Making character count

County schools teach children about role in respect, responsibility

Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005

Click here to enlarge this photo Photos by Tom Fedor⁄The Gazette Lewistown Elementary School students take part in a Character Counts! pep rally Tuesday morning. Top, second-graders (from left) Danielle Metz, Jack Allison, C.J. Simmers, Rachel Cassidy, Austine Kline, Mirian Harper and Brittany Vaughn hold up letters spelling ‘‘Respect,” one of the seven pillars of character. Left, kindergartner Case Jordan cheers along with his classmates. Click here to enlarge this photo

Since 1996, Frederick County Public Schools have incorporated character education into the classroom in a move to go beyond creating not just good students, but also good people.

‘‘I have a deep and abiding belief that quality education is more than academics and that character development is equally as important,” said Superintendent Linda D. Burgee. ‘‘Our students have to take the knowledge and skills they learn to be positive and productive citizens and they can’t do that without the development of character.”

Utilizing the national Character Counts! model, students at all grade levels learn about ethical values through the ‘‘six pillars of character”: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

‘‘We’ve seen this working equally as well with 5-year-olds, 15-year-olds and even 35-year-old employees,” Burgee said. ‘‘This is a constant message about who we want to be as a school system.”

While using the same six pillars, the delivery is different among grade levels, said Sharon Boettinger, supervisor for counseling and student support for schools. She said many teachers take the opportunity to discuss the pillars in their standard courses, such as discussing honesty in accounting for math classes, but also use age-specific discussions.

‘‘In kindergarten, you might talk about helpers in the community and have students identify police officers or firefighters,” she said. ‘‘As students grow older, they can look at larger agencies of help, such as the county and state health department or Heartly House – they get a broader view and transfer the pillars to a larger status.”

Boettinger noted individual efforts by schools recently to raise more than $105,000 for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The message of good character has also resonated locally, with others in the community echoing the efforts of the school department.

George Guevara is the chairman of the Character Counts! Council, a 12-person board which holds annual events such as a speaker on business ethics and a recognition dinner, held Wednesday, to continue the message of good character for everyone, not just students.

‘‘I think it is important that if the kids get this in school and come home, they have it there, too,” Guevara said. ‘‘We have the adult community serving as role models and as a council, we want to keep stressing good character... as being good in your professional life.”

The council’s awards dinner on Wednesday was just one part of Character Counts! Week, celebrated from Oct. 16-22 nationwide and individually at schools throughout the county.

At a conference Tuesday, parents, teachers and students gathered for a refresher course on Character Counts! and got the chance to discuss their thoughts about the program.

Meredith McAdam has two students at North Frederick Elementary School and said even at their young age, they get a straightforward message from the pillars.

‘‘I appreciate the fact that they are learning this in school and we discuss these things every day,” she said. ‘‘We talk about things like making good choices and [the pillars] have given us common wording to discuss character issues.”

Middletown High School junior Morgan Kellman said what she likes best about the program is that it is something every student can use.

‘‘All types of students can get involved,” she said. ‘‘You don’t have to be a strong student or an athlete, this is something for everyone. I use the pillars every day, or at least hope I do.”

Only in eighth grade, Middletown Middle School student Tedi Doering realizes that what’s right and what’s wrong is basic information, but a reminder could help us all.

‘‘I think we should all use Character Counts! wherever we go,” she said. ‘‘It’s about treating people the way you want to be treated and if we all noticed these things more as a concept... we’d be more polite and respectful to one another.”