JOYCE — In a quest to strengthen its community, the Crescent School District is strengthening its character.
A new character-building program was implemented this year to help boost community spirit both on and off the campus.
The program is called Character Counts! and teaches students six core values of sound character — trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
Schools Superintendent Doug Kubalek said the district adopted the program after school improvement surveys from parents, teachers and students showed a desire for strengthening their community.
Strengthening the community was an ambitious goal to go after and finding a workable program to reach it was a feat in itself, said Debbie Hibbard, the district’s middle school language arts and history teacher.
The district needed a universal program that focused the core values of good citizenship that didn’t overstep the lines of parental or religious beliefs, Hibbard said.
The program also had be adaptable to accommodate different grade levels.
Finding the right program
After about a year of searching, the district found the Character Counts! program, Kubalek said.
The program was founded in 1993 by the Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles to fulfill the need of a character education program for schools, colleges and offices.
