Class Acts: ‘Character counts!’ at this Madera County school
“Wow! That program took off like wildfire,” says Sarah Koligian, superintendent of the Golden Valley Unified School District in Madera, 25 miles north of Fresno.
Koligian is speaking about “Character Counts!” which the district adopted nearly four years ago. Designed by the Los Angeles-based Josephson Institute’s Center for Youth Ethics, the plan’s “Six Pillars of Character” consist of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship, and are based on ethical values that are apolitical, nonreligious and culturally nonbiased. Koligian praises the Golden Valley school board for employing the program as part of its “focused vision” in developing a strategic plan that would “build good citizens through character education.”
A small district of only 2,000 K-12 students, Golden Valley looms large in student achievement and awards. In its 10-year history, the district’s two elementary schools, one middle school and one traditional high school have all been named California Distinguished Schools by the state Department of Education. Golden Valley also boasts an Academic Performance Index score of 804 and is the highest-performing district in Madera County.
The core around which the district’s successes revolve consists of an emphasis—beginning in kindergarten—on creating good citizens through teaching children about the fundamentals of good character. Among this constellation of high-achieving schools, one in particular stands out: Sierra View Elementary.
Winner of a CSBA Golden Bell award last year in the Accountability/Assessment category, all the school’s staff and students are dedicated to understanding and practicing Character Counts’ values, which are embedded into nearly every aspect of school life.
The school also won an award from the California State University, Fresno, Bonner Center for Character Education and Citizenship in 2008 for maintaining “an exemplary character education program.”
“We have never seen a school that has so completely and thoroughly implemented character education,” wrote the Bonner Center site committee in granting its award. “Sierra View is character education. Your teachers, kids and parents are talking the talk and walking the walk.”
Counting the ways to character
Sierra View joined Golden Valley USD in 2005 as a territory transfer from a neighboring district. At about the same time, Golden Valley board members were looking for a way to increase student achievement and attendance districtwide, which led to the adoption of the Character Counts program that August. Coincidentally, a new principal, Scott Tefft, was hired to helm Sierra View. Koligian speaks of Tefft in glowing terms.
“[The changes] start at the top, with our board defining goals through our strategic plan. Mr. Tefft pushed it to the next level. He made [character building] a part of what students and teachers do every day. He sets the tone, and he is the role model who never settles for the status quo. … Students are held responsible for treating each other with respect.”
Tefft greets students every morning and follows up with morning announcements to remind them of the character trait of the week they are to focus on. Embedded in the program are daily, weekly, monthly and year-end rewards and recognition for students displaying outstanding character attributes. Students can earn Character Counts tickets, Character Bucks and Random Act of Kindness tickets daily. They’re also eligible for weekly awards or to participate in Friday elective programs such as art, leather craft or drama and performance classes.
“Students are just champing at the bit to participate,” Koligian says.
The highly coveted Student of the Month award, she adds, rewards a lucky student with free photos from a professional photographer, a certificate of achievement and a coupon for a free meal from one of several local participating restaurants.
At year’s end, the highest honor—the Student of the Year award—recognizes a student chosen by his or her peers as the single individual who best represents the Six Pillars of Character throughout the school year.
The school’s youngest students are introduced to the program early on. Special activities for kindergarteners include a weekly assembly. Students also work on a “Character Counts! in Kindergarten” book throughout the year; they discuss and write about the core values exemplified by the Six Pillars and share what they have learned with parents when they come to open house. The goal of these activities is for students to gain a clear understanding of—and preparation for—the program as they progress into first grade.
Elected student leaders participate in a student council that meets once a week to discuss how to improve student relationships and schoolwide systems, and to plan and put into practice community service projects. Student council members also share responsibility for planning fundraising projects, organizing special events, coordinating a Clean Campus program and monitoring school recycling efforts.
A Big Buddies program engages fifth- and sixth-grade students in partnering with younger children, serving as mentors and assisting with reading study and other needs.
“There is an emphasis on not only academic but also social strategies to help those ‘invisible’ students who are just getting by to give them a sense of belonging, school pride and self-worth,” Tefft says.
Diversity is “celebrated and believed to be an asset” Tefft adds, and “classroom curricula include an emphasis on disability awareness and multicultural diversity, showcased by a ‘Countries Around the World’ event and Martin Luther King Week activities.”
Noteworthy results
The program’s original goals included reducing the number of office referrals, suspensions and detentions while increasing attendance, homework completion and “random acts of kindness,” Tefft says.
“We wanted to be proactive and positive in an effort to build a vibrant culture that focuses on character. The number of students ‘caught’ doing the right thing, academic achievement measured by trimester grades and yearly API scores, and average daily attendance have all increased, while office referrals, suspensions and detentions have decreased since the program began in 2005.”
“Character does count at Sierra View,” Koligian says. “They’re living it on a daily basis.”
—Marsha Boutelle