Clarington asked to show its character

CLARINGTON -- Show your character, Clarington.

A little over a year ago, Clarington council voted to become a "Community of Character." Now, the group running the effort is asking for more support to make the idea a reality.

The concept is a take-off on the Character Education program of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

The character education program began under Dr. Avis Glaze, in 2003, when she was KPR's director of education. Through community consultation, 10 attributes were decided upon -- respect, responsibility, honesty, integrity, empathy, fairness, initiative, perseverance, courage and optimism -- and the program was implemented, stressing the practice and application of those attributes in the board's schools.

By becoming a Community of Character, Clarington could see "these attributes not just taught in school, but modelled in the community," said Roberta Youngs-Ransom, the vice-principal at Clarington Central Secondary School.

There are many advantages to do this, said Ms. Youngs-Ransom during a recent Clarington council meeting.

"Building on what's in place now, it will put Clarington on the leading edge in Durham Region and will improve the wonderful community in which we currently reside," she said.

The group organizing the Community of Character effort would like to see some help from the Municipality on the issue, but it's hard to say what form that would take, said Ms. Youngs-Ransom.

"Whether it's being part of (municipal) publications, monetary funding to do more initiatives in the community ...we just want to get that Character message out there," she said.