Harmony School of Excellence – Laredo is part of the state-wide Harmony Public Schools system; it is a public charter school located in Laredo, Texas.  Our school is catered towards 9th – 12th grade scholars and prides itself on providing a high quality education to all those who enroll.  Our school may be smaller and have less staff and scholars than the average high school in America; however, our statistics match up well when compared to others.  For example, we boast a 100% college acceptance rate of graduating seniors, and 64% of our high school alumni are their first in their family to attend college, which is more than double the national average.  For many scholars, this starts a generational trend in their families that demonstrates that anyone is capable of pursuing and attaining a post-secondary education.  58% of our graduates also choose STEM majors in college, which exemplifies the effectiveness of our focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  The U.S. News & World Report publication also ranks our campus among the top high schools in America; this accomplishment demonstrates that anything is possible when all the members of a school highlight the success of all scholars as their main goal. 

Our Journey

Our character education journey has been an eye-opening experience for everyone involved because it highlights the importance of collaboration in an educational setting.  The aforementioned accomplishments are a result of the caring and collaborative atmosphere that our Harmony family prioritizes over all else.  Every staff member and teacher ensures that scholars receive a high-quality education that grants them the tools necessary to become productive members of society that can, and will, give back to their community.  The adoption of our HAWKS traits (honesty, acceptance, wisdom, kindness, and service) have become a part of our school’s culture through effective communication and input from every member of our school.  Our School of Character coordinator leads the way by sending emails with imperative updates throughout the school year to teachers, staff, and parents, and by holding weekly meetings with our Character Leadership Team and involving everyone in the initial adoption of our core values.  Teachers, coordinators, administrators, scholars, and parents are all a part of our mission. 

The Impact

What has been most compelling about this endeavor is how our character education journey has shown that school is more than just assignments and exams.  Having knowledge without knowing how to properly apply and use it is futile.  By teachers integrating opportunities for character development within classes across all curriculums, inviting guest speakers that model and exemplify our adopted traits, showcasing several visuals of the HAWKS core values throughout our campus, and providing incentive PBA points for character demonstration, we ensure that we promote and carry out our values in unison.  Through the reinforcement of these practices, our scholars are encouraged to practice these core values not only as members of our school, but as citizens who will go on to make our community, and our world, a better place.