Character Connection Class...Building Relationships in a place to call “Home”

In a time when our students are bombarded with so many choices to make, societal pressures, and instantaneous access to social media, it is important for them to have a “home base” at school; a place to connect with a core group of school peers - a place to slow down the hectic pace of “their world”. Our Character Connection Class (CCC) helps to meet these needs. A multi-grade level class, students are in the same CCC “family” for their three years at Francis Howell Middle. Four days a week CCC kicks off our school day (meeting for approximately 25 minutes), then the students move on to their academic school schedule. During CCC the students and their teachers spend time discussing our Four Core Ethical Values (Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, and Compassion), completing Community Service and Service-Learning Projects, setting academic, attendance, and behavior goals, and forging a bond with other students that may create friendships that last well beyond high school. This time allows the students to build multi-grade level friendships, helps develop their leadership skills, foster service to others, discuss social issues, and promotes student voice.

We have learned that by placing a priority with CCC during our school day we are empowering our students to become positive role models, caring citizens, and students dedicated to making a difference in their community. Purposeful efforts like the CCC will empower students, teachers and the greater community!