Harvey Austin Named New York State School of Character by Character.org

March 6, 2020

BRYN MAWR, PA – Buffalo Public School District’s Harvey Austin School #97 has been designated a State School of Character by Character.org; a national advocate and leader for character in schools, families, sports and the workplace, headquartered in Washington, DC. This national recognition is the result of Harvey Austin’s dedication to the implementation of a comprehensive character development initiative managed by CITRS, in partnership with Character Counts!.

“Harvey Austin is extremely excited to receive the designation of State School of Character. We are thoroughly dedicated to developing the character of our students and caring for the wholechild. This initiative has improved the culture of the entire school drastically, which in turn, has led to us seeing progress and gains in all areas of the school. We are honored that we can now serve as a model school for other institutes to carry out the essential work of developing students into great people,” stated Assistant Principal, Cassandra Gasbarrini.

Harvey Austin has been involved in the nationally recognized CITRS/CHARACTER COUNTS!Comprehensive Character Development Initiative in the Buffalo Public School District’s 22 schools since January of 2017. They are the first school in the district to receive this designation and serve as a beacon for the rest of the district.

Principal Demario Strickland commented, "On behalf of the students, families, and staff of Harvey Austin, we are thankful to Character.org and CITRS for their faith in our school to carry the torch to ensure that character is embedded in everything we do. Because of the leadership and guidance of CITRS, we have been able in instill empathy in our students and we are able to prepare them for the world and the values that they must contribute to make this a better place."

About Us: CITRS is a nonprofit that stands for Character, Integrity, Trust, Relationships and Success. Its mission is to empower people to achieve success by building a strong foundation of character. CITRS works with educators, organizations and school districts to develop charactercentered environments, in which students thrive ethically, socially, and academically. It is headquartered in Bryn Mawr, PA and co‐founded by Clay Hamlin and Gene Miller.