Owosso High School, part of Owosso Public Schools, a Coalition member, held a CHARACTER COUNTS!/Sense of Belonging Day for 9-12th graders.  Highlights included a comedian and motivational speaker who talked about taking positive risks, making good choices, following dreams, and refraining from drug use.

The event offered time in the classroom to work on a lesson introducing the Six Pillars of Character. Students watched "Remember the Titans" and answered character related questions. They also completed the Josephson Institute Report Card survey to help staff gain perspective on their values, attitudes and behaviors. The day ended with a pep assembly and wrestling match featuring a skit and CC! quotes.

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The Isabella County CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition plans a variety of activities for CC! Week. It will:

1. Have all local government units read proclamations declaring CC! week.
2. Create table tents for area restaurants.
3. Hold an essay contest for students in grades 7-9, with winning entries printed in the newspaper on Sunday.
4. Hold a poster contest, with posters placed in area business windows.
5. Write a guest editorial in the local newspaper.
6. Have character messages read on local radio stations every day of the week.

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Up in the Thumb of Michigan, Caro's McComb Elementary received a $20,000 grant from the state in 2002 for its CHARACTER COUNTS! program. Among other activities, the program is giving each kid seen displaying Six Pillar behavior an award and a bumper sticker that says, “My Kid Was Caught Showing Good Character at McComb Elementary School.”

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A roster of activities took place in these two central Michigan counties.

• Students from both taped character messages which aired on a local radio station.
• Isabella County hosted an essay contest for grades 6-8 in all its schools. The top two winners each received a $250 savings bond and four runners-up took home $50. The local newspaper printed all the winning essays on the Sunday after CC! Week.
• A member of the Clare County Coalition wrote a guest editorial for the local paper.
• The two counties created and distributed CC! bookmarks to elementary schools and libraries. Organizers staged a CC! shopping bag art contest, and the local Kroger store used the bags. They also created CC! placemats and distributed them to four area restaurants, which used the placemats throughout the week.
• Finally, the Clare and Isabella County Commissions, the City of Mt. Pleasant, the City of Clare, the City of Harrison and the Village of Farwell read announcements proclaiming CHARACTER COUNTS! Week.

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CC! Week was very visible in Milan, which had 24 large Six-Pillar banners displayed in town. They included huge lamppost banners on Dexter Street, as well as others at Milan Library Community Center and in school hallways. In addition, Milan High School conducted a Six-Pillar poster contest. Local businesses awarded prizes to the top entries, which adorn storefronts and the school. Milan Middle School held a “Respect Seminar,” and on Tuesday, October 23, Kidpower Vaudeville from Ann Arbor staged four shows for children at Paddock Elementary, all teaching the Six Pillars of Character.

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Caro High varsity football players led elementary school students and staff in the Six-Pillar Shuffle, and Caro cheerleaders performed the Character Pledge Cheer. In addition, the McComb PTA purchased McComb CHARACTER COUNTS! T-shirts for each pupil at McComb Elementary, and several businesses displayed posters that the youngsters made, which showed the Six Pillars of Character.

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The Career Preparation Advisory Council, made up of representatives from a dozen or so local businesses in this rural bedroom community of Grand Rapids, seems to be echoing a major concern of companies nationwide: the need for more trustworthy and responsible managers, employees, vendors and customers. Consequently, the public school district and their county’s CC! coordinator, April Petersen, have been working to teach character to a broader audience than just the elementary and middle school students.

In February 2000, they targeted parents and high school athletes with a series of presentations given by Dr. Michael Thomson, host of the video series "In Search of Character" and author of Getting Your Parents Off Your Back ... And On Your Side. His message reiterated the community’s call for individuals to be more accountable for their choices.

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