Four Years of Building a Character Culture at Huron Academy

This article was written by Lisa Lane, Assistant Principal at Huron Academy, a charter school in Clinton Township, Michigan. Lisa has been part of the Huron community for 23 years, spending 14 years in the classroom and five as the school counselor before moving into administration four years ago

Building a schoolwide culture does not just magically happen. It takes intention. It takes consistency. And honestly? It takes a whole lot of belief that it is worth it.

As we head into our fourth year implementing The Positivity Project (P2), I cannot help but feel proud of how far we have come, what we have added, and who we have become as a school community.

What started as a casual mention by a fellow teacher friend has grown into something that shapes how we talk, how we celebrate, how we support kids, and how we show up for each other.

And the best part? We did not try to do it all at once.

Year One: Keep It Simple, Do It Well

That first year, we made a very deliberate choice. We were going to start simple.

We focused on teaching the lessons. We introduced the 24 character strengths. We practiced using the common language. That was it.

No bells and whistles. No overwhelming add-ons. Just consistency.

Teachers modeled the language in classrooms. Students started hearing strengths named throughout the day. Conversations slowly began to shift. Alongside correcting behavior, we were highlighting perseverance. Alongside praising grades, we were naming curiosity and leadership.

Year one was about awareness. We wanted this to feel doable, not like one more thing. By keeping it focused and manageable, we built a solid foundation.

Year Two: Let’s Build on It

By year two, we knew this was more than a program we were trying out. It was sticking. So we leaned in a little more.

Teachers began using more of the P2 resources in morning meetings, advisory periods, and everyday classroom conversations. Character strengths started showing up in real-life moments instead of only in the lesson of the week.

One of my favorite additions that year? Staff character strength placards.

We publicly recognized staff members for their strengths, and we acknowledged them on morning announcements. That shift mattered. It sent a very clear message. P2 is for the adults in the building too.

When students hear adults being recognized for bravery, kindness, humor, or integrity, it makes it feel real. We were living the character we were teaching.

That is when it started to feel different. That is when we said:

Maybe Green Shield status is attainable.

Year Three: Getting Serious About Green Shield

Year three was our okay, we’re doing this for real year.

We began actively working toward winning the Green Shield Award and that pushed us to look at everything more closely. The goal was to align our systems and structures with what we said we valued.

Here is what that looked like:

• Staff Meetings. We added three dedicated P2 slides to every staff meeting. Character belongs in adult spaces as much as in classrooms.
• Student of the Month 2.0. We revamped our criteria to put the focus on character strengths. We recognized students for perseverance, kindness, teamwork, and leadership rather than grades or compliance.
• Caught Ya Tickets. We introduced Caught Ya tickets to recognize students in the moment. These built excitement all year long and led to bigger end-of-year prizes. The energy around this? So fun.
• Middle School Elective. We added a middle school elective centered on P2 so students could go deeper into reflection, leadership, and understanding their strengths.
• Events and Fundraisers. We wove character strengths into schoolwide events and fundraisers. It started showing up everywhere instead of living in a lesson plan for the day.

Year three was the turning point. We stopped implementing P2 and started aligning our school identity around it.

Year Four: All In

Now, in Year Four, we can confidently say we are all in.

P2 is how we operate. It is how we recognize kids. It is how we talk to each other. It is how we see and relate to the community around us.

With so many internal systems in place, we turned our attention to our physical space this year, especially with a brand new addition to our building. We have partnered with a company to decorate our building with P2 language, visuals, and character strength messaging.

When the project is complete, we’ll be able to say that P2 is all around us.

The walls will reflect what we believe. Character matters. Relationships matter. Every single person belongs here.

Those visuals will make the invisible visible. They will remind students, staff, and visitors every single day what we stand for.

Learning Beyond Our Building

Another huge part of our growth has been learning from others.

I have had the opportunity to attend The Positivity Project National Conference three years in a row, and each year I have brought different staff members along.

There is something remarkable about sitting in a room full of educators who believe that character matters as much as academics. We have brought back fresh ideas, renewed energy, and a shared commitment to keep growing.

It is never about having arrived. It is always about how we can keep getting better.

What I’ve Learned

If there is one thing we have learned through these four years, it is this. You do not build culture in one big launch.

You build it layer by layer. Year by year. Choice by choice.

We started small. We stayed consistent. We kept building.

And now? We have a school where character is named, celebrated, and genuinely valued, because we believe in it.

And we could not be more excited about what is next.