One month after Anti-Bullying Week, the Associated Student Body dedicated another set of days from Oct. 18-21 to remind the students about the significance of having good character. Various posters bearing the six pillars—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship—were plastered on the Viking hallways.
Commissioner of Campus and Community Jennifer Sicardi created a PowerPoint for teachers to use as they discuss morals in their classes. Sicardi also included a quote promoting the different pillars during the daily announcements to reach out to the other half who have not been informed by their teachers.
“Having good character is important in everyday life and in obtaining success,” Sicardi said.
In accordance to the Character Counts Week, there were also a good number of participants who wore purple on Thurs, Oct. 20, to campaign against gay discrimination. This national event, called Spirit Day, aims to call attention to the many homosexuals who have committed suicide because they were getting bullied. As students are reminded of the six pillars, it is also a way to steer them away from unruly behaviors.
“It’s really important to tell the students about morality especially as we’re growing up,” Sicardi said, “because our attitude today is what shapes our future and we should always live by the six pillars.”
With over 4000 students roaming around campus, it is evident that the tremendous amount of diversity will serve as a division among the student body. Different backgrounds and different interests often cause various groups to clash. Reminding the students about morality will help them realize the value of respect and fairness.
“Everyone should always be friendly with one another because no one is lesser or more different than the other,” senior Andrew Gutierrez said. ” It displays good character despite the problems with ethnicity and culture.”
Encouraging the students to act a certain way is definitely not an easy task, but raising awareness on this subject allows the student body to really recognize why it is significant. Getting the whole school to participate in this event at once is surely impossible, but senior Brittany Alarcon believes that it only takes one person to set an example.
“If a student exemplifies these pillars everyday, it is sure to be contagious,” Alarcon said. “Always strive to be your personal best and lead by example.”
Every individual who possesses great character influences others to act the same way. To maintain a positive representation of the school, students must always remember that character does count.
