Character Action Team

"Make A Difference Award"

 

The Make a Difference Award was established by the Character Action Team in the Fall of the 2003-04 school year to encourage acts of goodness among students. It takes its inspiration from the following story of unknown origin.

An old man walked up a shore littered with thousands of starfish, beached and dying after a storm. A young man was picking them up and flinging them back into the ocean. “Why do you bother?” the old man scoffed “You’re not saving enough to make a difference.”

The young man picked up another starfish and sent it spinning back to the water. “Made a difference to that one,” he said.

The point of the story is a very simple one. Often, a small act of goodness by a single individual can make a big difference for someone else. It does not take much effort to generate profound, sometimes even lifelong impact on someone else’s life. What might seem insignificant to us at any given time might mean a world of difference to another individual.

We often make the mistake of thinking that we have to commit some extraordinary act of heroism in order to leave our mark. The truth is, heroism exists in every good deed whether large or small. Size doesn’t matter because it’s all relative. The energy necessary to generate some good act can be minimal and yet the benefit of such little effort can be tremendous to the beneficiary.

So, at South High we promote good acts of all sizes and dimensions. Staff are invited to recognize these acts by submitting a nomination for any student caught in the act of doing good. A brief synopsis of the act is requested. Every Thursday the nominees are reviewed by Mr. Peddle, Assistant Principal and Mrs. Antonelli, Guidance Counselor who co-chair the Character Action Team and a recipient is selected for the Award. Then, Mr. Peddle and Mrs. Antonelli, armed with balloons, a tee-shirt with logo, a commemorative pin and card, and a 2x3ft certificate are accompanied by a TV crew (a la Publisher’s Clearinghouse) from South High’s Falcon Report to make a classroom presentation to the unsuspecting student. The class is sworn to secrecy until the following day when the presentation during the TV news broadcast is viewed by the entire school in every homeroom. The acknowledgement is inspiring and embraced by all and the good will and upbeat feeling in the building is infectious.

The name of the honoree is displayed on the large certificate in the Main Office and on the electronic message board in the cafeteria for a week until the next presentation. A congratulatory card is mailed home for parent appreciation. Also, names of all recipients are added to a list posted prominently in a showcase in the main hallway for the entire year. At the end of the year at the final Character Action Team meeting all recipients and all nominees are collectively acknowledged and praised.

As a cultural event, the Make a Difference Award has contributed to a transformation of character at South High.