Spring Forest Middle School’s Character Without Question Honoree Displays “True Grit”

Spring Forest Middle's Character Without Question Winner - Caroline Piskurich

This month, as students from SBISD gather to be honored at the annual Character Without Question Awards, Spring Forest Middle School’s student honoree Caroline Piskurich will be there, in part, due to her display of many positive character traits including GRIT.  

Inspired by the Ted Talk lecture series and ongoing collaboration within the SKY partnership in SBISD, her campus principal Kaye Williams kicked off this school year by asking her teachers and students what it meant to have grit and why it is an important character trait.

“If we are to produce a well-rounded child in SBISD and meet the T-2-4 goals, student character will play a major role in meeting this goal. Students are going to need to advocate for themselves and become independent, especially if they are to complete a 2 or 4 year degree or technical certification. Students will have to have 'grit' to achieve their goals. Our student who won the Character Without Question Award absolutely has grit. Several of the questions we asked her during the selection process were about qualities, examples of traits that she has that show her true grit. Our winner truly had to possess many different grit characteristics,” said Principal Williams.

This message is clearly and consistently delivered by campus staff to students and their families. Weekly articles, student lessons included in e-blasts and social media, sweatshirts and posters blanketing the school are part of a larger awareness campaign aimed at shaping the thinking of students, faculty and families within Spring Forest Middle. The reason behind it is simple for Principal Williams...the benefit students reap in the short and long term.

“We are focusing this year on teaching kids to be responsible for their own learning and pushing themselves to work above and beyond their comfort zone. In order for this to happen, we as a campus are encouraging students to work at being successful and that, if they fail, it’s ok and that they need have the confidence to move forward. This is why our motto is TRUE GRIT,” she said.

Go BOBCATS!

Looking around the campus cafeteria at a sea of blue and gold sweatshirts sporting the campus mascot and ‘True Grit’ slogans, it is obvious students are listening.
View the complete list of Character Without Question Award Recipients >>