Holt Elementary School’s Wings of Grace Partnership

Character.org recognized Holt Elementary’s partnership with the Wings of Grace Relief Center as a 2021 Promising Practice. This recognition is given to schools who have implemented unique, specific, and effective character development strategies, and Holt is one of four Alabama schools celebrated in 2021.

Holt Elementary is a living example of bringing the community together with their “Wings of Grace Partnership.” Wings of Grace Relief Center is a non-profit organization in Tuscaloosa, AL that began as a disaster relief program to help those affected by the tornado that hit in 2011. Their efforts have become an essential part of lifting up the local area every day. Holt Elementary sought out a partnership with Wings of Grace to provide benefits for the school and community alike, embracing Principle 10 from Character.org’s 11 Principles Framework: “The school engages families and community as partners in the character initiative.” Holt students, faculty, administrators, and parents all participate in responding to local needs in ways such as packaging food for donations or wrapping donated Christmas presents for families.

The idea for this initiative began with students who served on the Holt Elementary yearbook team; those students volunteered once a week with a goal of earning a yearbook in return for their service. This small endeavor gradually evolved into a larger and more widespread partnership as the students and staff who volunteered experienced the positive impact they were making through their efforts. Assistant Principal Laurie Presley says, “We work as a team to help Wings of Grace while Wings of Grace reaches out to meet the needs of the community.  The partnership has created an awareness of community needs for our Holt Elementary School families, students and faculty and offers us the opportunity to serve and give back to help others.” As Thomas Lickona, author and expert on character, puts it, “The purpose of life, it has been said, is a life of purpose,” and this work offers that sense of purpose to all who contribute.

During the 2020 pandemic, Holt Elementary’s initiative gained importance when Wings of Grace experienced short supply of both food and resources. The students at Holt turned a Food Drive into a schoolwide competition to collect food for Wings of Grace, helping restock the relief center’s shelves. Clearly, character is at the core of this relationship as students and faculty experience the joy of giving back. They are truly putting into practice their commitment to making Holt Elementary “strong in character, education, and leadership!”

This is Holt Elementary’s second Promising Practice. They were first recognized for their parent engagement program in 2020. The Hope Institute is proud to partner with Holt Elementary as they continue to deepen their school’s culture of character.