Photo by Sydney Cromwell.
Character in Action 2014
Oak Mountain Elementary School students play during a physical education class.
The Character In Action Program is a new initiative by Shelby County Schools to recognize and reward positive behavior in students. In conjunction with Alabaster City School, Pelham City Schools and the Shelby County Juvenile Court, the school system will recognize a group of students with good character each month.
“We’re just trying to catch kids in the act of being good,” said Shelby County Schools Social Worker Emily Littrell. “We want to get those kids in the spotlight.”
Littrell said Juvenile Court Judge James Kramer came up with the idea for Character in Action as a way to provide positive role models and an incentive for good behavior.
“A lot of times you only hear about negative things that students are doing,” Littrell said. “We want to balance that out with some of the good things happening in our schools.”
Program criteria:
Students must display exceptional respect, self-discipline, responsibility, good citizenship, friendship, fairness, perseverance or courage to be nominated.
How it works:
1. Each month, a different school zone nominates four students who have met the Character In Action standards. There will be one elementary, one intermediate, one middle and one high school student. Chelsea and Oak Mountain students will be recognized on Jan. 15 at 8:30 a.m. at Family Connection in Alabaster.
2. The four students will be honored at the monthly meetings of the Children’s Policy Council and the Drug-Free Coalition. Each student will receive a certificate, a $25 gift card and a photo with Judge Kramer.
3. At the end of the school year, the monthly winners’ names will be entered into a drawing to win one of four laptops. The Shelby County Juvenile Court is providing the laptops.
