LILA receives state and national character awards

On May 17, Lakes International Language Academy (LILA), a K-6 language immersion charter school and International Baccalaureate World School, was honored with a Minnesota Promising Practices in Character Education Award at the capitol in St. Paul.

The Minnesota Department of Education and Synergy and Leadership Exchange, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the development of ethical citizensrecognize schools and districts that excel in exemplifying one or more of the eleven principles of character education as defined by the Character Education Partnership (CEP), a nonprofit based in Washington, DC. LILA’s Promising Practice focused on its partnership with the Emerging Markets Department to Celebrate Diversity, a collaboration to inspire international- mindedness and build cross-cultural communities in Twins Territory. They have participated in Twins Spanish radio broadcasts, written winning essays in the Jackie Robinson Day contest, and hosted the Twins Caravan. In 2011, students sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in Japanese to welcome the Twins’ Japanese player Tsuyoshi Nishioka. This is the third year that LILA, a 2011 State School of Character, has earned the state and national Promising Practices Awards. The awards highlight best practices LILA uses to instill the principles of good character in its students, staff, and community.

Senator Ray Vandeveer and Representative Bob Dettmer attended the ceremony to congratulate the LILA representatives and Minnesota Twins Emerging Markets staff members. LILA School Director Cam Hedlund said, “Each year, LILA’s staff, students, and families strive to carry out the school’s mission: to promote international-mindedness, multilingualism, and character development to produce well-balanced global citizens. We value deeply our partnership with the Minnesota Twins, and are honored by these character awards.”