February, the month for love, is the perfect time to celebrate good character! Think of people in your life you admire and the character traits that they embody. Let them know that you admire and respect them for traits such as…

• Respectfulness
• Self-discipline
• Caring
• Honesty
• Good judgment
• Understanding
• Kindness
• Citizenship
• Reliability
• Responsibility
• Dependability
• Ambition
• Courage
• Helpfulness
• Perseverance
• Cooperativeness

You can put these traits and others in action through the following activity…

• Creating a “Know Your Rights” handout for students.
• Handing out tips on being a good sport while playing and observing athletic events.
• Sponsoring a character trait of the week by choosing 5 students each week to honor for exhibiting the positive trait.
• Exploring the consequences of cheating and how it will affect your character.
• Asking students to talk about people they trust and why that matters to them.
• Celebrating Black History Month by honoring peaceful leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Visiting an elementary school or local shelter and perform a skit based on “How to Treat Others.”
• Acting out a skit at halftime encouraging positive parent behavior at sporting events.
• Sponsoring a “Solving Problems Through Words” workshop that demonstrates positive character traits such as caring, kindness, and respect.
• Promoting citizenship, caring, and awareness by creating “Valentines” for children and women at local domestic violence shelters and delivering them in person while providing an afternoon of fun for the children so the mothers can have an afternoon to themselves.
• Working with peers and elementary students to create “I Can Be Me” posters and discussing the importance of positive character traits.
• Being a positive role model for those around you so they can learn good traits, as well!