Character Counts!

The Poway Unified School District continues to forge ahead with CHARACTER COUNTS! All school sites have received CHARACTER COUNTS! training and the level of support and involvement from the PTAs has been overwhelming. Nancy Hall, PTA CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator, assists in the implementation at all sites and there will be an additional training for the PTA CHARACTER COUNTS! Committee Chairs. This committee will meet monthly to discuss site events and to plan future CHARACTER COUNTS! activities.

In addition to the implementation of CHARACTER COUNTS! at all school sites, the San Diego North CHARACTER COUNTS! Task Force has been developed and is working in conjunction with the school district. This coordination will strengthen our efforts to reach out to the community and link CHARACTER COUNTS! to all businesses.

Sunset Hills Elementary School's mural depicting the Six Pillars of Character was designed by Mt. Carmel High School student artist and Presidential Scholar Stan Prokopenko. The mural faces the playground and helps remind students about character during lunch and recess. The Six Pillars of Character are Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.

The Poway Unified School District, through a generous donation from community member David Bender, started implementing CHARACTER COUNTS! at school sites in 2003 and continues to offer training. The over-arching goal of the CHARACTER COUNTS! program is to adopt the "Six Pillars of Character" (Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship) as a common framework to develop positive character throughout the school community.

Michael Josephson, well-known ethicist and founder of CHARACTER COUNTS! facilitated a dialogue on October 20, 2004, with a panel of distinguished community members that included Charlene Zettel, Director, California Department of Consumer Affairs; San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein; Assistant Sheriff William D. Gore; President, PUSD School Board, Jeff Mangum; Miss California USA Brittany Hogan, and San Diego County Red Cross CEO Ronne Fromme. John Culea, former television reporter and news anchor was emcee for the program. The program was entitled, "Cheating, Dishonesty, and Integrity....Where is Our Community Now? Where Do We Want to Be?" The evening was presented by the CHARACTER COUNTS! Committee of the Rancho Bernardo Chamber of Commerce and the Poway Unified School District.

For questions about the CHARACTER COUNTS! program contact 858-668-4060.

• Ethics Survey of American Youth
• CHARACTER COUNTS!  Million Dollar Donation
• CHARACTER COUNTS! PowerPoint Presentation
• Michael Josephson Speaks about Character

Character Education Program Underway

Character education advocates the widely shared core principles of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. The principles are referred to more commonly as the "Six Pillars of Character". Students gain a better understanding of these traits by studying and discussing them, observing positive behavioral models, and resolving problems by developing appropriate social skills. As students grow in character, they develop an increasingly refined understanding of the "Six Pillars" in order to achieve academic excellence and become responsible citizens. Poway Unified's commitment to this effort is evident in both the CHARACTER COUNTS! Initiative and Project ECHO (Every Citizen Honoring Others) programs that strive to integrate character development into every aspect of school life.

During the month of October 2003, the Poway Unified School District celebrated National Character Education Month by hosting a series of school and community events. On October 7, 2003, more than 250 parents, teachers, and community members turned out at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts to hear the founder of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Program, Michael Josephson, talk about the importance of helping children make better choices through teaching and promoting characteristics of ethical behavior. Poway Unified hosted a two-day workshop on October 13 and 14 for school and community coaches entitled, "Pursuing Victory with Honor". This workshop examined the role and influence of sports in developing good character. Workshop participants learned several strategies to teach, enforce, advocate, and model the Six Pillars of Character on the athletic field. During the week of September 22-26, Dr. David Brooks, a founding member of the Character Education Partnership and an advisory board member of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, came to PUSD to provide training for the twelve ECHO (Every Citizen Honoring Others) schools. Dr. Brooks is a national trainer for comprehensive, schoolwide, character education programs and has been instrumental in helping the ECHO schools plan and implement effective character education programs. He ended the week praising our schools and enthusiastic about what he saw at ECHO Project sites.

View helpful tips for helping children learn to be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, and a good citizen from Parents, Kids and Character: 21 Strategies to Help Your Children Develop Character , by Dr. Helen R. LeGette.

1. Be clear about your values. Tell your children where you stand on important issues. Good character is taught and caught. If we want children to internalize the virtues that we value, we need to teach them what we believe and why. In the daily living of our lives, there are countless opportunities to engage children in moral conversation.
2. Refuse to cover for your children or make excuses for their inappropriate behavior. Shielding children and youth from the logical consequences of their actions fails to teach them personal responsibility. It also undermines social customs and laws by giving them the impression that they are somehow exempt from the regulations that govern others' behavior.
3. Show respect for your spouse, your children, and other family members. Parents who honor each other, who share responsibilities, and resolve differences in peaceful ways communicate a powerful message of respect. Respect begets respect...and children notice.
4. Don't provide your children access to alcohol or drugs. Model appropriate behavior. Nowhere is the parents' personal example more critical than in this area, and the family is the most powerful influence on whether or not a young person will become a substance abuser.