The teachers, students, staff, and PTA at Mission Elementary School have enthusiastically implemented CHARACTER COUNTS! this Fall, 2005," says Darcey Fithian. "Teachers have embraced CC! and share ideas to promote the TRRFCC Pillars in the classroom."
To kick off CC!, Mission invited CC! partner Primary Focus to perform an interactive musical assembly promoting the Six Pillars as a guide to good choices.
To kick off CC!, Mission invited CC! partner Primary Focus to perform an interactive musical assembly promoting the Six Pillars as a guide to good choices.
Now, CC! posters adorn the campus, and a committee meets each month to discuss creative and motivating ways to introduce the Six Pillars to the school community.
Each month, a schoolwide event takes place to promote the "Pillar of the Month." By December 2005, three had occurred:
- To celebrate Responsibility in October, the students and teachers participated in a “Homework Heatwave” contest, sponsored by the PTA. Each class kept track of the percent of students who turned in homework. At the end of the month, the class with the highest percentage won a pizza party, courtesy of the PTA.
- To celebrate Respect in November, all adults -- including teachers, office staff, cafeteria staff, custodians and support staff -- became marshals. The marshals issued warrants to students "caught" being respectful. Those who received a warrant were entered into a weekly drawing to win a prize.
- To celebrate Caring in December, students are making Christmas cards for a local convalescent hospital, and a group of Mission students will deliver them. The kindergarten classrooms are participating in a Scholastic Book program that promotes caring. For each class that reads 100 books overall, Scholastic will donate 100 books to an underprivileged class that needs them.
