The Character Counts! Educational Program of Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS)

By Helena Awad & Patrick Awad

There are 24 school districts in Maryland. They include Allegany County Public Schools, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore County Public Schools, Calvert County Public Schools, Caroline County Public Schools, Carroll County Public Schools, Cecil County Public Schools, Charles County Public Schools, Dorchester County Public Schools, Frederick County Public Schools, Garrett County Public Schools, Harford County Public Schools, Howard County Public Schools, Kent County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, Saint Mary’s County Public Schools, Somerset County Public Schools, Talbot County Public Schools, Washington County Public Schools, Wicomico County Public Schools, and Worcester County Public Schools. (10) The Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) was founded in 1889 in Frederick Maryland. (9) They state their mission as to “reach our students with exceptional teaching and caring support, challenge them to achieve their potential, and prepare them for success in a global society.” (7) We are thankful and proud to be part of this public school system in Frederick County since Kindergarten.

The Character Counts! Educational Program is implemented at all grade levels in FCPS. This great program explains who we are today and who we will be tomorrow. “Character Counts!” helps us to think critically, problem-solve, and make the right decisions every day. There are “6 pillars of character”: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. (8) These same pillars are those that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King amplified through his teachings and actions as a great leader. In his article, The Purpose of Education, he wrote “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.” (11)

All elementary, middle, and high schools in FCPS celebrate his life and legacy in a yearly community celebration and nominate an outstanding student in the school to receive the King Award during this special event. The student who is chosen from every school has consistently demonstrated positive leadership qualities characteristic of Dr. King and the Character Counts! pillars. The “6 pillars of character” work together to make us good people in this world. They help us be great leaders and stand strong like pillars of a building as shown in our diagram.

The first pillar is trustworthiness, which is “able to be relied on to do or provide what is needed or right; deserving of trust.” (6) This means telling the truth, being honest and loyal, reliable, not cheating or stealing, keeping promises, following rules, and doing the right things all the time even when no one is watching or if it is hard.

The second pillar is respect, which is “a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important, etc.; a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way; a particular way of thinking about or looking at something; polite greeting or expression of kind feelings.” (4) This means treating others the way we want to be treated, being polite all the time, accepting others as they are, being considerate of others’ feelings, listening to others and taking turns, controlling our emotions, showing good sportsmanship, staying calm during disagreements, and accepting others’ cultures and religions.

The third pillar is responsibility, which is “the state of being the person who caused something to happen; a duty or task that you are required or expected to do; something that you should do because it is morally right, legally required, etc.; the state of having the job or duty of dealing with and taking care of something or someone; the quality of a person who can be trusted to do what is expected, required, etc.” (5) This means doing what we are asked or supposed to do, owning our actions, being responsible for our words and attitudes, being disciplined, trying our best, persevering, and thinking before we act.

The fourth pillar is fairness, which is “agreeing with what is thought to be right or acceptable; treating people in a way that does not favor some over others; not too harsh or critical.” (3) This means being honest, taking turns, showing no favoritism, following the rules, contributing, sharing, participating in group work, not taking advantage of others, listening to everyone’s opinions, and having equal opportunity.

The fifth pillar is caring, which is “feeling or showing concern for other people; of or relating to work that involves helping people”. (1) This means being kind and supportive, showing compassion, forgiving others, and helping those in need.

The sixth pillar is citizenship, which is “the fact or status of being a citizen of a particular place; the qualities that a person is expected to have as a responsible member of a community.” (2) This means helping to make the school and community better, being involved and volunteering, following rules, respecting the leadership team, protecting our environment, and being good students.

The “6 pillars of character” are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. They are part of “The Character Counts! Educational Program” in Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) and those which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King amplified through his teachings and actions. We can apply the 6 pillars of character in school and anywhere we go. For example, we can always ask: “Am I being trustworthy?”, “Does this show respect?”, “Am I responsible and do I own my actions?”, “Is this fair?”, “Do I have a caring attitude?”, “Am I being a good citizen?” Character Counts! helps students stand strong, be good people, stay optimistic, make good choices, think critically, be creative problem solvers, become great leaders, and make a positive difference in this world.

References

1. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (2023). Caring. In The Britannica dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/caring
2. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (2023). Citizenship. In The Britannica dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/citizenship
3. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (2023). Fairness. In The Britannica dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/fairness
4. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (2023). Respect. In The Britannica dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/respect
5. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (2023). Responsibility. In The Britannica dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/responsibility
6. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. (2023). Trustworthiness. In The Britannica dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/trustworthiness
7. Frederick County Public Schools. Advanced Academics. Retrieved from https://www.fcps.org/academics/advacademics
8. Frederick County Public Schools. Character Counts! Retrieved from https://www.fcps.org/academics/character-counts
9. “Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland”. (2023, March 10). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_County_Public_Schools_(Maryland)
10. “List of school districts in Maryland”. (2022, March 11 ). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_districts_in_Maryland
11. MLKP, MBU, Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers, 1954–1968, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University, Boston, Mass. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. Retrieved from https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/purpose-education