Wanda O'Quinn, principal of Louisa E. Perritt Primary School in Arkadelphia, ensures that character education is an integral part of her students' academic life. Through her "Koalaty Kid" program, she works with parents in rewarding students who demonstrate good behavior, high grades, regular attendance and promptness. She initiated "Koala Groups," a program of weekly meetings in which students engage in small-group discussions of a "word-of-the-month" such as "compassion." They then perform activities that model the word, such as collecting books for flood victims. Other programs Mrs. O'Quinn has created, including Rotary Buddies, Do-Dads, and Dads-Night-Out, provide students with positive male influences and role models.
1976 Henderson State University, B.A.
