Building a Character Culture at Endeavour Elementary

This article was written by Stephanie Garnett, Principal of Endeavour Elementary School in the Fruitvale School District in Bakersfield, California. Stephanie began her career as an 8th-grade English teacher, became Endeavour’s Assistant Principal in 2018, and stepped into the principal role in February 2020, weeks before the pandemic closed schools. She is months away from earning her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership.

At Endeavour Elementary, implementing The Positivity Project (P2) has been one of the most significant shifts in our school culture during my time as principal. What began as a desire to strengthen relationships and focus more closely on character development has become a foundational part of who we are. P2 is not something we do once a week. It is built into the rhythm of our days, the language in our classrooms, and the expectations we hold for ourselves and our students.

How Teachers Use P2 During the School Day

We work P2 into daily routines so that it feels natural and sustainable. Teachers introduce the weekly character strength during morning meetings, setting the tone for the week ahead. From there, it becomes part of everyday conversations during academic discussions, transitions, recess reflections, and moments of conflict. Teachers ask students which character strength could help in that situation. When students struggle with peer disagreements, we talk about perspective. When they face frustration with a challenging task, we discuss perseverance and self-control. The language becomes practical. It moves off the posters on the wall and into what students actually do.

A Kindergartner and a Fifth Grader Use the Same Words

One of the biggest changes I have seen is the development of a shared language across our campus. Before P2, we certainly valued kindness, respect, and responsibility, though those concepts were sometimes broad and inconsistently defined. P2 gave us specific vocabulary, terms like gratitude, teamwork, integrity, and social intelligence, that both adults and students understand and use.

This consistency has strengthened alignment across grade levels and classrooms. A kindergarten student and a fifth grader can both explain what perspective means, just at developmentally appropriate levels. That alignment has strengthened our sense of unity as a school community.

One Student’s Change in How He Handled Conflict

The change in student behavior and relationships has been especially clear. I recall a student, I’ll call him Marcus, who frequently found himself in conflict with peers. In the past, conversations with him centered on what rule was broken or what consequence was earned. After implementing P2, our approach shifted. We began discussing which character strengths could help him handle those moments differently.

Over time, Marcus began to internalize the language. I remember one instance when he paused during a disagreement and said:

I need to use more self-control right now.

That moment stayed with me. He was not simply complying with expectations. He was building self-awareness and learning to work through a hard moment using shared language and tools. That shift from external correction to internal reflection is where real growth happens.

Recognizing Students for More Than Academics

Students across the campus have responded well to learning about character strengths. They enjoy identifying strengths in themselves and others, and it has created an environment where students are recognized for more than academic performance. A child who may struggle academically might shine in leadership or kindness, and now we have language to celebrate that. This has strengthened student confidence and belonging.

Older students in particular appreciate having vocabulary to describe what they are going through with their peers. When students can name what they are dealing with and connect it to a strength, they gain agency.

What P2 for Families Changed at Home

Our families have also embraced P2. By introducing P2 for Families and providing conversation starters and resources, we have extended the learning beyond school walls. Parents have shared that dinner table conversations have gotten better. Instead of asking:

How was your day?

They might ask:

What character strength did you practice today?

That small shift leads to deeper conversation, and it reinforces that character development is a partnership between home and school. Building stronger family connections has always been important to me, and P2 has given us a way to support that work.

How P2 Fits Our MTSS Work

When we chose P2, we were looking for a proactive, research-based approach to supporting students. As a school committed to refining our MTSS systems, we wanted something that aligned with our tiered supports and focused on prevention. P2 complements our MTSS work because it builds protective factors for all students. By explicitly teaching perspective, self-control, gratitude, and other strengths, we are giving students skills that reduce behavioral challenges and build resilience. It strengthens Tier 1 supports by creating a positive, predictable environment grounded in relationships.

P2 Points and the P2 Store

While we honor the integrity of the P2 framework, we have also made it our own at Endeavour. We work character strengths into assemblies, staff shout-outs, and student recognition. We highlight staff strengths publicly, modeling that this work applies to adults as well. We connect strengths to our school traditions and our mascot, reinforcing that character is part of our identity. We recognize students’ positive behavior with P2 Points for our schoolwide token economy, which students can use to earn prizes at our P2 Store. Building it into our culture this way, rather than running it as a separate program, is what has made it last.

Why P2 Matters to Me As a Principal

P2 matters to me because culture drives outcomes. Academic achievement does not happen in isolation. It happens in environments where students feel safe, valued, and connected. After working through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our students needed relationship-building and character skills more than ever. Many experienced disruptions that affected their social growth and resilience. P2 helped us meet those needs in a structured but flexible way. It gave us clarity during uncertain times and a consistent focus on relationships.

Without P2, we would still care deeply about our students and work hard to build a positive climate. What we would lack is the cohesive framework that now anchors our efforts. The shared language, the intentional instruction, and the schoolwide alignment might be fragmented. P2 has created coherence. From kindergarten through sixth grade, students receive consistent messages about character and connection, and that consistency strengthens trust and predictability.

P2 works well for our school because it is simple, practical, and human. It does not overwhelm teachers with complexity, and it supports the strong instructional practices already in place. It fits our commitment to supporting students as learners and as people. It gives students a way to see themselves as individuals with strengths who contribute to a larger community.

At Endeavour, P2 has helped shape a culture where character is celebrated, relationships are prioritized, and growth is continuous. It has strengthened our partnerships with families, refined our support systems, and equipped our students with tools they will carry far beyond elementary school. That is why this work matters so much to our entire school community and to me.