Character Counts - Citizenship

Do your share to make your school and community better. 
Cooperate.
Stay informed; vote.
Be a good neighbor.
Obey laws and rules.
Respect authority.
Protect the environment.

Defining citizenship is like trying to define happiness. It may be defined and expressed in many ways. Citizenship means more than singing anthems and saluting flags. And it certainly doesn’t come automatically when one is born or naturalized as a “citizen” of a country! In some form or another, it means participating in the democratic process; running for office, campaigning, working to influence legislation and, of course, voting. It also means respecting the law, paying one’s share of taxes, volunteering to help those in need and preserving our environment. True citizenship means participation, involvement and contribution. No one can make a difference without being involved. We may have no choice over where and when we are born. But we do have a choice about whether to be good citizens about trying to make this a better world, even in small ways. A good citizen is not content to be just a face in the crowd.

Some examples of ways that Santa Rita students show that they are good citizens:

_______    Help neighbors

_______    Respect policemen

_______    Clean up my classroom

_______    Participate in the holiday food drive to provide food for those who need it

_______    Pick-up trash on the school grounds

_______    Help a person who needs help

_______    Work with friends to make our school better

_______    Serve others through Boy/Girl Scouts of America or their local church, synagogue, or other religious organization

“A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.” — Henrik Ibsen

This is only one of the six pillars of character. View our other character pages: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.