The contest is designed to allow students K-12 to compete for a spot in the school year calendar. There will be twelve winners selected and each winner will be featured on a specific month or on the front cover of the calendar. The month of September (Do Your Best Month) will feature the winner of the 2005 Paul Morris Character Educator of the Year winner.
Students may submit artwork, an essay or poetry regarding positive character traits. A committee selected by the West Virginia Department of Education will judge all entries.
If artwork is submitted, the student should make certain the art is on 8 ½ x 11 paper. The student’s full name should be placed on the back of the artwork with the school name and county. It is important not to fold the artwork when mailing.
If a student plans to submit an essay or poetry, he or she should legibly handwrite or type on one sheet of 8 ½ x 11 paper. The student’s full name, school name and county should be included on the essay or poetry.
Students may pick a specific theme or character trait to address or they may choose to combine all character traits by writing or drawing about a person of character. The themes, which are also correlated to specific character traits, are listed below and may be used to help guide students in their work.
| Theme | Specific Character Traits Addressed by Theme |
| Do Your Best | Responsibility and Perseverance |
| Be Patient & Listen | Respect and Fairness/Justice |
| Show A Positive Attitude | Cheerfulness and Resilience |
| Celebrate Community, Family & Friends | Trustworthiness and Kindness |
| Lend A Hand | Caring and Compassion |
| You Count | Respect and Tolerance |
| Resolve Conflicts | Justice/Fairness and Self-Control |
| Take Care of Our Environment | Citizenship and Responsibility |
| Be Appreciative | Thankfulness and Courtesy |
| Jump Out of Rut | Initiative and Courage |
| Become Involved | Citizenship and Patriotism |
| Know Who You Are | Integrity and Truthfulness |
The deadline for submission is May 31, 2005. All entries should be mailed to:
Lisa Burton West Virginia Department of Education Office of Student Services and Health Promotion Bldg. 6, Room 309 1900 Kanawha Blvd., East Charleston, WV 25305
The WVBOE and the WVDE embrace two national character education initiatives: Caring Habits and Character Counts. To learn more about each of these efforts, you may visit the following websites: http://www.caringhabits.org and http://charactercounts.org.
For more information regarding the Calendar Contest or Character Education, please contact Lisa Burton at 558-8830 or lgburton@access.k12.wv.us or visit http://wvde.state.wv.us/tt/2005/calcontestinfo.doc