Character Education

In order to perpetuate a sense of ownership in shaping the character of our youth, the Heartland Character Education Committee worked in conjunction with Heartland consortium member, the Institute for Global Ethics (IGE). With assistance from IGE, the Committee conducted a series of ethics seminars which lead to the development of “shared values”.

There were three parts to the seminars; moral awareness, development of shared values, and tools to analyze and resolve ethical dilemmas. Attendees explored the concept of ethical fitness, and the importance of creating a positive atmosphere for family and educational life. Over twenty-five seminars were held with over three hundred community members attending. In each seminar, the question was asked: If you could post ethical character traits over the door of our school which traits would you select for the children and educators to model?

The nine traits mentioned most often during the seminars ultimately became featured as the “Words of the Month” for our community. As the “Word of the Month” program gained momentum three additional words were added.

All of the "Words of the Month" are listed below.

  • January > Self-Control

  • February > Commitment

  • March > Fairness

  • April > Moral Courage

  • May > Cooperation

  • June > Sportsmanship*

  • July > Patriotism*

  • August > Integrity*

  • September > Honesty

  • October > Respect

  • November > Responsibility

  • December > Compassion

*Denotes words added to the program