When the Rev. Samuel Doak and his son founded a school on the East Tennessee frontier in the early 19th century, they sought to build both knowledge and character in their students.

Tusculum College remains committed to these goals, and it recently announced a partnership between the Doak House Museum on campus and CHARACTER COUNTS! in Northeast Tennessee. The museum will incorporate CC! into its "Quill Mark & Ink Spot" educational program for all grades. Located in the 1830s home built by Rev. Doak, the museum offers educational programs related to the early 19th century and more than 7,000 schoolchildren from northeast Tennessee participated in them last year.

To help Doak House volunteers learn more about CC!, Carrie Marchant, the CC! Northeast Tennessee director, provided a training session recently at the museum. Marchant sketched the history of CC! and described hands-on activities that volunteers can use to illustrate the Six Pillars of Character.

"It is exciting to see an institution that has emphasized character education for so many years helping public school systems in their efforts to teach their students about the importance of character," Marchant said.

Cindy Lucas, associate director of the Doak House Museum, said that the museum is enthusiastic about the CC! program. "We look forward to encouraging young people to adapt the model of the Six Pillars of Character and being a resource for educators," she said.

Anyone can join "Quill Mark & Ink Spot" by calling the museum at 636-8554 or 1-800-729-0256, ext. 5251. The program helps fulfill the state-mandated character education requirement.

During CHARACTER COUNTS! Week, the Doak House Museum will provide character education pencils and "Who I Am Makes a Difference" blue ribbons to students, teachers, and parents who participate in "Quill Mark & Ink Spot." A limited number of spaces are available.