Work ethic and the three R's in action at Punxsutawney Middle School

By Connie Pilston Shoemaker

Wanting the best for his students, Richard Galluzzi, principal of the Punxsutawney Middle school invited The National Character Education Foundation's, Charlie Aeschliman to convey to the students an indelible message of the benefits of overcoming life's obstacles, respect for authority, never giving up and believing in their dreams.

"I book several assemblies each year and really like to have at least one of those reinforcing the character traits that we endorse here," said Galluzzi. "I think that the kids need to hear the same message from several different sources," he added.

Charlie is a professional basketball handler and had the audience of 700 mesmerized with his skills and attentive to his message on Friday February 23. "We focus here on Responsibility, Respect and Resourcefulness and I was able to tie Charlie's message into our vision for the kids," said Galluzzi who noted he is hearing positive comments from both students and staff.

Also in attendance at the assembly was Representative Samuel Smith, a champion for character education, and responsible for allocating the funds for this event. "So much is competing for our students' attention these days, I just feel it is important to convey the message of character and work ethic in a way that can stand out," said Smith. "Hopefully these assemblies will provide talking points in the classroom and at home," he added. "Assemblies like this in conjunction with the character education the schools can fit into the classroom help to reinforce the message and value of a good work ethic which is beneficial not only to the schools but to our community as well," he said.

NCEF is a state and federally funded program founded in 2003. Their goal through a variety of programs and speakers is to deliver an unforgettable message of the true meaning of personal integrity, respect and courage. NCEF presents to students, faculty, administration and the community. Using high profile athletes and motivational speakers, NCEF creates an impact with memorable presentations that are widely accepted by society and culturally relative to the ever-changing environment in which we live.