Westwood Elementary, a CC! school, was recognized nationally last week for their character-building efforts through a third-grade knitting club. The group partnered with Save the Children to knit for newborns in Bangladesh and Malawi. 

School members were invited to lobby on Capitol Hill as well as to visit with the First Lady's chief of staff at the White House. Their story was featured on the front page of the Houston Chronicle.

Read more about the project in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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Students at Westwood Elementary School collaborated to compose social contracts, some of which became mission statements for the class. A 1st grade classroom drew self-portraits alongside promises to treat each other with respect.

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CHARACTER COUNTS! may help prevent future hazing incidents at Flower Mound High. Currently, 18 students and an ex-coach face criminal charges for alleged hazing at an August 2005 party.

In response, the Lewisville Board of Trustees approved a new hazing and CHARACTER COUNTS! curriculum for all students in January 2006.

The curriculum provides a working definition of hazing so students can better tell if they are committing it. "Sometimes kids haze and they really don't know it's hazing," former Lewisville athletic director Neal Wilson told the Lewisville Leader.

It also lets students know how to act if they find themselves in a hazing situation.

Mr. Wilson helped create the curriculum and starting next summer all sixth-graders will spend a week on the material, which has a major section on the Six Pillars. High school P.E. students and those who take part in extracurricular activities will also study the material.

Hazing is a serious, underreported problem in high schools and colleges. According to one benchmark study, 1.5 million high school students endure hazing every year, and some 50 percent are athletes.

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When Jimmy Dawson came to Granbury Middle School as principal, he realized he had to improve discipline. But he wanted to move carefully. “Anyone could have come in and carried a big stick, but that wasn’t going to correct the problem," he told the Hood County News in October 2005. So two years ago he brought in CC!. "It had to be campus-wide. CHARACTER COUNTS! allows it to be campus-wide. Everyone on campus is a stakeholder.”

And it has worked. “The year before we started CHARACTER COUNTS!, we had 65 recorded fights,” Mr. Dawson said. “Last year, we had 19. There are many values we’re trying to instill. We’re seeing progress.”

"Kids are thinking before they act," said CC! faculty sponsor Stacey Gillum, who added that the change was obvious.

The response of teachers has been “very positive,” he said. “They took the ball and ran with it. There was a need. Anytime there’s a need, change is easy.”

Among the activities:

• Pillar segments. The school devotes a six-week period to each Pillar.
• Pirate Time. Twice in each period, CC! activities take place based on the Pillar.
• Service-related fund-raisers, such as Relay for Life and Christmas for Kids. “Students collect as much money as they possibly can and then donate it,” Ms. Gillum said. “One of the biggest things they learn is that there are people out there who are needier than they are."
• The CHARACTER COUNTS! Club. A hundred students from each grade level attend meetings where speakers talk about the Pillars.
• Reminders. CC! banners adorn the walls, as do the names of the Pillars.
• The CHARACTER COUNTS! float in the homecoming parade.

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From October 31 to November 4, 2005, Salazar Elementary School celebrated CC! Week in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week, the anti-drug program. Teachers highlighted the Pillars with special lesson plans, according to the Nueces County Record-Star, and students wore six-colored T-shirts that read: "I Show Good Character." Maintenance workers also painted Salazar's standing pillars in the Six Pillar colors: red, yellow, purple, orange, green, and blue. And students at the "gifted and talented" level held a program called "CHARACTER COUNTS!" where they described the Pillars, showed how the route to character lies through sound decision making, and explained the virtues of being drug-free.

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The Week began with receipt of the proclamation from Governor Perry's Office. Mission High Principal Jannie Connelly read it to the students the following day and explained the importance of character to them. 

On Saturday, the first annual CC! Rally took place at Mission High's Neuhaus gym. "It went great," said Lucero Gimello, of the Mission Youth Council in Mission, about 50 miles from the Rio Grande's mouth. Six Pillar banners and balloons the colors of each pillar adorned the gym. Speakers included: Jackie Dyer, superintendent of Mission Consolidated Independent School District (MCISD); Eddie Olivarez, director of the Hidalgo County Department of Health and MCISD school board member; Octavio Saenz, anchorman for local Univision newscast; Judge Maxine Longoria, Hidalgo County juvenile judge; and Ms. Gimello, a Mission High graduate of 2001. Audience members enjoyed performances by school cheerleaders, folklorico dancers and the Mission Junior High Jazz Band.

"Our speakers were wonderful and so was our audience. The message that was given to the student that attended that night was probably one of the best ones they'll ever hear," said Ms. Gimello. "We all had a great time putting this event together and look forward to doing it again next year."

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Hemphill Elementary School provided six mini-lessons, one for each Pillar, on the six Fridays leading up to CC! Week. These mini-lessons occurred at the same time throughout the entire school, and fifth graders acted as ambassadors of character, entering classrooms to help with each lesson. During CC! Week a schoolwide pep rally launched the yearlong study of the Six Pillars of Character.

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Blocker Middle School started CC! in the spring of 2004, and it's working, if the actions of seventh-grader Xavier Nelson are any indication.

In September 2004, he was walking to the bus stop when he came across a wallet with a $100 bill inside. “I thought, ‘Somebody must be missing this,’” he said. “I couldn’t turn around because I would have missed the bus, so I thought I’d turn it into the police at school.”

At school, Nelson showed the wallet to his best friend Nicholas Smith. The pair then turned the wallet over to the sheriff's deputy at school.

The wallet's owner was 21-year-old Loruhama Jimenez. “I was so relieved to get my wallet back,” she said. “The money was for bills. I was lucky because most people wouldn’t do [what these boys did]. Most people would take the money and toss the wallet. I am very thankful to them for doing the right thing.”

“CHARACTER COUNTS! teaches students how to get along with people,” principal Richard Carter told the Texas City Sun. The boys' behavior was "very rewarding," he added. "It's good to see kids draw from within."

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In 1995, Dallas schools faced a crisis in decision-making among young people. Crime, teen pregnancy and dropout rates had been soaring, as they were across the nation, and little seemed to help. Late in that year, 35 employees of the Dallas school system and 36 community representatives participated in a special, contracted, weeklong training with Michael Josephson. They returned and launched CHARACTER COUNTS! in selected schools.

Student behavior quickly improved, on many counts. “It's like night and day,” said Linda Jones, administrator of the Dallas CC! program, in 2000. “The whole emotional atmosphere of the building changes. It becomes a kinder, gentler place.”

Among the activities that helped CC! succeed in Dallas were:

• Dads reading once a week from the Core Virtue character program to reinforce the Six Pillars (E.L. DeGolyer Elementary).
• An array of CC! community service projects (Hood Middle).
• The “absentee buddy” program (to further the Pillar of caring), in which one child acts as a “buddy” for another who is absent, helping that child with missed information on his or her return (Stonewall Jackson Elementary).
• Distribution and review of CC! material with parents at PTSA meetings (Talented and Gifted Magnet Elementary).
• Schoolwide rules that reflect good character (Hillcrest High).

National recognition came to the Dallas CC! program in 2000, as Walnut Hill Elementary won the National School of Character Award from the Character Education Partnership (CEP). (In 2001, Lisbon Elementary received the Dallas Coalition on Character and Values award for its CC! program.) Soon after, the district installed CC! in all its 218 schools.

Today, CC! reaches some 166,000 students in the Dallas area every day. They live in 11 different municipalities and speak upwards of 70 different languages at home. “As a school district, we realize that our primary mission is to educate the future leaders of our community and to prepare better citizens for Dallas,” says Dr. Mike Moses, the district superintendent. “That is why CHARACTER COUNTS! is such an important component of our school district's curriculum.”

The Dallas schools are at various stages of implementing CC!. Some are just learning the Six Pillars vocabulary, while others are immersing themselves in activities that involve all students, teachers and parents.

Certain activities have taken place at all schools:

• CILT members participated in CC! train-the-trainers seminars during the summer of 2002.
• CILT members trained each campus districtwide in a 3-hour CC! workshop on August 20, 2003.
• Each principal signed and submitted an action plan detailing CC! strategies.
• Each campus sent a flyer home to inform parents about CC!.

Individual schools have offered their own activities, and below are some of them:

James Bonham Elementary

• Teachers have infused the Six Pillars throughout the curriculum on a daily basis.
• Student activities and expectations are consistent with their age and social/academic development.
• The front foyer features a prominent display of the Six Pillars.
• School officials give daily readings on character during the school announcement period.
• The school has placed signs depicting individual Pillars throughout the first and second floors to remind students of the values as they pass in the hall.

Tom C. Gooch Elementary

• The school christened each hallway after a CC! Pillar.
• It highlights a different Pillar in every morning announcement.
• Each teacher chooses Students of the Week based on their behavior the week before.
• Reminders of character dot the bulletin boards.
• The school rewards good character at the end of each six-week grading period.

Stonewall Jackson Elementary

• On a bulletin board, the school highlights students’ acts of character and posts their pictures.
• Teachers read stories and discuss the Six Pillars in relation to the characters.
• Pupils sing R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
• Teachers hold team-building activities on Fridays.
• Teachers sent home a copy of the Six Pillars.
• The school has created a Pillar Patrol featuring peer mediation.
• Teachers have modeled Six Pillars by becoming more aware of their own behavior.
• Quality of the Month Box: A student prints a Pillar on a decorated ex-Kleenex box. Children slip notes into the box describing the good deeds of another child.
• Students wrote a Character Pledge of Allegiance and recited it in class.
• In November 2002, teachers presented an enrichment reading on trustworthiness called “The Top Line” by James Avery, CEO of James Avery Craftsman, Inc.
• During American Education Week, students decorated hallways with a different theme for each day and created a unity chain.
• Teachers accompanied students on an overnight trip to the Dallas ISD Environmental Center to learn about respecting our environment and each other.
• Teachers discussed with students the “All Kinds of Hats” community helpers wear, and invited these individuals to visit the classroom and speak about their varied roles.
• Students took part in “The Fairness Necklace.” Half the students got red necklaces and one group received more privileges than the other. Students then discussed fairness. Afterwards, they got heart-shaped charms to remind them of this Pillar.
• The school has posted CC! banners and posters throughout.

Erasmo Seguin Elementary

• The school issued CC! ribbons to students.
• A tree on display in the cafeteria has leaves with the names of students who do good deeds.
• The counselor provides biweekly lessons on character.
• Each classroom displays a Six Pillars poster.
• A school official reads the Word of the Week over the public address system in English and Spanish.
• The library prominently displays books on character education.
• The school teaches anti-bullying tactics.

T.C. Marsh Middle School

• CILT members assist all teachers with suggested activities and discussion topics. Teachers target the Pillar a minimum of 30 minutes each week.
• Daily Focus: Teachers emphasize favorite quotes about a Pillar.
• CC! Stars: The school awards certificates to a student from each pod/team who exemplifies the Six Pillars throughout the six weeks.
• A bulletin board highlights CC! student work.
• The school held a CC! hall and door decorating contest and winners received a pizza party.
• The school took part in Red Ribbon Week, stressing everyone’s responsibility to put a “cap” on drugs.

Hillcrest High School

• The school displays the Six Pillars throughout the building.
• Its schoolwide rules embody good character.
• Local role models speak to students about character and goals.
• Community volunteers mentor students and foster their character development.
• The school has a campuswide community service project.

Continue reading "Dallas, TX: Portrait of a CC! Coalition Member: Dallas ISD" »

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"In everything we do, CHARACTER COUNTS! is the foundation," says CYS coordinator Sheila Curtis. "We don't see it as a separate program, but an integral part of everything we do here."

CHARACTER COUNTS! began at Fort Hood in February 1998. "It started out small and has just grown from there," says Miriam Walker, Comanche Youth Center manager. Today it is one of the most active programs on any post, and has at least four CDS graduates.

The Six Pillars of Character form the norms or rules of all Fort Hood CYS projects. They are an integral part of the behavior management plan.

"Our goal is not only to offer activities and programs that are fun and exciting for the kids, but we also want the activities to have purpose and challenge the kids to examine their belief system," observes Ms. Curtis. "Our purpose is to entertain them and make them responsible, effective citizens of their homes and communities."

The Fort Hood CYS recently gained responsibility for sports, and is now integrating Pursuing Victory With Honor (PVWH) into its training of coaches. Previously, CYS had oversight of less formal contests, including pickup basketball games and midnight basketball, and all participants had to complete a PVWH class. The older kids helped teach the younger ones.

Fort Hood has integrated CHARACTER COUNTS! so seamlessly into its activities that caregivers find it hard to distinguish one pursuit from another as clearly "CC!." However, among the ongoing activities:

• Fort Hood kids mentor peers, volunteer in nursing homes, take part in conservation projects, hold food drives, and participate in the Fort's annual Make a Difference Day.
• More than 50 youths volunteer to work in a soup kitchen once a month.
• The Bronco Youth Center has hosted the Youth Fun, Fitness, Sports and Character Education Day. "We planned sports, games and crafts to teach the Six Pillars of Character," says Ms. Walker.
• When children at the Fort Hood Child Development Center have disputes, they go to the Respect Table. There, seated beneath CHARACTER COUNTS! principles, they work with adults to resolve their differences with teamwork and respect.
• CYS cosponsors an overnight camp focusing on CHARACTER COUNTS!, with typically over 70 students attending and more than 40 adult volunteers.
• Teens take part in most of these activities. They receive CHARACTER COUNTS! training and mentor younger kids in the programs.

CYS services nationwide use programs from the Boys & Girls Club curriculum - Passport to Manhood, Smart Girl, Teen Supreme and Torch Club - but Fort Hood has integrated CHARACTER COUNTS! into all of them. Caregivers say integration is easy, since CHARACTER COUNTS! meshes so well with them.

Ms. Curtis says that early on, when some staff members showed resistance to CHARACTER COUNTS!, she simply waited till these people saw how well it was working. The resistance ended.

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The mission at Westwood Elementary is clear from the moment one enters the walkway to the entrance into the school. Six pillars serve as the foundation for the entryway and bear the TRRFCC values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. 

"At Westwood, we challenge our students to shine their character lights at home, in our school community, and out in the world," says Barbara Gruener, counselor at the school. It begins with the guidance program. At the K-3 levels, the counselor makes classroom visits to teach the Six Pillars. Classroom guidance lessons usually include the Westwood 'Character Rap' and a challenge to students. In between visits, teachers reinforce these lessons by seizing teachable moments and applying character education concepts to these real-life classroom situations.

As a trainer of trainers for CC!, Ms. Gruener says she loves to reach out and share ideas. Since her training in 2000, she has conducted more than a dozen workshops for parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators throughout Texas. Her guidance page online (www.academicplanet.com/webs/bgruener) provides character articles, tips, resources, and links for educators and parents.

In addition, the school host special events. Students view multimedia presentations, puppet shows, song and dance performances and more. "Character really comes alive for our students through these assemblies!" says Ms. Gruener.

Incentive programs like Kids With Character and Character Cash catch students being good and honor them for being role models. Each month, homeroom teachers nominate one student as Kid With Character, and his or her picture appears on a bulletin board and in the local newspaper. When a student earns Character Cash, he or she chooses a small prize. Local businesses donate coupons as well. "It was especially heartwarming when a student turned it around and nominated his teacher, Mrs. Ellis, for Character Cash for her 'extra-good' character," says Ms. Gruener. "It is moments like these that tell our tale best."

Around the end of the school year, teachers ask students to summarize CHARACTER COUNTS! in their own words with a picture, essay, song, rhyme, or rap. "Their creative juices get flowing and the final products are unbelievable," says Ms. Gruener. "The school also sends home the 'Cool Character Challenge' so kids can keep their character muscles strong, chart their good choices, and earn money for our next service project. When they return in the fall, we brainstorm ways to use their hard-earned, real-life character cash to help others in need. Their suggestions are always amazing."

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The CHARACTER COUNTS! kickoff took place at Frontier Elementary on September 17, 2002. Leann Rudolph, the Student Council sponsor, had five Council members lead the entire school in a pep rally on CC! and the Pillar of trustworthiness. Frontier also had visitors, the PALS group from the local high school. These 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds read a quote in English and one in Spanish about trustworthiness, sang amusing songs with students, and were good role models. “The PALS sponsor at the high school and I have partnered up,” says Ms. Rudolph. “Each six weeks we are going to make CHARACTER COUNTS! a huge deal and kick off the new Pillar for that six weeks.”

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The Grand Prairie Independent School District held its kickoff event on Oct. 14. Over 500 people in attendance saw groups from each of the 18 area elementary schools perform the “Six Pillar Shuffle”; the middle school band also performed. Speakers included the mayor, the city manager, a student counselor and fourth-grader Tristan Brower, who delivered an original speech on the importance of character. The high school cheerleading teams wrote character-related routines for the occasion, which they performed between speeches. Pledge cards were distributed to give citizens a chance to show their support.

In Farmer’s Branch, a middle school football practice was interrupted when a balloon with a note attached fell from the sky. The message these football players received from the heavens? "CHARACTER COUNTS! at Lee Middle School." Students who had been singled out for their exceptional character during CC! Week launched the balloon, along with many others that landed in yards around town. The week began at Lee with a “Pillar Party,” at which students decorated their classroom doors to represent the Six Pillars. Throughout the week, students wore ribbons with the colors of the various Pillars, heard quotes about character each morning, and read similar quotes on a scrolling sign in the cafeteria.

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For CHARACTER COUNTS! Week ’99, students at Carlos Rivera Elementary School performed the "Six Pillar Shuffle," collected items for the Child Crisis Center and coordinated a CHARACTER COUNTS! Walk (parents, teachers and students walked past performing school children). The collaboration inspired organizers to submit a proposal the next week to the El Paso Community Foundation. The result: a $3,000 grant.

Since then, the program at Carlos Rivera Elementary has received national attention. Interviews with students, parents and administrators were featured as part of a "Profile of Compassion" video, which was aired during opening night of the 2000 Republican National Convention.

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