Character Education at The Summit
November, 2000

Written by Mary Foss Brinkmeyer, Assistant Head

“ Kindness is contagious. When one person performs acts of kindness toward another, they both win. The one who gives and the one who receives the gift of kindness are both enriched through the interchange.”

“The Kindness is Contagious” Program, 1991

We are off to a great start as we begin the sixth year of implementation of the Educating For Character Program. “Educating Leaders of Character” is our school theme this school year and programs to develop leadership attributes and skills within our students continue to be integrated within the educational program. Along with this theme we have chosen to sharpen the focus of the Educating For Character Program to emphasize the character traits of kindness and caring. Based on the results of last year’s program assessment in which students gave themselves low marks on the survey as to how they treat each other, we are focusing on positive peer relationships by providing opportunities to teach the meaning of kindness and caring, practicing these character traits, and engaging students in leadership activities through peer education programs. Here are some highlights from the First Quarter that we would like to share with you:

Kindness and Caring Initiatives:

Montessori:
The focus for the Montessori division this year is to nurture each child’s growth in social behavior skills. The following three goals have been chosen to help the students speak with kindness and to interact with one another in a respectful, caring manner:

• Students will help new students make friends and feel accepted

• Students will care about and help each other, even if they are not friends.

• When students do something hurtful, they will apologize and make up.

For the Montessori child, one of the major ways social skills can be nurtured is through recognizing and accepting the young child’s feelings. The Montessori classroom provides a warm, inviting environment where children are nurtured emotionally and feel safe to express their feelings in positive ways. There are specific techniques and activities which the faculty use to accomplish this, such as:

• Modeling positive attitudes and expressing feelings through the use of  “I messages.”

• Using “questioning and reflecting back” techniques to express oneself.

• Helping children learn to appreciate the perceptions and feelings of others.

• Helping children to treat others as one wishes to be treated.

This year there are 106 new Montessori children and helping these students feel welcome and comfortable in a new environment is a focus for the faculty and students.  The returning students are asked to mentor new students in a variety of ways:

• Inviting them to “work” with them.

• Encouraging the younger children to ask the older ones for help.

• Including everyone in playground games.

• Opening the door and greeting the younger children as they come to school in the morning.

Throughout the year Montessori faculty will rotate among the classrooms the “Help Me Be Good” series of books written by Joy Berry. Stories include lessons on kindness, sharing with others, and taking care of toys at home and materials in the classroom.

Primary:

Throughout the Primary classrooms and hallways are posters, bulletin boards, and quotes emphasizing kindness and caring.  Individual random acts of kindness are posted on grade level bulletin boards. These include actions (in the students’ words) such as:

• “Someone helped me spell a word when I could not spell.”

• “Someone said my art was good in art class.”

• “Someone got my backpack for me when I forgot it.”

Each Primary student has written a goal focusing on how he or she is going to be kind and caring each day of the school year.  The students presented these goals at an October 24 Prayer Service based on the theme of kindness and caring. This service was led by Third Grade students and Maxwell Bowdon began by saying, “Jesus was always kind to the people He met. He talked with the people, healed them, and helped them. Jesus wants us to be kind, too. Not just to our families and friends, but to all people we meet.”

Third Grade art classes are creating “Kindness” quilt pieces that illustrate a kind act.  Students will write a description to accompany their illustrations. This project is based on the work of the artist Faith Ringgold and her narrative quilts.

Resources on teaching positive social behavior skills have been made available for both faculty and parents. Articles and a bibliography of helpful books will be distributed throughout the year and presented at parent visitation days.

In November Primary and Montessori faculty will attend an in-service on social skills development and problem solving strategies for young children given by Dr. Meg Zeller, a psychologist from Children’s Hospital.

Middle School:

Numerous visible signs of kindness and caring initiatives are evident throughout the Middle School. For example, if you are “caught doing something kind for someone” in the Middle School and it is reported to librarian Mrs. Karen Wagner, students will receive a Certificate of Merit. After collecting ten of these certificates students earn a coveted out-of-uniform day.

Fourth Grade students were welcomed to school by receiving a “Kindness and Caring” tool kit to begin the school year. It contained items to remind them to act kindly toward others - for example, an eraser to remind you that everyone makes mistakes sometimes and that’s all right and a toothpick to remind you to “pick out” the good qualities of everyone-including themselves!

Teachers and students read, discuss books and engage in activities relating to the theme of kindness and caring during advisement.

In Ms. Kristy Meineke’s Health class’s students spent time on self-concept and how each person is unique and should be appreciated in a kind way.

Fourth Grade students in Mrs. Diane Uckotter’s religion class made bookmarks on the computer and typed on them “The “Kindness Pledge” from the book, The Hidden Power of Kindness, by Father Lawrence Lovasik. It states, I resolve to:

“Speak kindly of someone at least once a day. Think kindly about someone at least once a day. Act kindly toward someone at least once a day. Avoid speaking unkindly of anyone. Avoid speaking unkindly to anyone. Avoid acting unkindly toward anyone."

Entering the Fifth Grade hallway one is greeted with the “God’s Word is Kindness” Board on which students have printed on scrolls their initials in Hebrew, the language of the Bible, and a message from Jesus, such as “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” 

Fifth Grade students have created “Character Boards” which address an element from last year’s character assessment. Mrs. Brenda DelFavero’s and Mrs. Anne Suntken’s advisement discussed situations concerning how students “intervene” to do the right thing when someone needs help. Students role-played actual situations which occur during the school day. They video-taped and took pictures of this enactment and discussion followed using the questions: “How does it feel?”  “How can you intervene?” and  “What can you do to help?” Students then designed the “Character Board” from the role-playing and discussions. Students in Mrs. Ann Goff’s and Mrs. Megan Rademacher’s advisement engaged in various rapport-building activities with their students by having them discuss common interests.

Students in Ms. Kristy Meineke’s Health classes studied forgiveness and students wrote letters of apology or a kind word to each other. Discussions that followed demonstrated that this activity was a great success!

Sixth Grade advisement groups have been very “creative” with various activities which emphasize kindness and caring. Mr. Skip Lynam’s and Mrs. Maureen Everhart’s advisement spent time discussing the meaning of the theme and are now “mapping” the various locations where Sixth Graders are exhibiting unkind behavior. Discussions then centered on why this behavior occurs and what strategies students can employ to improve it.  Mr. Pat Hayes’ and Ms. Amanda Gruber’s advisements role-played various situations to enhance more positive ways for peers to approach each other.  Mrs. Phyllis Mendel used reflective journaling for students to write about making decisions to include others and how it feels to be excluded. Students in Ms. Kristy Meineke’s Health classes studied effective and diplomatic communication skills. Students learned strategies to speak up when someone is being treated unfairly.

Sixth Grade students earn “S-P-E-C-I-A-L” stickers when another student or teacher report they have performed a kind deed. The goal is to collect stickers for all the letters in the word “SPECIAL” in order to receive a small item from the “Treasure Box.”

In preparation for the Woodland Altars trip, Sixth Grade advisements brainstormed and discussed “Kindness Opportunities” they might encounter. They listed these opportunities on poster board and took them on the trip as a reminder:  

• “Have a positive attitude…Keep negative thoughts to yourself.”

• “Bunk, bus, and eat with a variety of people.”

• “Comfort the homesick…Go out of your comfort zone.”

Seventh Grade students learn about kindness and caring throughout the curriculum. Mrs. Amy Mitchell’s class read the novel, The Wave, which describes peer pressure and how to choose to do the right thing. Students wrote essays about their feelings on how this book relates to their lives. Guidance Counselor Patty Argus met with all Seventh Grade advisements to discuss with students the importance of being kind to each other. Mr. Jeff Tullos’ Religion classes examined not only students’ relationships with Jesus, but also their relationships with each other.

Be on the lookout for the “Acts of Kindness” wall in the Seventh Grade hallway - pictures are being taken of all Seventh Grade students and faculty with a digital camera and if you are “caught and nominated” for doing a good deed, your picture will be displayed on the Kindness Wall! 

Caring for the environment has been a special focus for several Seventh Graders who have formed a core team called SKORE (Summit Kids Organize Recycling Efforts). This recycling team, under the moderation of Ms. Kristy Meineke, has learned that for every ton of recycled paper, 17 trees are saved. They are recycling Xerox paper and for every 132 pounds of paper collected and recycled, a tree will be planted.

The “What Do You Stand For?” program is being used in Eighth Grade Religion classes as a focus for implementing the kindness and caring initiative. Students began the school year by completing several self-assessment surveys:

• A “Self Portrait”- asking them to take a good look at themselves and to write answers to questions such as: “What do I look like?  What do I like to think about?  What do I like about myself? What are my best character traits? and What do I wish to be doing 10 years from now?”

• An “Interests Inventory”- asking them to rate their interests from “surfing the Internet to going to the zoo to learning how to season food.” The responses were totaled and students were given their “composite interests.”

•  A  “Relationships Inventory”- asking them to describe the way they feel about their relationships with others from “my friends seem to have a good time with me to my parents respect my opinions.”  Responses were rated from most and some of the time to seldom or never.

Students will keep the results of this self-assessment in a journal and will retake the surveys at the end of the year to determine growth and development in the various areas.

After this assessment, students wrote essays entitled “12 ways to be more positive” and were given scenarios on character dilemmas and then were asked to discuss how they would solve these dilemmas based on being positive. Students were also asked to write out what a “random act of kindness” might be and then demonstrate caring through role-playing situations.

During Mr. Emil Nelson’s social studies class, students brainstormed and discussed the “Responsibilities of Eighth Grade Students.” Some of these include:

• “ Students should create opportunities for success.”

•  “ Students should give sympathy, help, and understanding.”

•  “ Students should do what is expected and follow through with their jobs.”

Upper School:

“Educating Leaders of Character” is our school theme. The Summit Upper School Leadership Program has developed over the years and has set forth the following vision for the program:

“ The purpose of The Summit Country Day School Leadership Program is to provide every student in the Upper School with the training and experiences in collaborative, Christ-like servant leadership throughout their four years in the school.”

The implementation of this Leadership Program focuses on civility of behavior in all of its goals and action steps. Civility is defined as behaving, speaking, and interacting in kindness with one another.

Here are several of the initiatives of this program so far this school year:

On August 22 Sister Rose Ann Fleming, PhD., SND, Coordinator of Academic/Athletic Advising at Xavier University and former Executive Head of The Summit, spoke with Grades 7-12 coaches and Upper School club moderators about the importance of being guided by a positive values system orientation. She challenged them in their role to help students “learn about themselves and their strengths as emerging leaders.”

Before school began students on Student Council and the AYF (American Youth Foundation) Team met to plan and organize the agendas for the Upper School grade level “Ignition Day” activities. The goal of this day is to begin the year with a series of class-building activities which will enhance unity, spirit, and enthusiasm for students as they enter a new school year.

On August 30 Student Council organized a Club Fair at which time Upper School students could learn about the many co-curricular opportunities that are available to them.

The Christian Service Executive Board met and reviewed the definition of the service that applies to the 48-hour graduation requirement for Upper School students. The definition states that applicable hours are:

“ Those projects or actions that enable The Summit student to interact with a person in need. This is best exemplified by Christ in the Gospel: Feeding the hungry, Clothing the naked, Taking care of the poor, Ministering to the sick, Aiding the outcasts, Housing the homeless, Preaching the gospel, Caring for the persecuted.”

The Sumacs (Summit Athletic Club) organized the Fall Spirit Week followed by the Homecoming Football game with a Homecoming Court.  A Homecoming Dance on Saturday evening was organized by Student Council.

The Miami Valley Conference Student Forum, a group of coaches, officials, administrators and students from schools within the conference, met October 19 to discuss sportsmanship and school spirit among the teams. The forum meets once each sports season.

The Upper School is offering a new one semester, one-quarter credit course entitled, Leadership For the Twenty-First Century. This course is a graduation requirement and is taken during the Junior year. It focuses on learning and practicing leadership styles, traits, attributes, and skills. The goal of the course is to utilize this learning and then internalize the ideal of “the servant as leader model” as expressed in the Upper School Leadership Program.

We would like to thank the Educating For Character Committee for sharing this information within this report: Montessori – Diane Fee and Linda Moeggenberg; Primary – First Grade- Ann Thelen, Second Grade- Kathleen Kane, Third Grade – Joan Hilton; Middle School – Patty Argus and Mark Friedman, Fourth Grade - Diane Uckotter, Fifth Grade - Brenda Del Favero, Sixth Grade – Maureen Everhart, Seventh Grade – Jeff Tullos, Eighth Grade – Mary Rose Collins; Upper School - Laura Haas and Mike Johnson.

Please Mark your calendar: On February 1, 2001, Dr. Thomas Lickona, author of Educating For Character and a nationally acclaimed speaker, will visit The Summit and work with students during the day, speak with the faculty after school, and be the evening’s keynote speaker presenter at The Summit Parent Association Winter Dinner Meeting.  Dr. Lickona’s work in character education is the foundation of The Summit’s Educating For Character Program.  We sincerely hope you will join us that evening!

With great earnestness and intentions, we are committed to encouraging acts of kindness and caring within our students’ behavioral repertoires.  It is our belief that the efforts, about which you have read above and in all the future initiatives to be implemented, will inspire consistent kind behavior that will become ingrained in the value system of our students – your children.