Members of Fort Belvoir's Headquarters Battalion, the 212 Military Police Detachment and Headquarters and Headquarters Company spoke with children at Fort Belvoir Elementary School about Fairness on Tuesday.
Fairness is the fourth pillar in the Character Counts program and is essential to children achieving their dreams, according to Lt. Col. Brian Zarchin, Headquarters Battalion commander.
"Today's message is, 'If you have dreams and goals, you have to have all the pillars there,'" said Zarchin. "Once you set the base of character, fairness is that essential pillar to help you get to your goal and achieve your dreams."
Zarchin and Headquarters Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Carolyn Reynolds told fifth grade students and first grade students that they can't achieve the first three character pillars -- Trustworthiness, Respect and Responsibility -- if they aren't fair to others.
"You can't be trusted if you don't play nice," said Zarchin. "People won't respect you and you won't be given responsibility if you don't do things the right way."
Lt. Col. Margaret Thomas, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, spoke with Kristin Hoffman-Machler's fifth-grade class. Thomas talked to the students about ways fairness manifests itself in their own lives.
"The children talked about sharing toys on the playground and treating one another kindly," said Thomas. "We got wonderful responses."
Avianna Rogers, George Washington Village resident, is a student in Hoffman-Machler's class. Rogers feels it's important to share with her classmates and treat them the way she wants to be treated.
"It's important so you don't fight with other people and (then) you have friends," said Rogers.
Rogers said she and her classmates are fair to one another when they go to recess every day by making sure everyone gets a chance to play kickball.
"We take turns kicking the ball and pitching," said Rogers. "We don't cheat while we play, either."
Thomas has three children who have been exposed to the Character Counts program. She noticed the impact the program has had on them because it forced her children to talk to her about each pillar.
"It gives us an opportunity to have a conversation with our children about what it means to have good character," said Thomas.
The program's impact on Belvoir Elementary school children is noticed by Zarchin and Reynolds, too. Reynolds has had students she's spoken with talk to her about the pillars outside of the school.
"I've had a few children come up to me in the commissary and I ask them what pillar we talked about and they will tell me," said Reynolds. "They go home and tell their parents about it, so I think the program is having an impact on them."
Teachers, parents and counselors continuing to speak about the pillars to the students will further ingrain the message to them, according to Zarchin.
"The more people who share the same message will impact the children," said Zarchin. "It will because they hear different people emphasize the same message."
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