Medal of Honor Society brings Character Development Program to Lester Middle School

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society recently brought the Medal of Honor Character Development Program overseas, providing Lester Middle School educators with a unique professional development experience. 

The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is a character-based curriculum designed by teachers to provide students with the opportunity to explore the important concepts of courage, commitment, sacrifice, patriotism, integrity, and citizenship – and how these values can be seen in daily life. 

Christine McNeace, U.S. Army School Liaison Officer in Okinawa, learned of the program through a Medal of Honor recipient and coordinated with the Pacific South District to bring the training to Lester Middle School.

“This is the first time that the training is being held overseas, and it's also the first time the training has been offered to DoDEA educators,” McNeace said.

Educators received lessons with assignments and activities appropriate for middle school students. Lessons allow students to practice various skills, including writing, critical thinking, and collaboration with peers. 

“The exercises that we did today in our training put me in the seat of a student,” said Antiwon Tucker, Lester Middle School teacher. “And in that seat, I could understand some of the things that the students are going to go through and have questions about.

“Some of the things I'm excited to implement in my class are some of the core values,” Tucker continued. “I think that the students can really learn from some of those core values and how to implement them in their real-life experiences.”

Lester Middle School teacher Julia Easley said hearing the personal stories of Medal of Honor recipients was impactful, especially as an educator of military-connected students.

“I've definitely had students that came to mind throughout the training,” Easley said, noting she wondered how they would react to the materials, what the lesson would mean to them and how they could apply it. 

Staff members described the Medal of Honor Character Development Program professional development session as “memorable,” and “phenomenal.”