[media-credit id=173 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]

Annually, the U.S. President, U.S. Senate, state governors and officials around the world proclaim the third week in Oct. CHARACTER COUNTS Week (CC)!

The goal of CC Week is to help the nation, but most importantly, high school students across the country and even the world. To make a difference and know what it means to portray the six pillars of character and what it is to show good standing character.

There are six pillars of character:

Trustworthiness
To always be honest, to try your best to not deceive others, cheat, or steal, to be reliable ? do what you say you?ll do, to have the courage to do the right thing, to build a good reputation, to be loyal – stand by your family, friends, and country.

Respect
To treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule, to be tolerant and accepting of differences, to use good manners, not bad language, be considerate of the feelings of others, to try your best, not to threaten, hit or hurt anyone, to deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.

Responsibility
To do what you are supposed to do, to plan ahead, to persevere: keep on trying, to always do your best, use self-control, be self-disciplined, to think before you act – consider the consequences, be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes, to set a good example for others.

Fairness
To play by the rules, to take turns and share, to be open-minded; listen to others, to try your best not to take advantage of others or blame others carelessly, to treat all people fairly.

Caring
To be kind, to be compassionate and show you care, to express gratitude, to forgive others, to help people in need.

Citizenship
To do your share to make your school and community better, to cooperate, to get involved in community affairs, to stay informed; vote, to be a good neighbor, to obey laws and rules, to respect authority, to protect the environment, to volunteer.

Showing good character is important to FC. I asked six students what each of the six pillars of character meant to them.

Sara Peterson, ’15, talks about what it means to be fair and helpful to others.

“Fairness is everybody doing their part,” Peterson said. “For example, if we’re doing a group project, everyone can put in their fair share to reach a common goal.”

Nick Fontes, ’15, feels that it is important to take responsibility of your own actions and portraying honesty in such a way that people can learn from you.

“Responsibility means taking control of your own life and being willing to be held accountable for your actions,” Fontes said. “Doing what people expect of you and doing what you say you can do.”

Tim Nyberg, ’16, urges his fellow peers to get out there and give back.

“I believe citizenship is doing your part as a citizen to help the community, giving back, cleaning up a nearby park,” Nyberg said. “All these things qualify as good deeds.”

Marisa Jonigian, ’16, shares her hope for her classmates to practice being trustworthy.

“Trustworthiness is being able to rely on someone, such as your friends or your family,” Jonigan said. “If you are a reliable or trustworthy person, people will most likely come to you for help or advice, and that is, I think, one of the most flattering things in life.”

Michael Coit, ’15, tells us what it means to him to care for others.

“I believe caring is letting someone know the truth no matter how much it hurts them,” Coit said. “For instance, if I had to tell one of my buds some bad news, I wouldn’t hide it from them and have them find out later that I knew all along. I would tell him the truth even if it hurt his feelings because I would want him to hear it from someone he cares about rather than someone else. By doing that, I’m showing him I care.”

Vanessa Shubin, ’16, talks about respect and what it means to practice it.

“I think respect is something you earn. If you’re making a fool of yourself and always goofing around, it’s hard to get people to respect you,” Shubin said. “The only example I can think of is substitute teachers. If you lay down the ground rules and don’t take any funny business, you will earn the respect of the students. But if you joke around all willy-nilly, the students won’t take you seriously.”

As the Character Counts Week comes to a close, let’s not forget what it means to show good character, not only our peers, but people we haven’t even come into contact with yet. Doing a good deed or portraying trustworthiness will serve you well in life and you will gain respect from people you encounter over the course of your life.

But let’s not shrink down exemplifying good character to just a week. Let this not be the end of Character Counts Week, but the beginning of making a difference one interaction at a time.

Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather. This writer can be reached via Twitter: @kedamschen.

For more features, read the Oct. 23 article, Seniors strive to wrangle a win.