At the regularly scheduled school board meeting held on Wednesday, October 17, the SKSD Board of Directors proclaimed October 21 – 27 Character Counts Week. Putting the focus on building a culture of kindness through education reform, students, parents, teachers, and volunteers will gather in thousands of schools across the country and around the world to participate in service learning projects and celebrate good character during the 18th annual Worldwide Character Counts! Week on October 21 – 27.
“Teaching youngsters about the importance and nature of character is the antidote to the disease of cynicism in our society,” said Michael Josephson, founder of the Character Counts! Coalition, a partnership of hundreds of educational and youth-serving organizations committed to improving the ethical quality of America’s young people. “It’s rather extraordinary in this day and age to mobilize thousands of schools and millions of kids to proclaim to the world that character counts.”
Earlier this year, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted parents, educators, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, officials, and students from across the country at the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. The conference put a spotlight on successful efforts to combat bullying in schools and communities, reminding us of our shared responsibility to ensure that safety and tolerance are priorities in every school and community. That’s the Character Counts! mission: to help students achieve a brighter future through the teaching of universal values, better decision-making, and a culture of kindness. For information on Character Counts visit their Web site at http://charactercounts.org.
