CHARACTER COUNTS! Local News Blog http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/ What people are doing to teach and promote the Six Pillars of Character en Copyright 2010 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:45:47 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fort Belvoir, VA: Students perform at National Press Club Students from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, performed skits about CHARACTER COUNTS! and discussed its effect on their school climate and on them personally. Recorded at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, October 2009.



]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/11/fort_belvoir_va_students_perfo.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/11/fort_belvoir_va_students_perfo.html Army Child & Youth Services Virginia Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:45:47 -0800 Hometown Heroes from Friendswood High School in Texas Role models from Friendswood High School too numerous to count made a stop at Westwood Elementary bright and early Wednesday morning to help kick off our Character Counts! and Red Ribbon Week celebration. The early birds signed autographs, posed for pictures, and gave out stickers to reinforce today's theme: Character Keeps You In The Game! Our pep rally began with the pledges and a moment of silence, followed by some character cheers, led by our Mighty Mustang Varsity Cheerleaders. A pep band, under the direction of PAL Chandler Sager, then played a spirited rendition of the FHS Fight Song before PALs Brittany and Koby took the mic to have a character chat with our future cheerleaders, athletes, musicians, and PALs. Assistant Superintendent Thad Roher also spoke with the Westwood family to remind us that, though we each have our own favorite team(s), we are indeed all part of one bigger team connected by character. HometownHeroes32.jpgA prompt princess was crowned, the Golden Plunger award went to the girls, and our Character Celebration ended with the singing of the Westwood School Song. Our Hometown Heroes made Victory Tunnels for the students to exit through on their way to having a 'TRRFCC' day! We thank our Heroes from FHS for modeling character and leadership, friendship and fun!]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/10/hometown_heroes_from_friendswo.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/10/hometown_heroes_from_friendswo.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:22:55 -0800 Teachable Moment on Aisle 9: CHARACTER COUNTS! at Ralphs CC! at RalphsIf you live in Southern California, your next trip to the grocery store could be a character-building experience. Ralphs is promoting CHARACTER COUNTS! in every single store. You’ll see a rack of our products and information, a sign at the door, kids’ lunchbox stickers, and advertising in the store flyers. You’ll even hear our own Michael Josephson’s “Food for Thought” messages over the sound system. Be sure to see all the Pillars in store and check out our CHARACTER COUNTS! awareness and parenting products. Even if you’re not shopping, please tell the store manager how excited you are that they’re celebrating good character. And pass the word on to everyone you know. If you’re rolling a cart down the aisle and hear, “There’s a Pillar in my produce!” you’ll know you’ve come to the right place! Visit Ralphs.com to find a store near you.]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/10/teachable_moment_on_aisle_9_ch.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/10/teachable_moment_on_aisle_9_ch.html California Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:35:50 -0800 CHARACTER COUNTS! in San Clemente, CA Jamboree 2009-CC-Poster-web.jpgThe San Clemente CHARACTER COUNTS! in San Clemente, CA will be hosting their annual CC! Week Jamboree to celebrate the Six Pillars of Character. This year the Jamboree will feature a Wild West theme, including 70 educational booths, arts and crafts, games, and many western performances! The Jamboree will take place at Vista Del Mar Middle School on Saturday, September 26 to celebrate CHARACTER COUNTS! and National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. For more information about the events taking place in San Clemente, please call 949-361-8368. ]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/09/the_title_can_be_character_cou.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/09/the_title_can_be_character_cou.html California Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:55:09 -0800 Urbandale, IA: PVWH and Little League World Series The Urbandale, Iowa, Little League All-Stars became one of eight U.S. teams to make it to the 2009 World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, last month. All the kids grew up in CHARACTER COUNTS! schools and were engaged with the Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship program through their Little League experience. After their 5-3 triumph over Mercer Island, Washington, in the quarterfinals, Urbandale became the first Iowa team to win a World Series game since the field expanded to 16 teams in 2001 after four previous clubs went winless. Unfortunately, they were eliminated 8-3 in a semifinal game with Staten Island before 16,900 fans at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. “The boys battled,” said Urbandale manager Scott Grau. “We were looking for that spark to happen, and it never came. I couldn’t be prouder of the way they conducted themselves.” http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/09/urbandale_ia_pvwh_and_little_l.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/09/urbandale_ia_pvwh_and_little_l.html Iowa Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:22:32 -0800 Darline P. Robles Q&A Darline RoblesDarline P. Robles, Ph.D., Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, joined Josephson Institute’s Board of Governors last year. As executive officer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, she leads the nation’s largest regional education service agency, serving 80 K-12 school districts and 1.7 million students. Dr. Robles was previously chief of the Salt Lake City School District, where she closed the achievement gap, significantly reduced the dropout rate, helped raise much-needed funds for schools with high at-risk populations, and was instrumental in securing a $12 million Annenberg Challenge Grant to meet the needs of the changing student population. A $136 million school bond measure, spearheaded by Robles, passed with an overwhelming 72 percent public approval. We asked her opinion of the new Administration cutting character education, how schools can deal with shortages of staff, and how to get re-motivated after summer vacation. CHARACTER COUNTS!: What drew you to Josephson Institute? What are the most significant challenges facing our organization, and what do you hope to bring to the table? Darline P. Robles: Being part of Josephson Institute provides me with the opportunity to share its goals with our 80 school districts and within my organization and to eventually have more districts adopt the CHARACTER COUNTS! curriculum.]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/08/darline_p_robles_qa.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/08/darline_p_robles_qa.html chronicle Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:28:04 -0800 Character Education Partnership 2009 NSOC Award Winners and Finalists Last month the Character Education Partnership recognized ten schools as winners of the 2009 National Schools of Character competition, and seventeen finalists. For a full list of winners, finalists, and honorable mentions, visit the CEP site. We were thrilled to be able to interview three schools to find out more about their sustainability strategies for summer and beyond. Those schools are: • Westwood Elementary School, Friendswood, TX – winner The Westwood staff and community have created an extraordinary school large in its size and impact, yet small in its feel. The strength of its initiative is so great that past graduates have made a tremendous impact on how things are done. Students recently traveled to Washington to lobby Congress on behalf of service projects close to their hearts. • Alta S. Leary Elementary School, Warminster, PA – winner The “common goal of goodness” that envelops the school is the result of 15 years of conscious character-building. Students practice global citizenry: respect for all, ability to settle disagreements amicably, and helping those in need. Despite undergoing demographic changes, its academic achievement has continued to soar. • Walnut Street Elementary School, Uniondale, NY – finalist Walnut Street Elementary’s theme is respect and staff and students strive to live up to this daily. Character is an integral part of what they believe it takes to achieve excellence. ]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/06/character_education_partnershi.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/06/character_education_partnershi.html Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:25:31 -0800 Shawn Johnson Wins “Dancing With the Stars” ]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/05/shawn_johnson_wins_dancing_wit.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/05/shawn_johnson_wins_dancing_wit.html Iowa Thu, 28 May 2009 11:41:09 -0800 Carrie Ann Ortiz Q & A Carrie Ann Ortiz is the project director for the Lennox School District in Lennox, California, which serves approximately 7,800 students in grades preK-12, 370 teachers in eight schools (five elementary schools, one middle school, and one charter high school), and parents and students at two school-readiness centers. The project additionally provides outreach and training programs for 800 parents. Ortiz has worked at Lennox since 1996 as a physical education teacher and a character-education grant coordinator. She was one of three pioneers to introduce character development to the district and community. We asked her how she deals with naysayers, why she thinks custodians and bus drivers can be key components to a character-development program, and why the best way to assess a program’s effectiveness is sometimes just a camera. ]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/05/carrie_ann_ortiz_q_a.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/05/carrie_ann_ortiz_q_a.html Thu, 14 May 2009 10:31:51 -0800 Elmhurst, IL: City produces video on its sportsmanship program Leaders of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Elmhurst, Illinois have produced a video on the community's Pursuing Victory With Honor sportsmanship campaign. “We continue to see so much negative sportsmanship in the news and on the athletic fields,” said local PVWH committee member Pam Huck, “so we wanted to counter that with a positive teaching tool.” Organizers recruited a variety of community members to participate — from public and private schools, park district sports affiliates, the YMCA, local news media, and the mayor's office. 

The DVD is part of a packet, which includes resources from the Pursuing Victory With Honor website. The packets are distributed to athletic programs throughout the community. Click below to watch.

]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/04/elmhurst_il_city_produces_vide.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/04/elmhurst_il_city_produces_vide.html Illinois chronicle Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:33:53 -0800 Cathryn Berger Kaye Q&A 2009_04_Kaye.jpgCathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., is an international service-learning consultant, workshop presenter, program developer, and keynote speaker. She’s also the author of several books including The Complete Guide to Service-Learning, Strategies for Success with Literacy: A Learning Curriculum that Serves and the How to Take Action series for kids. For more information about Ms. Kaye, please visit her website or contact her at: cbkaye@aol.com. To commemorate Earth Day and inspire teachers and students to "be useful where thou livest," we asked Ms. Kaye how schools can overcome barriers to service-learning, why failed projects can sometimes be a blessing, and why throwing a pizza party for a good project may not be a good idea.]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/04/cathryn_berger_kaye_qa.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/04/cathryn_berger_kaye_qa.html Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:08:01 -0800 The Dirty Dozen -- What Not to Do When Applying for Grants 1. Don’t follow the instructions. C’mon, what funder really expects everyone to follow its format to the letter? All of them. ]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/03/the_dirty_dozen.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/03/the_dirty_dozen.html chronicle Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:46:17 -0800 Jacques Benninga Q & A 2009_02_benninga2.jpg Jacques Benninga, Ph.D., is a professor of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at California State University, Fresno (CA), and director of the university’s Bonner Center for Character Education and Citizenship. He teaches classes in educational psychology and early education, and he researches and writes about issues related to the moral development and character education of children. We asked Dr. Benninga whether kids’ behaviors are better or worse than before, how to overcome the challenges of implementing character education, and if adults and teachers are good role models. CHARACTER COUNTS!: Josephson Institute’s recent survey of high school students revealed an increase in cheating, lying, and stealing, yet 93 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character. What do you make of that? Jacques Benninga: One important aspect is that standards for youth behaviors are not made clear to them by adults. Teens see their role models engaging in frivolous, non-committed relationships, being arrested for careless or violent acts, and circumventing laws. This sends a message that it’s okay not to adhere to societal standards. ]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/02/jacques_benninga_q_a.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2009/02/jacques_benninga_q_a.html Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:34:26 -0800 CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa Calls for Youth Leadership http://www.drake.edu/icd/ccii/ccii-youth/youth-training-core/index.php]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2008/12/character_counts_in_iowa_calls.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2008/12/character_counts_in_iowa_calls.html Iowa Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:18:03 -0800 Dr. Avis Glaze, CEP Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Q&A 2008-11_ArDr Avis Glaze.jpg Internationally recognized character educator Avis Glaze, Ph.D., is the former education commissioner of Ontario, Canada. The Jamaican-born author, researcher, and educator has taught at all levels and helped educators worldwide. Dr. Glaze has a doctorate in education and two master’s degrees. Since 1991, she has won numerous awards including Educator of the Year, The Order of Ontario, and Character Education Partnership’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education. We asked her if education has a moral purpose, how she saves “throw-away kids,” and if there are secrets to getting parents involved.]]> http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2008/11/dr_avis_glaze_cep_lifetime_ach.html http://charactercounts.org/ccblog/2008/11/dr_avis_glaze_cep_lifetime_ach.html chronicle Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:16:01 -0800