Glastonbury Displays Character

     Glastonbury, CT - D.J. Andrus is a mother of three young children, a member of the Glastonbury Women’s Club, and chairs the Glastonbury Character Education Committee. The Women’s Club takes on a new community improvement project every two years. In 1997 the club chose to work with the Glastonbury Youth & Family Services and focus on a character education initiative.

Originally, a small group of Glastonbury community members met regarding the issues of citizenship, character, and mutual respect. They found each shared a commitment to strengthen their community by enriching its positive attributes. They planned a celebration of positive character with the goal of uniting generations. Collectively they acknowledged, "Character education is not the sole responsibility of our school system."

Believing that Glastonbury would embrace these ideas, they decided to provide resources to help develop positive character traits. The Women’s Club hosted a luncheon and invited clergy, school officials, police, senior administrators, service club representatives and other community members.

Guest speakers included the Honorable Jodi Rell, Lt. Governor of the State of Connecticut, Nancy Pugliese, Connecticut State Dept. Of Education, and Charles Alfano, of Character Counts. Encouraged by the strong community support Andrus and the Committee explored several character education programs.

In May 1997, the Committee organized a community training session presented by Dr. David B. Wangaard, Director of The School for Ethical Education, Bridgeport, CT. Dr. Wangaard inspired many community leaders by helping them identify a shared character education vocabulary. More than thirty community organizations were represented and included nursery school directors, coaches, senior administrators, and Town Council members.

Currently, the Glastonbury Character Education Committee is expanding and inviting more citizens to promote a shared vocabulary of character and mutual respect. The motivated participants have established a mission statement for character education community-wide and across generations. As part of their efforts the Committee is conducting training for the Little League Coaches; Chamber of Commerce members, and Parent, Teacher and School Organization (PTSO) with an emphasis on parent involvement. For further information contact D.J. Andrus at 860-633-7804. SEE celebrates the efforts of Mrs. Andrus and the Glastonbury Character Education Committee. Keep those ethics in action!