At Shaw Avenue, character matters

Respect and tolerance aren’t just words. In District 30, those concepts and others are a way of life.

Recently, third-graders at Shaw Avenue School put on a play, “Character Matters.” It focused on a variety of positive character traits such as responsibility, compassion, honesty, acceptance, patience, kindness, respect and forgiveness, and featured characters familiar to children such as Humpty Dumpty, the Three Little Pigs and Cinderella.

Students performed the play four times in the middle of May — once for Shaw Avenue students and again for the parents, and also for students at the district’s other two elementary schools. Directing the play was music teacher Stephanie Distler who said rehearsals took about two months.

During that time, she said she noticed her students change for the better. “They treat each other respectfully and compliment one another,” she said. “They encourage each other’s efforts and have learned how to positively critique one another. The musical was a huge success, not only because of the great performance, but because the students have experienced a positive change in themselves.”

Shaw Avenue Principal Johane Ligonde said the values that the play emphasized are preached in the school every day. “We want kids to believe that this is a way of life,” she said, adding that the school’s motto is “As learners and leaders we strive for the best, we don’t settle for less.”

Ligonde, like Distler, said she has noticed a positive change in students in the past few weeks. “This is the best assembly you could have,” Ligonde said. “It’s our kids presenting to each other in a fun and interesting way.”