INITIATIVE, Character Trait for September

How can an old, used crayon make a difference? Well, Lower School students learned just how at our very first Lower School Community Meeting of the school year.

At each of these monthly meetings, students are introduced to a new character trait. For September, students are encouraged to keep their eyes peeled for opportunities to jump in with INITIATIVE -- seeing what needs to be done and doing.

The story of Bryan Ware, founder of The Crayon Initiative, demonstrates what it means to show initiative. After discovering that the crayons used by kids at restaurants usually go straight into the trash can, Bryan saw a need to do something different about it. With the help of a little research and donations of used crayons from restaurants, schools, and other organizations, he learned how to melt down the crayons, pour them in molds, and create new crayons. He then turned around to donate the upcycled crayons to patients at children’s hospitals across the nation. In all, he’s impacted 591,000 patients and saved 43,661,519 crayons from entering landfills. Talk about seeing what needs to be done and doing it!

Speaking of jumping right in, we also gave a big welcome to our new Lower School students during our Community Meeting. Each of them had the opportunity to introduce themselves from their classrooms in our virtual assembly. I can’t wait to see what other ways Lower School students practice this character trait as we continue the year.

For the fourth year in a row, the Core Essential Values character education curriculum will help students pursue moral excellence with a focus on treating others right, making smart decisions, and maximizing their potential. After the monthly character trait is introduced in the Lower School Community Meeting, Mrs. Sams, our Lower School counselor, emphasizes the character traits in classroom guidance lessons and teachers reiterate character building through various classroom opportunities. 

To keep things visual for our young learners, each monthly word is characterized by an animal and a color, and students find posters with the character word of the month posted in classrooms around campus. 

We continue to see an increasing impact this character education program has on young children in our Lower School with each year of implementation. It is providing vocabulary and strategies for students to learn how to solve problems effectively, seek ways to be in service to others, and make a difference in this world. 

Here are a couple of first-hand examples of how students have developed character traits of the past:

• I’ve seen students share their gifts of time and creativity by creating inspiring posters to hang around campus (GENEROSITY),
• I’ve helped students facilitate "The Peace Process" when solving conflict (PEACE),
• I’ve witnessed fourth-graders volunteering to stay in from their outside break time to complete jobs in preparation for their Fourth Grade Store project (COMMITMENT),
• And a smile lights up my face every time I see a student invite a lonely student to play on the playground (FRIENDSHIP). 

As a parent, you can support your child’s learning at home by tuning into the Core Essential Values monthly podcast and reading the newsletters we will share each month. Check out this month’s resources on taking INITIATIVE at the link below.

INITIATIVE Newsletter for Parents

By Blair Hawley
Head of Lower School