brought ear-to-ear grins both onstage and backstage, but our pleasure a tour success was mingled with ‘What now?’ regret.”
Faith Knutsen, West Elementary School parent, participating in the project, mother of two
“When you see how the students grow, how their self-esteem changed, how they keep coming up with great ideas, and how they are less shy to speak up in front of their class, you just know it’s worked.”
Patsy Barrington, Athens City School Counselor
“The songs are great. Keely keeps singing them and her younger sister knows them all by heart. She certainly wants to be involved in this year’s project.”
BJ Harper,West Elementary School parent, father of two girls, one of them participating in the project