Character Counts News!

Stedwick Elementary School was chosen by the Maryland Center for Character Education for the School of the Year Award which was presented at a ceremony in Hereford, Maryland, on December 7, 2006.

The Character Education Program at Stedwick Elementary School has four aspects to it; classroom, office, parent partnership and community service. It has been in place at Stedwick for the past five years and is reviewed annually to look for ways to improve its effectiveness. The character traits which are emphasized and referred to are 1) respect 2) responsibility 3) caring 4) fairness 5) honesty and 6) citizenship. These are taken from the Character Counts program and we use “honesty” for “trustworthiness” and “fairness” for “justice” to make it more understandable for the smaller children. Overall academic achievement has risen in those same five years (over 14 percentage points in math and over 11 percentage points in reading on state tests) but more significantly the program has contributed to strong school morale and to the growth in personal responsibility of our students.

More About Character Counts at Stedwick Elementary

CHARACTER COUNTS! At least it should. Individuals are not born with good character. Good character is learned through direct teaching from those around us and by watching how others behave.

The City of Gaithersburg recognizes the need to tell children "this is right" or "that is wrong." The CHARACTER COUNTS! program is an ethics education program that people of all cultures, races and religious affiliations can embrace. Gaithersburg did not invent this program. It is a national one that was carefully developed and is endorsed by the United States Congress, many state, counties, local governments and school systems.

You might ask, "Why get involved with CHARACTER COUNTS!?" "When?" is a better question--and the answer is NOW! Children make up 27 percent of our population, but they are 100 percent of our future. Which way they turn in life depends on the guidance of adult role models. Community leaders, local government, the school system, nonprofit organizations, youth groups and individuals must join together in order to stand for values in today's society.

The CHARACTER COUNTS! program enables adults to teach the Six Pillars of Ethics--responsibility, respect, caring, fairness, trustworthiness and citizenship--in ways that children of all ages may understand. This program provides a unified approach, which, in and of itself, strengthens the program.

Gaithersburg began the CHARACTER COUNTS! program in February 1996 with a commitment to bring it to every child in the City. The City's largest event was held in May with a special kickoff presentation, featuring special guest speaker and CHARACTER COUNTS! program founder Michael Josephson. An attendance of more than 700 people of all ages proved how hungry the community was to learn more about the program. CHARACTER COUNTS! did not start and end with parents and their children. Businesses and other community organizations, big and small, embraced the program and have joined the City's effort.

The Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council have incorporated CHARACTER COUNTS! into the City's mission statement and vision. City leaders are committed to teaching ethics education to young people, citizens and business leaders. The City has trained numerous people from all different organizations to help teach CHARACTER COUNTS! and the Six Pillars of Ethics to children and others in the community that want to learn and live by the base values the program endorses.

The City is striving to build a consensus in the community that no matter how diverse opinions, cultures and personalities are, there are clear values that define people at their best. The City promotes respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, trustworthiness and citizenship and endeavors to repair mistakes where these values have faltered.