"Our school is facing new deployments, new enrollment and gang activity all at once," says counselor Heather Quill of Whittier Elementary. "It could be easy for morale to sag, yet our character education program miraculously draws us close."

One inspiration has been a new superhero. "Our second grade team took us to a whole new level for CC! Week," she says. "They invented 'Captain TRRFCC!' who turns ordinary kids into everyday heroes using his Character Power. You should see and hear how the kids and grownups have responded!"

Another innovative project is hero-wear, apparel with the CC! logo in the "O" of "HERO." Ms. Quill had gotten permission to use the logo from the national office, then the school developed the clothes and shared the story in a letter that went home with all 775 students. She says the hero-wear is "creating quite a stir throughout our community! It is amazing how it has people talking about the Pillars of Character!"

The school has also placed the hero-wear on display in the front lobby, next to its soldier wall (with photos of deployed parents). "It has been wonderful to see the reaction of our men and women in uniform when they see the hero-wear display," she says. "We even just received a letter from the commander at base thanking us for our commitment to CC! and commending us for including her men and women in 'even a small portion' of the character development of our youth."