Pairing Character Strengths With IB Attributes at Weddington Hills

This article was written by Shanna Allen, School Counselor at Weddington Hills Elementary School in Cabarrus County Schools in North Carolina. Shanna is in her 20th year in education, all of it at Weddington Hills, a Title I school and an International Baccalaureate School of Distinction in Concord. Both of her children attended Weddington Hills.

Weddington Hills Elementary School (WHES) is a community with its own pulse. As a Title I school in Concord, North Carolina, we serve a diverse group of students, with more than 40% of our families coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths, bringing together students from all walks of life who each contribute unique perspectives, talents, and experiences. WHES is also an International Baccalaureate (IB) School of Distinction, where the IB learner profile attributes, such as being caring, principled, open-minded, and reflective, are part of our daily learning.

How We Pair Character Strengths With IB Learner Profile Attributes

When we began brainstorming how to implement The Positivity Project (P2), we knew it had to be more than another program or lesson plan. By blending P2’s character strengths with the language and philosophy of the IB framework, we created a shared culture that unites students and staff. Our goal has been to move students from being passive learners to active ambassadors and advocates of character.

To make the program our own, we introduce these together as the Character Strength of the Week, which gives students a dual-layered vocabulary that bridges global citizenship with personal character. P2 helps us bring our diverse population together into one supportive family where every student feels seen and valued.

Our One-Page Character Education Implementation Plan

WHES has established a clear schoolwide approach through a one-page implementation plan shared with all staff. The plan provides a unified model and weaves together P2 character strengths and the IB Learner Profile attributes, guiding weekly instruction and planning throughout the school year.

To bring the plan to life, we have engaged staff in ongoing professional learning using at least four different 3 Slides modules. These trainings have been built into staff meetings, grade-level team meetings, PLCs, and other collaborative structures, which has built consistency, shared understanding, and a commitment to both academic excellence and character growth across the campus.

The Weekly Character Strength Spotlight

The entire school community hears a weekly spotlight character strength, paired with a corresponding IB Learner Profile attribute, during morning announcements. The spotlight includes a definition, real-life examples, anecdotes, and an explanation of why the strength matters. P2 character strengths are also highlighted through our student-hosted weekly news program.

How Staff Share Their Own Character Strengths

All staff members reflect on their own strengths by completing the character strengths survey, then create a visual display of their top strengths outside their doors. It helps students see us as people. These reflections also help staff consider how their own strengths shape their interactions with students.

Once a month, the entire school, staff and students together, takes part in a coordinated Wear Green day. It is a simple visual reminder that we are all in this together.

Positive Office Referrals and Our Book Vending Machine

We also wanted to change how we handle behavior. Along with addressing what goes wrong, we use Positive Office Referrals. Any staff member may refer a student who demonstrates a P2 character strength. The referred student then gets to visit an administrator and choose a book from our Book Vending Machine. Being sent to the office becomes a celebration, and it makes students feel seen and valued, which matters for our school climate. Parents are notified, and students receive a copy of their positive referral as recognition.

Morning Circles, Daily Slides, and Student Reflection

We have built P2 into our morning routines, primarily through morning circles and Daily Slides. These circles give students a space where they feel heard and valued, and they set a focused tone for the day.

During those circles, students reflect on their own lives and ask themselves questions like “Am I doing a good job at showing perseverance?” or “How can I improve?” Those moments of reflection let students identify areas for growth and commit to practicing specific strengths throughout the day. By building the Other People Mindset (OPM) into our classrooms, clubs, cafeteria, and playground, we are creating a supportive environment where character development is a core value.

Recognizing that our school is made up of many climates and cultures, from individual classrooms to every space in the building, we let teachers adapt P2 lessons to their specific students. For our older students, we use vertical alignment to ask deeper questions that build on prior knowledge, so that as students mature, their understanding of a strength like perseverance grows from a simple definition into something they can actually use.

Students have moved from passive learners to active advocates for character strengths. That shows up when students take these lessons home and teach their parents about perseverance and consideration for others. Within the school, we reinforce it through Friday celebrations and by recognizing positive behavior. Students who consistently make the right choices should feel seen and rewarded, rather than watching their good decisions go unnoticed.

How We Involve Families in Character Education

At Weddington Hills, our P2 character strengths come to life through family engagement and schoolwide experiences. We know we cannot do this alone, and we want what happens in the classroom to carry over to the dinner table. Our principal, Mrs. Lee, leads the way. Every week, her newsletter highlights the P2 strength and gives families examples and ways to talk about it at home.

We try to make every event a P2 event. One highlight this year was our Family Reading Night, where families gathered to celebrate literacy while exploring books and activities centered on our P2 character strengths. Students proudly shared reading materials that connected stories to strengths such as kindness, perseverance, and gratitude.

Our Veterans Day Parade and Program gave students a real-world connection to gratitude and bravery. Veterans marched through our halls while students cheered, followed by a program honoring their service and sacrifices. It was a lesson students could not get from a textbook.

Quarterly showcases across all grade levels invite families into classrooms to see students demonstrate P2 character strengths through performances, projects, and presentations. At our upcoming Night of the Arts, families will experience a collaborative music composition created by students and work alongside their children to create a schoolwide mural.

Food Drives, the Blessing Box, and Holiday Assistance

At Weddington Hills, we also teach that character is something you do. We host canned food drives throughout each school year that give back to our own school community. Donations from WHES families are collected to create a large food pantry, which allows us to provide weekly food bags to families in need at our school. We also partner with neighboring schools to stock the Blessing Box on our campus each month, offering a reliable food resource for students, families, and community members.

Our community spirit shines during the holidays. We partner with local churches to provide meals for families in need. Through our Holiday Assistance program, our staff and community volunteers, our little elves, deliver packages to homes and spread holiday cheer. These partnerships strengthen our students’ core values by modeling kindness, gratitude, responsibility, and consideration for others, and they help students understand the importance of giving back.

Cross-Grade Community Building with Cat Connections

Twice a month, we host Cat Connections. Students from different grade levels come together for community building and collaboration through activities aligned with P2 character strengths. Recently, we welcomed Queens from our local high school, who joined a Cat Connection to connect, lead, and inspire our Wildcats with an activity focused on kindness.

At Weddington Hills, P2 is a commitment to long-term growth for our students, our staff, and our entire community. We are building a culture where kindness, perseverance, and consideration for others are part of how we operate. When we focus on character, we are stronger together.