Wall of Fame for model pupils at Horizon Primary School

Pupils urged to practise good habits, values

By Matthias Chew, The Straits Times, 5 Oct 2012

CHARACTER education is a big priority at Horizon Primary School, which has gone out of its way to recognise pupils who demonstrate good values.

Before the first Edusave character awards have been given out for exemplary behaviour, Horizon has moved to honour such pupils by placing their names and pictures on a wall near its canteen.

Each term, a pupil from each class, who is deemed to have practised management guru Stephen Covey's seven habits of highly effective people, is nominated for the board by their classmates. The nominations must be supported by their teachers.

Some of these habits include being proactive, and thinking about how a situation can benefit all parties.



The wall, which was conceptualised by a Primary 4 class, was built using $3,000 that the class won in a school improvement competition run by The Straits Times' primary school magazine Little Red Dot.

It will be maintained by teachers from the character and citizenship education department.

The Leader-in-Me wall was unveiled by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat yesterday, at the official opening of the school in Punggol.

Mr Heng said: "At the Ministry of Education workplan seminar, I spoke of every student as an engaged learner. Horizon has reached beyond the horizon and spoken of every student as a leader."

The school seeks to inculcate Mr Covey's seven habits through songs, games and hands-on activities, said principal Ang Chin Du.

The Education Ministry introduced the Edusave character awards this year that give a cash prize to pupils with exemplary behaviour, and will roll out a new character and citizenship education syllabus from 2014.

Though just two years old, the school has become one of the most popular in the area, with 234 applicants balloting for 216 places at the Primary 1 registration this year. It now has 740 pupils, and runs classes from Primary 1 to 5.

Yesterday, Mrs Ang put the school's progress down to support from parents and the community.

"We have a very big pool of parent volunteers who are ever ready to contribute to the school," she said, adding that even the video clips for the school's opening were made with the help of a parent.