Our Character Education (CE) story began 10 years ago with the opening of Cimino Elementary. It was imperative that our new Cimino family enter a welcoming environment, so a CE Committee composed of faculty, parents, community members, and students was developed. The Committee developed CE goals to empower our school’s mission, according to our population’s needs. We pioneered an ambitious undertaking for all stakeholders to “Catch the Character Fever,” which became the theme that inspired our school curriculum, culture, and community. We began with four “contagious” traits and, with our new theme, “Color your World with Character,” the focus has evolved to 10 traits. These traits have become paramount in our efforts to achieve a school population comprised of enthusiastic individuals who love doing what is right. We defined a universal action plan that contained activities connecting cognitive, affective, and behavioral terms with CE. Teachers conducted lessons, modeled appropriate behaviors, and initiated daily doses of the prescribed traits to spread the character fever with students ranging from gifted to those within the autistic spectrum. We give thanks for the influence of Phil Vincent, Barbara Luther, and Thomas Lickona who have given us the essentials for encouraging “smart and goodness” at Cimino. After reflecting upon our accomplishments, we are proud that we open our hearts to ALL children encouraging smiles, dreams and exploration!

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