Special to the
Opelika Observer
Character Day was observed Sept. 26 in the United States and globally.
The Character Day movement started five years ago in California.
The third annual Alabama Character Day was hosted by the Interstate Character Council, Inc. in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The Alabama Character Day program connects this state with the world-wide Character Day movement.
Alabama is important in this nation’s character education movement because the Alabama Character Education Mandate of 1995 influenced many other states character education laws.
The Alabama Character Day program speakers were senior Alabama House Rep. Steve McMillan, who spoke about the Legislature’s legally approved character commitments including the 2018 “Alabama, the state of character” joint resolution approved by the Alabama Senate and the Alabama House and signed by constitutional officers; Nick Moore, the Governor’s Education Advisor, read the Governor’s Character Day Proclamation and spoke on the Governor’s vision for character education and Mary Anne Martin, the Interstate Character Council, Inc. interim president, spoke on Alabama’s legally approved character promises.
Rabbi Scott Looper of Montgomery’s Temple Beth Or spoke on generational Jewish interest in character issues; Dr. Susan Dubose, the Alabama Bicentennial Commission’s Education Director, provided information on statewide bicentennial activities and important links with character development and Jared Crook, the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s History Day coordinator, spoke on goals for expanding this annual competition held at Auburn University-Montgomery; former WSFA general.
Additionally, the Interstate Character Council, Inc. provided a grant to A-Keep for its second annual BUD Youth Program presented by Korean students who attend LAMP and other Montgomery Public Schools. The BUD program and reception was hosted at Troy University, Montgomery in the Gold Room. The A-Keep board is chaired by Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey.
A-Keep’s founding director is Meesoon Han, whose vision it was to form the organization that promotes networking and better understanding between Koreans and Alabamians.
Tom Tippett, Rusty Sheehan and Barbara Patton from the Opelika Character Council also attended this event.