Earth Day: Let Nature Be Your Teacher — Earth Day can provide us with an opportunity to let nature be a teacher. Students consider the wisdom that can be gained from observation of our natural world. They also examine the values we need if we are going to successfully protect our environment.
Key Ideas: Understanding the values needed to protect the earth - Lessons learned from nature
Character Traits: Caring - Respect - Responsibility

Global and National Youth Services Day - Not from Without — What would the world look like if people were concerned only with themselves? Volunteer work gets us out of ourselves and into the needs of others. Students consider the cost of self-absorption and of expecting the outside world to make them happy, and then explore the benefits of serving others
Key Ideas: Volunteering - Service Projects - Self-Absorption
Character Traits: Charity - Generosity - Responsibility - Caring

Library Week: The Library, a Treasure Chest — What makes us truly wealthy isn't the money in our pockets, but the knowledge we possess. Information and knowledge are available to all of us regardless of how much money our family has or doesn't have. Students explore all the resources available to them at the library, including computers, videos, books, and a place to retreat from the hectic world.
Key Ideas: The public library is a resource for free access to computers, books, CDs and DVDs. What makes us truly wealthy is the knowledge we possess.
Character Traits: Respect - Responsibility

National Humor Month: Lighten Up! — Wouldn't it be great if we all learned to lighten up and develop a more playful and humorous attitude toward life. If we did, we would learn to be more spontaneous, to look for the humor in challenging situations, and to not take life too seriously. Respectful humor and laughter builds connections between people and helps us live healthier and happier lives.
Key Idea: Humor and laughter can help us live healthier, happier lives.
Character Traits: Positive attitude - Lightheartedness

National Youth Violence Prevention Week: It Begins With You — A Cherokee folktale helps students understand that we all have good and bad qualities inside us, and each of us can choose which qualities to develop and which qualities to try to overcome. Choosing to "feed" the bad qualities may lead to a life filled with unhappiness and perhaps even violence. Students explore the notion that violence prevention begins within each individual.
Key Ideas: Violence prevention begins inside each of us - We each choose whether or not to cultivate or overcome our negative qualities
Character Traits: Respect - Responsibility - Integrity

No TV Week - Turn It Off — Did you know that on average, children in the U.S. will spend more time in front of the television than in school this year? No TV Week is a great opportunity to better connect with family, friends, and community. Students are challenged to turn off their televisions for one full week.
Key Ideas: No TV Week, Self-Discovery
Character Traits: Self-Discipline - Responsibility - Respect

Thomas Jefferson's Birthday: Honestly — Thomas Jefferson once wrote that "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." Our students deserve all the benefits that come from living an honest life and from making wise choices. It's essential that they learn to understand the importance of being honest with themselves and with others. Choosing to live an honest life will help them achieve true success.
Key Idea: True success in life requires honesty with self and others.
Character Traits: Honesty - Integrity - Citizenship

Young People's Poetry Week: Life Condensed — When our emotions and thoughts are condensed into words chosen for their sound, rhyme, or rhythm, the result is poetry. Reading, writing, and sharing poetry can help us gain self-awareness, as well as increase our awareness of how others think and feel. Through this process, we can discover amazing things about ourselves, our purpose, and our character.
Key Idea: Poetry as a means of gaining a better understanding of ourselves and others.
Character Traits: Respect - Empathy - Understanding - Self-awareness