Do you remember back when you were in middle school and everyone was taught how to be trustworthy, respectful, fair, caring, responsible and a good citizen? Those are the pillars of a system called Character Counts. We all remember the banners and posters that were displayed as well as the actual pillars with these sayings on them.

Now that we are at York as high school students, we often do not remember or choose not to closely follow these simple guidelines that we once looked towards for guidance.

“No, no one really cares [about following the pillars],” said senior Luke Sever. “Most of everyone does their own thing.”

“Be respectful, be responsible?” said junior Angela Militello. “I’m not as responsible as I used to be, but I am definitely more respectful to others.”

One reason students may have forgotten the pillars is that when they transition from middle school to York, they no longer have visual reminders of the Character Counts pillars nor do they use C.H.A.M.P.S. as a behavior model.

Another aspect of the old character counts system was the use of C.H.A.M.P.S which stands for Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation, and Success. This works side by side with Character Counts and helps students develop properly in a class setting and learn how to work at asking questions and participation.

Once a student enters York, they no longer see the Character Counts system and C.H.A.M.P.S, which is almost replaced by A.C.H.I.E.V.E, a system similar to the previous one. It stands for Activity, Conversation, Help, Integrity, Effort, Value, and Efficiency. All of these values have been considered to be a step up from middle school and are introduced to all students at York. Deserving Dukes is another form of rewarding a student that is academically performing well or setting a positive behavior in class. Each Deserving Duke comes with a personal note from a sponsor and a york peppermint patty.

All of these values have been considered to be a step up from middle school and are introduced to all students at York. Deserving Dukes is another form of rewarding a student that is academically performing well or setting a positive behavior in class. Each Deserving Duke comes with a personal note from a sponsor and a york peppermint patty.

“I think the Deserving Dukes is the replacement for the positive reinforcement that the Character Counts originally had,” said Dana Parr, a science teacher at York “Instead we have A.C.H.I.E.V.E. It’s the high school level of achieving positive behavior in different environments.”

Others have a different opinion on the matter and simply brushed off those pillars that set them on the path to social stability and self-independence. Instead, they have their own philosophy on obtaining positive behavior.

“It’s just finding out who you are in high school, you’re trying to improve your character rather than following the systems guidelines or ‘the crowd’,” says senior Alex De Guzman.

“Not at all! We had to follow be safe, be responsible, be Christian, be respectful– I’ve never sinned so much in my life,” said junior Brenna Kinsey.

Students have grown into their own individuals and depending on their environment, they will be influenced differently; but it’s all up to the decision on what they follow.