From the Fort Bend Star: https://www.fortbendstar.com/schoolnews/former-fbisd-superintendent-joins-national-education-board/article_ce76f3fe-da22-11ec-bd19-b77c6e6794c4.html

Author: Landan Kuhlmann (The Fort Bend Star)

A longtime local and Texas school administrator has been named to the board of directors for a national education organization.

Former Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Charles Dupre has been named to the national board of directors for Kickstart Kids, the organization announced Wednesday. Kickstart Kids is a martial arts character development program non-profit organization created by Chuck Norris in 1990, which offers instruction to middle school and high school students throughout the state.

Dupre has served as the Texas Association of School Administrators’ (TASA) director of member engagement and support since last September and was a Texas school administrator for nearly 25 years between FBISD and Pflugerville ISD

“Dr. Dupre’s experience, insight, and dedication will be an enormous addition to our national board,” Kickstart Kids executive director Joan Neuhaus said in the release.

According to the release, Dupre helped launch the Kickstart program in FBISD when he was still the district’s Chief Financial Officer in 1999. When he became the Pflugerville ISD superintendent in 2007, the organization said he immediately implemented the program in the district’s middle schools.

Dupre also made it a priority to offer the program on each FBISD campus after taking the superintendent position there in 2013 until he retired last year, according to Kickstart. The organization said its programs and curriculum offer students an alternative to traditional sports options like football and basketball.

“There are many kids who don’t have interest in these programs,” Dupre said. “What I’ve found is that Kickstart Kids fills the gap for many of them. And once they are in, I know they are going to be successful for life because of the character values they learn through the program.”

The skills of karate such as discipline, character, and more can help students build confidence that extends beyond any classroom, according to Dupre. Kickstart said more than 8,300 students were enrolled in 60 schools across the state this past year, and that its curriculum promotes “a sense of community, achievement, healthy lifestyles, and the foundation of character.”

“Kickstart brings something to our schools that wasn’t there before,” Dupre said. “Middle school is where you win or lose students for life. We need something to engage all students.”