The hard work of the Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy community was lauded Friday with a finalist award from the National Schools of Character competition for the 2008-2009 school year. The Alexandria public school was one of 27 national finalists in the contest, the top finisher in Virginia and the only finalist from the Washington area.

On Thursday, 45 participants in the Character Education Partnerships National Forum on Character Education, held last week at Mark Center, visited Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy to tour the school with Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille and Superintendent Morton Sherman speaking briefly.