Students living by the Six Pillars are easy to spot in Chamberlain School System, thanks to a clever collection of “CHARACTER COUNTS! Moments” developed by Bruce Blankley, a K-6 counselor. Blankley devised a box filled with simple acts of kindness written on slips of paper as an inexpensive tool for reinforcing the Six Pillars outside of the classroom.

Students select a “Moment” to perform, including holding the door for someone, doing something nice for an elderly person, putting stray shopping carts in the corral, picking up litter, sharing the Six Pillar song with an adult, volunteering in the lunchroom, choosing to read a book rather than turn on the tv, and other small, yet meaningful, tasks. An honor system trusts students to complete the task without supervision.

Blankley started passing the box through the older grades, and word spread fast throughout the school. Soon, second graders were asking for their turn to draw a good deed. Blankley says he has been “gratified at the positive response” and hopes other schools will try a similar reinforcement technique to share the same success.

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Brandon, South Dakota had an impressive response to their Foundations for Life essay contest. Although the city claims a modest 7,800 residents, a total of 213 essays were submitted in the community contest.

South Dakota students outside Brandon have a chance to participate in the Foundations for Life essay contest as well, as the 4-H Cooperative Extension is currently sponsoring a state-wide contest open to 4th, 7th and 9th grades.

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A new CC! program called "We Are All Relatives" is bridging cultures in Bennett County. It uses American Indian legends to teach character to Indian children, and the county school district has launched it in at least five schools.

Some 70 percent of elementary principal Belinda Ready's pupils are American Indians. "Having stories students are familiar with will make the lessons more relevant," she said.

Cecelia Fire Thunder, president-elect of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said values are crucial to her people and welcomed the new CC! project. "We live side-by-side in Bennett County, and yet we hardly know each other," she said. "I know something about white people but not enough."

Teachers and elders from reservation schools had asked for materials that make CC! more obviously relevant to American Indian traditions, project leader Kari Fruechte told the Rapid City Journal. The result is a set of age-tiered lessons for K-12, tying each of the Pillars to American Indian values. There are classroom activities and discussion guidelines.

Here is an example: In the legend "Boy Who Lived With His Grandmother," villagers reject a dirty orphan with sore eyes. But later he marries a chief's daughter, and "fish people" heal his eyes and give him great gifts. He becomes a highly-valued member of the tribe. The moral: Respect and fairness will help you look beyond appearances.

The South Dakota 4-H Foundation is implementing and assessing the project, with the aid of a $120,000 grant from the Bush Foundation in St. Paul. Teachers will evaluate the impact of "We Are All Related" over the following three years.

Participating schools include White River, Stanley County, Enemy Swim Day School, Marty Indian School, Mobridge and Flandreau Indian School. Bennett County Schools have used CC! for six years. About 66 percent of all South Dakota's school districts have CC!, including its two largest: Rapid City and Sioux Falls.

For more information on "We Are All Related" go to: http://4h.sdstate.edu/character/index.htm.

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"We're seeing a dramatic decrease in the cheating that's going on among our youth,” said Bill Keck, chairman of the Rapid City CHARACTER COUNTS! Association, according to KOTA-TV. “Their keeping of promises has increased greatly, and telling of lies, whether it be to parents or a teacher, has decreased dramatically."

One potential reason: the Association has linked schools up with businesses. Local companies have partnered with 26 schools, and businesspeople drop by throughout the year to explain the importance of character to students.

In 2005-06, the coalition will also help improve conduct at sporting events, said Jayne Pfenning, Rapid City CC! coordinator, according to the Rapid City Journal. When members spot fans who are annoying others, they'll hand out candy with cards asking them to think about their actions.

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In May 2005, the Sioux Empire CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition recognized youth and adults at the ninth annual local American Youth Character Awards event. Southwest Optimists helped support the program for the fifth year in a row. Excel Energy donated the monetary prize for each finalist, and Sioux Vocational Services defrayed the cost of the room. To see the names of the honorees, go here: http://www.charactercounts.org/ayca/honorees.htm

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CC! is spreading its wings in Brandon Valley, with the formation of the Brandon Valley CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition in the spring of 2005.

Parent Renee Ullom told the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, "The middle school in Brandon has had CHARACTER COUNTS! for years, but we want to spotlight it on both adults and kids" with the coalition. It will support the Six Pillars throughout Brandon Valley schools and in the community.

"The principal at Valley Springs has used it in former schools and has had wonderful success," said Ms. Ullom.

"We've had a handful of information meetings attended by a small group of people, but as we get back to the school year, the group will gain traction," parent Mike Klumpp said.

Kari Fruechte, statewide CC! project leader, estimated that between half and two-thirds of South Dakota schoolkids get exposure to CC!. "And it's probably closer to two-thirds," she said.

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As part of a local CC! program, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth spoke to 380 Robert Frost Elementary students in January 2005 on the Pillars of responsibility and respect.

She said responsibility was just as important at home and school as in Washington, D.C. Responsibilities run the gamut from the small, like cleaning one's room, to the large and important, like sending aid to victims of the great tsunami.

Regarding respect, Rep. Herseth said people have to listen to others, even when they disagree. In Washington, disagreement seems a way of life, so it's vital for individuals to listen. "We need more people in Washington treating each other with respect, treating each other the way we want to be treated," she said, according to the Associated Press.

Julie Hartmann, principal at Robert Frost, said her students learned about caring in December by donating new socks to a Sioux Falls charity. She noted that the Six Pillars imbue daily life at the school, but that administrators also often bring in speakers to talk about them.

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People in Mississippi are still suffering from Katrina, and on December 16, 2005, 4-H members and Avera St. Luke's staff members filled backpacks and boxed up backpacks to be sent to Mississippi students. The backpacks will contain winter clothes, letters, and expressions of sympathy.

The activity is part of CHARACTER COUNTS!, and Avera is the statewide sponsor for the Caring Pillar. "We are happy to offer our help," said Patty Kirkpatrick, director of marketing and public relations at Avera St. Luke's, told the Aberdeen News.

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Students at Millerdale Colony Elementary have been releasing balloons every month to spread the word about character. The balloons bear the colors of the Pillars, according to The Miller Press. On November 24, 2004, the kids released seven blue ones, which blew southeast, and on December 16 they let go of yellow balloons, which drifted northeast. The students tagged each balloon with their names and address, hoping that whoever found them would get in contact.

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Elementary students learned about sportsmanship, choices and responsibility as Miller schools presented CC! to them on October 21, 2004.

When locally famous high school athletes go to college, said Phil Olson, professional director with the Sioux Falls YMCA, people won't know about their athletic accomplishments. Instead, they'll judge them on their character.

Students in grades 7-12 watched a sportsmanship-themed program later that afternoon. One key question was: How do you measure success? According to The Miller Press, presenters asked students to think about what actually matters to them when the lights go out after a game.

Sue Ann Lang, executive director of the Sioux Empire CC! Coalition, helped facilitate the programs.

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The eighth annual CC! Kickoff Luncheon took place in October 2004 at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn.

Attendees included representatives from local public schools, St. Elizabeth Seton School and St. Thomas More High School, as well as their business partners. This year, 26 businesses are working with schools to advance character building, according to information given the Rapid City Journal by Bill Keck, chairman of the Rapid City CC! Coalition.

CC! in Rapid City is a joint project of the Chiesman Foundation For Democracy and the 4-H Extension Service. It has existed there for eight years.

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A CC! partnership between Stevens High School and employees at the law firm of Lynn, Jackson, Shultz and Lebrun led to Thanksgiving dinner for four needy Rapid City families.

The employees donated food for the gift boxes.

"People felt good about giving," Lynn Hardman told the Rapid City Journal. Ms. Hardman and Catherine Mitchell, the CC! coordinators at the firm, go to peer leaders' meetings and helped deliver the boxes.

"It's really cool to see the smile on [the family members'] faces," said student Ashley Hanson.

"I'm really impressed with the kids," Ms. Mitchell said. "They're enthusiastic, and they want to give something back to the community."

In the spring of 2004, the same CC! partners staged "Operation Egg Drop," which gave goods to three families, such as baby furniture for a family with a new arrival.

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Youths in Miller created a CC! mural in a local park in August 2004. Hand County CC! team mentors and the members of the 4-H City Slickers 4-H Club coordinated the project, with funding from the Miller Area Community Foundation. Accotrding to The Miller Press, the young people:

• Developed a CC! mural design with the help of an artist.
• Secured a wall
• Took the proposal to the City Council.
• Hired a local artist to sketch mural on wall.
• Organized and recruited volunteers to paint mural.
• Cleaned up the area.

They will also maintain the mural.

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This town celebrated the kickoff as the mayor signed a proclamation at Chamberlain Elementary School, and the student council representatives declared it CHARACTER COUNTS! Week in Chamberlain and proclaimed that the community was committed to the Six Pillars of Character.

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Kids love puppets, and in 2002 a 4-H club from Minnehaha County called The Tumbleweeds wrote and produced a puppet show it used to entertain youngsters. This activity not only lets youth teach youth about character, but makes the topic fun and breeds good feelings about it.

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Congratulations to the Sioux Empire CC! Coalition! It received a donation of $23,900 in 2002, the first installment in a three-year $70,000 grant. A Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation (SFACF) donor family presented the funds to launch C.A.R.E., the Community And Resource Expansion program. The grant also expands the use of CC! in middle school sessions, adds to the district’s video resource library, underwrites the cost of training staff for the Pursuing Victory With Honor program and for CC! assemblies, and helps publicize American Character Youth Awards.

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More and more communities in this state are learning the CC! framework. In a joint venture in 2002, South Dakota State University’s Extension Service and the South Dakota 4-H Foundation hired three regional coordinators to further the effort. The coordinators meet with schools, youth organizations and communities to assess needs and design an educational program to deliver CC! 

For instance, in April 2002 a training took place in Eureka, a small rural town in the northeast part of the state. It involved 45 educators, parents, and community representatives. Educators led them through a history of CC!, research on character education, and activities around each of the Six Pillars. Finally, community members developed a CC! Council and worked in teams to plan implementation of CC!.

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