Thinking Positively
Arizona benefits from Character Counts!^SM program

Trustworthiness. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Caring. Citizenship. These aren't just words, these are the six pillars of character identified in the Character Counts!^SM initiative, a program aimed at school-aged children, parents and teachers.

APS works closely with the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Character Education Foundation to establish the program's character-building curriculum. It also spreads the character education message around Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, through innovative programs like APS Character: The Power to Make it Happen! assemblies and the APS Power Players sports clinics and field building efforts.

These programs use the Six Pillars as a foundation for reinforcing positive behavior in kids of all ages. According to the Arizona Department of Education, character education programs have proven successful, both nationally and in Arizona. There is dramatic evidence these programs help improve school attendance, behavior, sportsmanship in athletics and academic performance.

"According to the Arizona Character Education Foundation, schools that are trained in the Character Counts! program typically experience an increased level of respect, improved commitment to personal responsibility, and up to a 90 percent decrease in disciplinary referrals in one year," said Tammy Linn, president of the organization.

In fact, because of that kind of support, Character Counts!, the organization's key education program, is in more than 800 Arizona schools impacting 400,000 students.

Capitol Elementary School in downtown Phoenix is a good example of the programs' impact. More than 500 of its students attended some of the first Power to Make it Happen! assemblies. The assemblies use high-energy presenters, humorous videos and interactive games to reinforce the concepts of good character to kids in grades K-6. In 2007, assemblies were held in 126 Arizona schools reaching more than 60,000 students, teachers and school staff.

In addition, Capitol Elementary received an APS/Phoenix Suns Education Mini-Grant to create real pillars to represent the Six Pillars of Character. The school-wide project brought together students from all grades along with parents and community members on pieces of the project. Together they designed and fired the tiles in their art lessons and used math skills to figure out how much material was needed to create the pillars.

"What APS is doing is a great benefit to us," said Russell Sanders, the school's principal.

The school has been a Character Counts! school - teaching the concepts of the pillars to its students - for more than three years. "Every morning we talk about a pillar of character and it really underlines the importance of this to the kids to have someone outside of the school come and say this matters."

Sanders said the pillar-building project not only reinforced the Six Pillars, it also created a community-wide sense of ownership and investment in the school from the parents who gave up their mornings, the students who gave of their lunchtime and the teachers who donated their evenings, to complete the project. In addition to time spent, APS' $500 grant was nearly tripled by both a $500 donation from the Arizona Character Education Foundation and $300 gathered by the school itself.

And in 2006, Capitol was also the recipient of an APS Power Players clinic featuring former Phoenix Suns players James Jones, Pat Burke and Connie Hawkins. Power Players uses sports and professional athletes to reinforce the importance of good character and the concepts of Character Counts! Last year, APS Power Players brought its unique combination of sports and character education to more than 600 kids in Arizona and northwestern New Mexico.

Throughout the year the program presented 18 sports clinics in partnership with the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix International Raceway and the Arizona Major League Alumni Association. New to the program were partnerships and clinics with Arizona State and Northern Arizona universities' collegiate sports teams.

The program also provided:

• Two refurbished basketball courts in partnership with Phoenix Suns at Avondale's Michael Anderson Elementary School and Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood; and
• Four new baseball fields in partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix with two of those fields being adaptive for youth with disabilities.

"APS is truly a leader in their support of character education in Arizona," said Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. "Because of APS' support and leadership, we have been able to train thousands of teachers and students in character development. The impact of their contribution will benefit us today and for years to come."

APS Senior Community Development Consultant Louise Moskowitz says the Character Counts! program has been successful in reaching children statewide.

"At APS, we believe in supporting education, specifically the core values offered through Character Counts!," she says. "By making this program available through schools, community and youth centers, we are reaching the future leaders of Arizona. And through character education, our children will develop the attitudes and behaviors we want to see in our community leaders, consumers and our future employees. If we can cultivate a great educational system based on these six pillars of character, our state will flourish in the coming years."