America's Youth: Be a Person of Character

On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, I addressed 250 7th and 8th graders of the Wood-Ridge Public School District in New Jersey. The presentation was titled Be a Person of Character: Change the World.

This event was possible through the leadership of Police Chief Joseph T. Rutigliano and a team of police officers in collaboration with Dr. Sue De Nobile and Guidance Counselor Laura Goodman.

After my presentations I met with a cadre of hand selected high school student leaders and facilitated a mentoring/neutral zone initiative encouraging their dedication to character and bullying prevention.

This program is a continuation of years of educational initiatives designed to motivate a chain reaction to enhance character education in American schools.

Robert Waters School: Encouraging Character in Union City Students-April 13, 2011 Program

On Wednesday, April 13, 2011, I had the pleasure of returning to the Union City Public Schools in Hudson County, New Jersey to provide presentations to over 300 students and educators at the Robert Waters School. This was a continuation of numerous educational initiatives for administrators, security personnel, school crossing guards, parents and students throughout the district. At this event, the students met in the gym for a presentation titled Be a Person of Character: Change the World that included the importance of character through social networking.

Social networking technology includes:

• Instant Messaging, email, voice connection and web cams
  
• Online Community websites, such as MySpace and Facebook
  
• Media sharing websites, such as YouTube, Picasa and Flickr
  
• Cell Phones for voice, text, picture and video sharing

Some of the highlights of the event included:

• Focusing on what it means to be a student which includes personal responsibility, reaching one’s full potential and achieving greatness by making sacrifices. Students discussed the importance of encouraging one another and avoiding negativity and criticism.
  
• Honestly confronting problems at home and school.
  
• The importance of working together and being involved with the community including family and friends, church, community organizations and school.
  
• Developing personal leadership especially through the quality of character.
  
• The use of a Secret Power: "You have the power to change the world by helping each other do what is right."

We then explored the dangers of inappropriate content, including:

• Misinformation
  
• Pictures / Videos
  
• Language / Sexting
  
• Gangs / Criminal Activity
  
• Bullies / Cyberbullying
  
• Predators

All students were encouraged to get involved, making "Character: The Heart of the Matter," as inspired by Rachel Scott's Challenge:

• ELIMINATE PREJUDICE
  by looking for the Best in Others
  
• DARE TO DREAM
  Set Goals—Keep a Journal
  
• CHOOSE YOUR INFLUENCES
  Input Determines Output
  
• KIND WORDS
  Small Acts of Kindness = Huge Impact
  
• START A CHAIN REACTION
  With Family & Friends

As with all of my presentations, we concluded with a tribute honoring American Military Sacrifices.

Robert Waters School is to be highly commended for this initiative that encourages students to reach their full potential, wisely using the tools of the computer age, helping one another, developing personal character and enhancing a sense of patriotism.

Rachel Joy Scott (3:32)

<a HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR8Eae9vQ4g">Play the clip on YouTube</A>

READ MORE

Rachel's Challenge	Click here to visit site
Character Education Partnership	Click here to visit site
Sacred Honor: Police Officer, Soldier, Patriot	Click here to visit site