Northwest Elementary School recently held a Character Counts Family Fun Night for NW parents and children.

After Interim Principal Dr. Shirley Martin and Assistant Principal Vincent Todisco welcomed the guests, social worker Debra Lee, librarian Christine Gambella and psychologist Deborah Becker provided a introduction to the Character Counts program, focusing on the six pillars: trustworthy, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.  

Students also delivered the following inspiring and entertaining performances:  
• “Character Counts” pledge by Jennifer Bianco’s reading group
• “Caring” poem by students Matthew Brown and Francesco Patruno
• “Respect” poem by Mackenzie Reddin’s and Danielle Lavoie’s classes
• “Kind and Caring Friend” poem by Quianna Batts
• “Trustworthy” skit by Lori Heavey’s reading group
• “Citizenship” poem and “Caring” song by Adeline Karniewich’s class
 
Families participated in character-themed coloring activities and created animal crafts associated with the six pillars. They also enjoyed a read-aloud of “Enemy Pie” by Derek Munson, a funny but endearing story of a boy who moved into a house down the street and found an effective recipe for turning a best enemy into a best friend by merely spending some time together. The evening ended with a challenging game of “Character Counts Jeopardy.”