Dan Gross/The Gazette Destiney McGill and Jake Berry, students at Washington Grove Elementary, check out backpack charms earned as part of the school's Character Counts program. Counselor Anne Moran (right) coordinates the award-winning program.

At Washington Grove Elementary School, Character Counts is a culture lived and encouraged by teachers, administrators, and students alike.

Students live the slogan in the hallways while lining up, in the classroom while learning how to graph, and in art class while learning how to communicate a character principle through art.

Every year, the school devises different programs with which to saturate the school with the six character principles -- respect, citizenship, trustworthiness, caring, fairness and responsibility.

"We try to infuse character into every part of the day," said Anne Moran, the school's guidance counselor, who organizes the Character Counts programs.

Washington Grove Elementary has been incorporating the character principles since Gaithersburg became a Character Counts city in 1996, Moran said.

In September the school was one of 39 schools around the state, and one of two in the county, named a Maryland Center for Character Education School of the Year.

The award, sponsored by the nonprofit center, is given each year to schools with outstanding character education programs.

In one of Washington Grove Elementary's programs this year, Moran awards students plastic charms for their backpacks.

Each colored charm represents one of the principles, and students receive them when they act on the principle.

For example, Moran said, she would award a "trustworthy" charm to a student who turns in something someone lost.

"It's something that's a little bit out of the ordinary that they did that really deserves recognition," she said.

Each grade level also adopts a pillar and one of the principles. They then decorate the pillars, which are taped to a hallway wall, to communicate the principles.

In addition, each month teachers award compliments to classes, expressed on slips of paper, for behaving well in special classes, such as art, music, and physical education, or in the lunch room and during recess.

Moran then graphs the number of compliments for each class and posts them on the wall.

"They really, really enjoy that program," she said. "Some people don't think competition is, you know, wonderful, but they really like working for the compliments. And our art, music, and P.E. people have noticed a difference in their behavior in those classes."

Since becoming a Character Counts city, Gaithersburg has offered training to school staffs on how to infuse the principles.

Character Counts is a national ethics education program created by the nonprofit Josephson Institute of Ethics in 1993.

To promote the program, Gaithersburg, in partnership with The Gazette and other area organizations, sponsors a scholarship program and activities for National Character Counts Week.

Linda Morganstein, director of city human services and Character Counts coordinator, said Washington Grove Elementary has "an excellent program. I think they've seen the results we were hoping for."

When Morganstein teaches training courses on becoming a Character Counts school, she stresses that, first and foremost, everyone must be on board.

"It has to be maintained from the kitchen staff and maintenance staff all the way to the administration and the principal," she said. "...It's sort of a, 'if you can't live it, don't teach it.' ... That's not to say everyone is perfect, but you can say 'I'm sorry,' and things like that."

The principles must also be integrated throughout the curriculum, Morganstein said. By integrating Character Counts "it really hits all the kids in different ways."

At Washington Grove, Moran tries to apply the Character Counts principles in her every day counseling. When she talks to students about bullying, for example, she talks about lack of respect and caring.