Character in the News

Educator and coach honored for virtue

—Jun 25 2009; The Edmond Sun, Edmond, OK

“...Early in Brown's education career, as an assistant coach, he demonstrated virtue by declining to do the wrong thing when a group of fans...”

This Father’s Day, enjoy your children as fully as you can

—Jun 19 2009; The Times-Call, Longmont, TX

“...A father teaches how to be patient by his responses to the immaturities of children and the mistakes of others. A father teaches respect for women by how he treats his wife. A father teaches honor for authority by how he reacts to a...”

Metro Tech to add learning facility with gardens, trails

—Jun 19 2009; The Journal-Record, Oklahoma City, OK

“...based in part on the Character First program, a nonprofit program used across the nation by schools and other public agencies to reinforce positive character traits and leadership...”

Character Fort Collins kicks off two week campaign

—Jun 17 2009; The Coloradoan, Ft. Collins, CO

“...the jail started Character Fort Collins programs in 2003 and said it has made a considerable difference.

"There has been a 40 to 45 percent reduction in behavioral problems for those inmates involved in the character first...”

Alabama Crimson Tide to Vacate Football Wins

—Jun 12 2009; ESPN.com, Tuscaloosa, AL

“First of all, I think the University of Alabama, Dr. [Robert] Witt [president], and Mal Moore [athletic director] did a great job of demonstrating institutional integrity in the way they handled...”

Killbuck student named first Character Counts winner

—Jun 8 2009; The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, IN

“When Hillery Shepherd heard of a younger girl suffering from burns, the third-grader decided to take action. She helped organize a”

Students learn to mind their manners

—May 31 2009; The Forum, Fargo-Moorhead, ND

“In the past few years, local schools have started programs aimed to teach and reinforce good character and basic etiquette. Why is it teachers are taking the...”

Character building: The missing link in Indonesia’s public

—May 26 2009; The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Indonesia

“Many of the city’s teachers have questioned Indonesia’s education system since apparently it can produce International Science Olympics gold-medalists, and yet the country still ranks high among the most corrupt in the world...”

MPs call for some changes in education sector

—May 26 2009; Channel News Asia, Singapore

“"Are the scholars that we produce - the GEP students, the top tier students in the IP schools, our university and polytechnic graduates - are they humble, considerate, kind, grateful, compassionate, willing to help..."”

Braves, Robinson honor courageous kids

—May 17 2009; MLB.com

“celebrations at the ballpark. I realized it had to translate into action. My parents were both about action, and they loved kids.’ The program focuses on the nine values associated with Jackie Robinson’s remarkable character: commitment, inte”

Did a ‘National Crisis of Character’ Get Us Into This Me

—May 14 2009; Wall Street Journal, New York, NY

“We can debate endlessly about the cause of the current economic crisis. Too much borrowing. Underregulation. Overregulation...But what about this one, as an overarching principle: immorality”

12 Students Win Character Education Awards

—May 5 2009; The Greenville Sun, Greenville, TN

“Helping with Christian mission projects, caring for the less fortunate and wanting to cure diseases are some of the goals of the students honored Friday as winners of the Greeneville City School System’s 2009 Character Education”

Character: one’s moral compass

—Apr 30 2009; Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral, FL

“Character is the foundation of successful leadership. The Air Force Academy defines character as one’s moral compass, and the sum”

Good character, good times? A compelling argument

—Apr 25 2009; Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Corpus Christi, TX

“The Oklahoma City program is the brainchild of a businessman whose employees, to say the least, sounded like they needed to be fired. Drugs, theft, absenteeism, the works. Instead, he designed a character”

No matter what, character first, mission always

—Apr 9 2009; Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral, FL

“Did I place so much pressure on my folks to make me ‘legal’ before the first launch that they felt they had to compromise”

Students lauded for good character

—Apr 1 2009; The Bee, Modesto, CA

“Honorees included schoolchildren who have overcome learning disabilities, lost one or two parents to death or learned English as a second language. Others were”

‘Character First!’ program works, Owasso police chief te

—Mar 30 2009; Sequoyah County Times, Salislaw, OK

“Owasso Police Chief Dan Yancey told members of the Sallisaw Character First! Council Wednesday that the Character First program fostered”

Miami Lakes Middle School adds character to lesson plans

—Mar 27 2009; Miami Herald, Miami, FL

“Joaquin P. Hernandez, the school’s principal, said his staff will continue to teach character even if resources turn scarce. For Hernandez, teaching values is essential to develop good, kind-hearted people, a concept that in his opinion goes beyond”

Character carnival, conference were successful events

—Mar 26 2009; The Sun, Hamburg, NY

“The kickoff to the focus on character was the first-ever Character Carnival, an event that featured plenty of family”

Sumner works to be positive

—Mar 26 2009; Austin Daily Herald, Austin, MN

“Members of the climate team work to instill a positive attitude in students and staff, even planning treats and games for staff. The systems team tackles each grade by meeting with teachers to come up with behavioral interventions”

Students need real civics lessons: educator

—Mar 26 2009; Ottowa Citizen, Ottowa, ON

“In other words, ‘good citizenship’ to many educators means listening to authority figures, dressing neatly, being nice to neighbours, and helping out at a soup kitchen $#8212; not grappling with the kinds of social policy decisions that every”

District receiving character education grant

—Mar 24 2009; The Journal News, Hamilton, OH

“Superintendent Janet Baker has encouraged district administrators to view themselves as role models and ‘ensure that character education is taught with intentionality in their”

DAET holds character first youth leadership seminar

—Mar 19 2009; PIA Daily News Reader, Manila, Philippines

“The municipal government here, under the leadership of Mayor Tito Sarion, opens today the Character First Youth Leadership Seminar at Daet Kalinangan Center with the youth”

12 Marcellus SHS holds 6th Annual Mustang Awards

—Mar 12 2009; Eagle Newspapers, Syracuse, NY

“The annual Mustang Awards were initiated to combine recognition with character education. The purpose of these awards is to recognize staff members, students and community members who”

Hamilton County Sheriff’s Officers in Leadership Training

—Mar 11 2009; WRCB Channel 3, Chattanooga, TN

“Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond says this kind of training is very important. ‘What we try to instill in our officers not only training about being a police officer, but the character”

City honors resident for perseverance about safety

—Mar 9 2009; The Aiken Standard, Aiken, SC

“ ‘He really persevered,’ LeDuc said at the meeting. ‘Sometimes people look at government as bureaucratic and say it’s hard to get things done.’ Shore, who moved to Aiken from Boston three years ago, said he saw the issue as”

Character Education Coalition Continues Its Tradition at Sky

—Mar 9 2009; KPVI News 6, Pocatello, ID

“Austin Robertson, teacher, coalition member: ‘We want to promote good behavior by recognizing it and letting the parents know some of the good things happening here at”

Team brings message of character building

—Mar 7 2009; The Courier-Post, Camden, NJ

“The Globetrotters, in their 83rd season of touring the world, gleefully shared their ‘C.H.E.E.R. for Character’ program with about 450”

Lore is a School of Character

—Mar 3 2009; The Times of Trenton, Trenton, NJ

“words are for when you grow up,’ said 10-year-old Veronica Adams, a fifth-grader who spends her free time helping the elderly and cleaning local parks for fun. ‘They really help you through life to be a better person and make better”

Trevor Hoffman in demand as Manny Ramirez finds market bare:

—Mar 1 2009; The Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL

“ ‘Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation,’ Wooden once said. ‘Character is what you really are; reputation is merely what you”

Down To Business: Does Business Ethics Make Business Sense?

—Feb 28 2009; InformationWeek

“If character is what you do when no one is looking, then business ethics is how executives and other employees behave when customers, partners, and”

Soldier visits students who sent letters

—Feb 25 2009; The Newark Advocate, Newark, NJ

“‘I wanted to write to all of them,’ Peyton Clark, 10, said, ‘but I could only pick two.’ The project was brought to the Character Council, who then involved the rest of the school in donating and shipping items. ‘We began t”

Berkeley Elementary School recognized as outstanding

—Feb 24 2009; WCBD - TV, Charleston, SC

“‘The development of good character traits is critical to helping our students become productive citizens,’ said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. ‘I congratulate these schools and their”

Seeing the chip on the shoulder turn into character

—Feb 24 2009; The Irish Times, Dublin, Ireland

“they become less selfish, more caring and considerate of each other. Leadership traits are observed. There’s determination to succeed at the physical tasks they are set: they are stretched, challenged and they respond”

Survey aims to help students develop character

—Feb 24 2009; The London Free Press, London, ON

“Just how honest does a child need to be to grow into a productive member of society? How must integrity, optimism or empathy do you want the next generation”

Edmond CPA honored for generosity

—Feb 24 2009; The Edmond Sun, Edmond, OK

“‘It’s a trait that typically is found in people that have learned not only how to manage their resources well, but they also have a sincere heart to do”

Management training seminar scheduled

—Feb 23 2009; Muskogee Phoenix, Muskogee, OK

“The Character Council of Muskogee, with Georgia-Pacific, will offer a Leadership and Management Training Seminar to help interested local businesses learn how to implement a character”

Bellevue students learn to put virtues into practice

—Feb 21 2009; Bellvue Reporter, Bellevue, WA

“ ‘It’s been an amazing transformation since we first started putting the virtues into practice,’ said Nordgren. ‘The culture has evolved here and the parents seem to”

LIVE from Heritage Elementary

—Feb 18 2009; The Huntsville Times, Huntsville, AL

“The Heritage Character Council broadcasts 10- to 15-minute TVprograms on WABC, or ‘We’re Always Building Character.”

Focusing on school unity

—Feb 18 2009; The Daily Observer, Pembroke, ON

“All Grade 9 and 10 students at Fellowes High School were recently involved in a full day of Character Education and Team Building workshops aimed at”

Life Christian School focuses on character and academic grow

—Feb 17 2009; The Hillsboro Argus, Hillsboro, OR

“Parents of Life Christian School students especially appreciate the school’s Character First program. Each month, the school focuses on a Bible-based character trait such as”

Being orderly an art

—Feb 16 2009; The Muskogee Phoenix, Muskogee, OK

“Her actions have made her the winner of Muskogee Character Council’s January character trait of orderliness”

Students send Valentine’s packages to overseas troops

—Feb 13 2009; The Journal Gazette$#8212;Times Courier, Charleston, IL

“students who organized the effort are members of the school’s Character Council that does various projects throughout”

Character counts and money matters for schools chief

—Feb 12 2009; KTAR, Phoenix, AZ

“Horne said America’s economy can’t exist without people of character, so teaching kids discipline and character is just as important as academics”

Hamilton County Sheriff’s Officers in Leadership Training

—Feb 12 2009; WRCB, Chattanooga, TN

“What we try to instill in our officers not only training about being a police officer, but the character building that goes with it, so we can have the trust”

Deer Valley Spiritline wins state title

—Feb 6 2009; The Glendale Star, Glendale, AZ

“The spirtline is a disciplined program that focuses on developing young girls’ character and teaching them how to have the skills necessary to be successful when they are adults.”

Georgia’s prized recruiter puts pieces together

—Feb 3 2009; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, GA

“ ‘We’re looking for men of character first; we’re looking for some of the intangible things. And he has to be able to play.’”

‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’

—Feb 1 2009; The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, SC

“More than 1,000 fifth-graders from around Orangeburg County, along with community leaders, took a day off to recognize students and staff who have implemented good character in their daily routines.”

Character award to be named after Cunningham

—Jan 24 2009; The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, SC

“Cunningham, 94, has had decades of experience in helping shape and improve the lives of others. The Orangeburg resident has been named the local Citizen of the Year and the state’s”

Lee’s Summit Community of Character hits a Grand Slam

—Jan 22 2009; Lee’s Summit Journal, Lee’s Summit, MO

“ ‘To me character means a firmness and a moral excellence to do what’s right no matter what the consequences,’ said former Kansas City Royal and Lee’s Summit resident Mike Sweeney at the Mayor’s Character Breakfast”

Character initiative begins with resourcefulness

—Jan 21 2009; The Chetek Alert, Chetek, WI

“The council chose this trait because of the tough economic times citizens find themselves in as they begin 2009. The more resourceful people can be”

New Providence’ Salt Brook School kicks off character prog

—Jan 21 2009; The Independant Press, New Providence, NJ

“Salt Brook Elementary School kicked off its character education program in a big way with an Army National Guard helicopter landing on the”

COMPETITION: Promoting character

—Jan 18 2009; The Union-Sun and Journal, Lockport, NY

““It’s symbolism,” Paduano said. “The keys are secrets and people are just giving them away. But one person keeps them safe, and they’re trustworthy.””

Character Counts!: Manuel Vallejo

—Jan 18 2009; South Florida Sun-Sentinal, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

“In one situation, he prevented verbal mistreatment from escalating into a physical conflict by relying on his Ambassador skills of reasoning to tell the other student, ‘Hey, it’s not worth it”

State Board of Education told of value of character educatio

—Jan 15 2009; The Missourinet, Jefferson City, MO

“The State Board of Education has heard from the founder of an institution that strives to improve the ethical quality of society by changing personal and organizational”

Battling through change

—Jan 15 2009; Indiana Daily Student, Bloomington, IN

““We were excited about what she could bring athletically, but one thing we believe is character first, academics second and then basketball”

Citywide fundraiser to benefit nonprofits

—Jan 14 2009; The Times Record, Wichita Falls, TX

“The students in her third to sixth grade classes will spend a few days creating a representation of what their traits mean to them …#8221; a rising sun for patience, a light bulb for creativity”

Leggee program builds strong values

—Jan 13 2009; The MidWeek, DeKalb, IL

“During the program’s inception, Sutherland and the team organized to develop the program referred to community leaders and members about what character traits they wanted to teach”

Good behavior at Wilson gets quick results

—Jan 13 2009; The Star Press, Muncie, IN

“School officials say the good character referrals and good behavior award tickets they began issuing this year have gone a long way in helping students curtail misbehavior. The number of students suspended in the second quarter dropped by 10.5 percent”

FG urged to create cluster mega communities

—Jan 6 2009; The Daily Sun, Lagos, Nigeria

“the culture of character training being recommended must lay emphasis on honesty, fairness, truthfulness, loyalty, hardwork, service to society, humility, perseverance and compassion among other attributes while the skill acquisition strategy should dwell”

Students need better work habits

—Jan 4 2009; The Windsor Star, Windsor, ON

“‘Punctuality, reliability, taking the initiative, an ability to write are the biggest problems we have. It’s not the content of knowledge”

Faith builds character: Inmates learn new ways to rebuild th

—Dec 18 2008; The Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK

“Behind the iron bars and razor wire of Oklahoma’s largest prison for women, a quiet miracle is taking place. Nearly 200 inmates at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center”

Mabel Basset Program Slideshow

—Dec 18 2008; The Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK

“Faith and Community Program Inside the Mabel Basset Correctional Center”

Prairie Elem. learns about bullying

—Dec 17 2008; The Daily Globe, Worthington, MN

“There are several measures in place to reduce bullying at Prairie Elementary, including the Peace Patrol, which helps students deal with conflicts during recess and Character First”

Troy School Club Leads by Example

—Dec 17 2008; The Times Union, Troy, NY

“School 2’s Character Education Leadership Club members recently found out ringing a bell for the Salvation Army is about more than raising money”

Pocatello-Chubbuck School District Hosts Virtues Project Mee

—Dec 17 2008; Local News 8, Pocatello, ID

“first strategy to give a specific acknowledgement. Instead of saying good job or I know you can do it, hey I really saw your perseverance in how you worked on that algebra problem.’ says Dara Feldman”

What exactly is Education?

—Dec 15 2008; The News Today, Iloilo City, Philippines

“a thought-provoking question to us, ‘Most of our national government officials are highly educated. How can university educated individuals cheat his fellow countrymen?’”

Hartford Elementary School Bases Curriculum On Character Bui

—Dec 15 2008; The Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT

“bases its curriculum on character building. Students are taught to help each other the way Cruz helped his fellow student, a first-grader. The multigrade classrooms”

Lessons in Character Education

—Dec 14 2008; The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, MD

“Their experience in education has taught them that there is a lot more to educating a child than academics. For starters, children need character education, Namey said”

Students ‘Aspire’ to Service

—Dec 12 2008; The Record-Courier, Gardnerville, NV

“Sixteen-year-old Tyler Jeffers said integrity is hard to define. ‘I think it’s doing what’s right when no one is looking,’ he said. ‘That’s a good”

Grandpa Taught Character Strength

—Dec 11 2008; The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK

“And, his values played a major part in son-in-law Tom Hill’s creation of the internationally-known Character First Institute, intended to promote ‘true success”

Music teachers record album for their students as an inspira

—Dec 11 2008; The Sun, Hamburg, NY

“The CD is entitled ‘Words to Grow By’ and includes eight catchy tracks that feature tunes and lyrics that emphasize character traits like respect, compassion, wisdom”

Canastota Students attend Leadership Workshop

—Dec 10 2008; Canastota Bee-Journal, Canastota, NY

“Two male students apologized for any bullying they may have done. And a teacher talked about how he called a fellow student a "scumbag" in seventh grade and just recently called him to say he was sorry”

Hope Center Puts Kids on Wheels

—Dec 10 2008; The FLoridian, Marianna, FL

“On Thursday afternoons, a family of children come and put on a program called Character First, which focuses on character qualities”

Today’s Teens Lie, Cheat, and Steal

—Dec 6 2008; The Erie Times-News, Erie, PA

“Algebra, biology and Ethics 101? High school students could use a lesson in the latter, according to a new report”

Core Connect Program focuses on Character Education

—Nov 21 2008; Chisago County Press, Lindstrom, MN

“a deliberate effort to help our students understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values”

Character: Kernersville third-graders get four-way lesson

—Nov 20 2008; Winston-Salem Journal, Winston-Salem, NC

“Kernersville Elementary wants to emphasize ‘the right side of the report card’ as much as the academic grades found on each report card’s left”

A Coaching Great Is Forever a Character Builder

—Nov 20 2008; The New York Times, New York, NY

“The criterion was character, not championships. Summitt is known for making her players sit in the first three rows of class, which may have”

Caring Comes Back Around

—Nov 17 2008; The Laramie Boomarang, Laramie, WY

“‘It’s very rewarding. The students are very motivated to learn these character traits,’ Arnold said. Arnold said that the teaching of character is just as objective as any other subject, and she augments her lessons with”

Wanted: Programmers with Ethics

—Nov 16 2008; PC World

“respondents who chose ethics and morals. But that choice easily beat out alternatives such as communications skills and business acumen”

Heinz Plant Manager Recognized

—Nov 13 2008; The Holland Sentinal, Holland, MI

“Shoup was chosen for the award because of his work on the newly-opened Heinz Waterfront”

Recognition: Years of Excellence

—Nov 13 2008; El Dorado Times, El Dorado, KS

“‘Tonight is a good night because we get to honor our employees with service awards,’ said Mayor Tom McKibban”

Character Education Empowers Students

—Nov 1 2008; San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, CA

“more kids greet each other with a friendly high five at Vista? two comprehensive high schools these days. More kids see community service as an opportunity instead of a punishment”

Hawaiian Girl Returns $1000 Found in Richard Simmons Videota

—Oct 29 2008; Fox News, Honolulu, HI

“Store manager Jimmy Thennes put out a news release on the discovery, praising Mikela for her honesty.”

WENDELL MITCHELL: Character Coalition instills good values

—Oct 27 2008; Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, AL

“‘The group’s desire is to build stronger families, caring neighbors, effective education, successful businesses, good government, reliable law enforcement, and positive media. Who could argue with these outstanding objectives?’”

Students get character bracelets

—Oct 26 2008; The Republican, Springfield, MA

“The bracelets are part of an ongoing partnership between the school and Step Up Springfield. Each one is embossed with the message, ‘Learn it, Use it, Live it.’”

Without Character, Freedom Fails

—Oct 23 2008; North County Gazette, Chestertown, NY

“Character education, of course, is about more than keeping at-risk kids in school. It's about making sure that every student learns what it means to be an ethical, engaged citizen in a democracy.”

Character First - Holland, Michigan

—Oct 17 2008; Times-Standard Online, Eureka, CA

“I think that teaching basic values should be woven into the curriculum for all students. Clearly the ultimate responsibility for teaching and modeling values should be with the family, but schools can work together with parents to reinforce civic and ethi”