Character Counts
Character Counts features WCPSS school character education activities.
FORESTVILLE STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR DISPLAYING CHARACTER TRAITS AT CAMP
100 campers took part in Victory Soccer Camp during June in Northeast Raleigh.
Campers from all over Raleigh, including several from Forestville Elementary
School improved their soccer skills and learned about positive character
traits. Each day, a soccer skill was practiced and players focused on a
character trait. According to director Scott Cook, the camp supports The
Wake County Public School System's Character Education Program in focusing
on the 8 character traits (responsibility, respect, courage, kindness, self-discipline,
integrity, perseverance, and good judgment).
Victory Soccer camp is an outreach program of Christ Our Hope Church. Pastor
Scott Cook who directs the camp along with his wife Karen said his church,
"wanted a fun and unique way to help develop community". All proceeds
from the camp go into the church's mission fund to help others. Scott says
the camp is based on the philosophy that "victory in life has just
as much to do with one's character as one's accomplishments"
Victory Soccer Camp ran for one week, from 8:30- 12:30 and included lunches donated by local businesses. Knightdale's Waffle House was one business that donated lunch. Campers were placed on a "world cup" team for the week to learn and practice soccer skills and scrimmage other teams. Victory Soccer Camp culminated with the World Cup Championship and each team's coach selected one player to receive a character award. Seven students from Forestville Elementary were chosen to receive this very special award: May Caudillo, Brooks Poirier, Blair Poirier, Cailin Dorsey, Patrick Dorsey, Ryan Killen, and Sonja Skinner.
BOARD APPROVES CHARACTER EDUCATION POLICY
At its April 5, 2005 meeting, the Board of Education put into policy what
has been practice in the classroom for more than 10 years. The board gave
final approval to Character Education Policy 5130, which formalizes practices
and beliefs related to the importance of character education and a positive
learning environment in the Wake County Public School System. This policy
reflects the eight character traits adopted by WCPSS in 1993 and focuses
on curriculum, climate and community involvement as core components of the
Character Education Program. The character traits include courage, good
judgment, integrity, kindness, perseverance, respect, responsibility and
discipline. Educators' efforts to model the traits and weave them into instruction
have led to national recognition. WCPSS was named a National School District
of Character in 1993. Combs Elementary was honored as a National School
of Character in 2003. Davis Drive Middle School social studies teacher Cindi
Baker was named the 2003 National Character Education Middle School Teacher
of the Year
LEADMINE ELEMENTARY HOLDS CAREER CHARACTER DAY
Career Character Day - an amazing day (three years running) focused on helping
students realize that they are at school to learn to become responsible
adults with great jobs and super character. Highlights of this day include:
14 trucks with career presenters - (on display in the parking lot), 50 volunteer
classroom career parents or guests who share their jobs and the importance
of character, and an afternoon highlight video of the day's events complete
with special classroom treats prepared by class parents. Guests over the
past three years have included doctors, military personnel, fire and rescue,
utility companies, helicopter pilots, news anchors and every other occupation
you can think of! All 75 guest career people share three things - 1. What
they do for a living, 2. What academics they needed to be successful in
their jobs and 3. What character traits they must possess to be successful
in their career. The whole Lead Mine community: teachers, students and parents
will be dressed up in the "career of their choice".
STUDENTS CAMP OUT FOR CHARACTER AT LEAD MINE ELEMENTARY
Lead Mine Elementary will host its second annual Building Kids of Character
Day 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 29. Designed for Lead Mine students
and their parents, this unique seminar will employ a camping theme to help
families learn conflict resolution strategies and develop techniques and
activities to incorporate character building into family time.
Participants will begin the morning with family-friendly activities that include rope tying, flashlight stories, a treasure hunt, and making a character quilt. Then while parents complete a reflective workshop on how to strengthen their families and encourage responsible decision-making, their children will work in small groups practicing the art of working cooperatively to complete a hands-on camping challenge. Families will regroup to write their own family covenants, which the entire group will celebrate in a special covenant ceremony.
The program was co-developed by Scott Scheuer, Lead Mine's assistant principal, and Gina Scrudato, the school s PTA Character Education chair. For more information, contact Scheuer at 870-4120.
PANCAKE BREAKFAST FOR TSUNAMI RELIEF JAN. 29
East Millbrook Middle will hold a Pancake Breakfast for Tsunami Relief 7:30
- 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Crazy Fire Mongolian Grill, corner
of Spring Forest and Capital Blvd. All proceeds from this breakfast will
go towards the Red Cross and its efforts to aid Tsunami victims.
The pancake breakfast ties into the school's 2004-05 essential question, "How Can One Person Make A Difference?" The school happens to be next door to the Crazy Fire Mongolian Grill. An East Millbrook staff member watched them preparing meals on their huge circular grill and thought, "Hmm, you could grill a lot of pancakes on that grill."
Our staff, parents and special guests will be flipping pancakes on that grill while our students will be serving as waiters and displaying informational materials on the tsunami crisis for breakfast reading. Pancakes will be $4 for all you can eat, and raffle tickets will be $5 each. For more information contact Principal David Ansbacher at 850-8755 or dansbacher@wcpss.net.
Lead Mine plans Building Kids of Character Seminar
On April 17th, 2004, Lead Mine Elementary has planned an event for its students
and their families that combines character building through an "indoor"
camping experience. They have designed a Saturday morning Building Kids
of Character Seminar around fun, family-friendly camping activities. Young
campers will take part in flashlight stories, rope tying, an "animal tracks"
game and much more. Parents and children will break into tribes. Parents
will look at ways to build character in their families, encourage responsible
decision-making and learn techniques to mentor children into adulthood.
Children will work in small groups practicing the art of working cooperatively
to complete camping challenges. The morning ends with families regrouping
to write their own family covenant. For more information, contact assistant
principal, Scott Scheuer.
Pleasant Union Elementary introduces Character Ed
March 19, 2004 - Pleasant Union introduces Character Ed Every Monday, students
at Pleasant Union Elementary see the latest adventures of Character Ed.
He's a puppet who is the creation of guidance counselor Lavonda Mark. She
works with students to write scripts they use to introduce the monthly character
education trait on the school's morning news television report. Mark also
uses Pleasant Union's teachers and students in a monthly video illustrated
using a series of character education picture books accompanied with its
own songbook. Mark makes a digital videotape of the book's illustrations,
teacher and student singing, accompanying songs and Character Ed's introduction.
She then edits the video into a final product they enjoy Monday mornings
as a reminder of the month's character trait.
Lufkin Road Middle School and the proverbial llama
March 12, 2004 - A llama was delivered to a Central American village recently
thanks to the hard work of students at Lufkin Road Middle School. Students
purchased the llama through the Heifer Project with money they raised selling
proverb cards. Teachers Mirka Christensen and Tonya Jarrett helped eighth
graders design colorful post cards with proverbs tied to WCPSS's eight character
traits. For the trait 'kindness,' a student picked the proverb 'He who plants
kindness gathers joy.' Students voted for the best 15 cards and then students,
teachers and parents sold cards, just enough to make a donation for a llama.
WCPSS teachers with a story about their character education projects should contact Bill Poston at bposton@wcpss.net
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