On Nov. 1, students and staff at Hudson Maxim School in Hopatcong kicked off their Bucket Filling Character Education Program with a Pep Rally.  

Students and staff were all dressed in “I am a Bucket Filler” t-shirts in a rainbow of colors.  The t-shirts were purchased by School Counselor Lisa Schuffenhauer with grant funding from a Hopatcong Education Association PRIDE Grant.  This year staff and students will be “Connecting with Character,” using the Character Counts Six Pillars Program for Character Education in conjunction with the school-wide theme of Bucket Filling, which is based on the book, “Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud.  

Each color t-shirt represents one of the Six Pillars of Character.  Filling buckets with respect, citizenship, caring, fairness, responsibility, and trustworthiness is infused into lessons every day at Hudson Maxim.  Lisa Schuffenhauer will do class lessons on each trait, using children’s literature to exemplify each pillar. Students will learn what each pillar means, what it looks like and what it sounds like.  

They will then have the opportunity to demonstrate the pillars. Throughout the year, students will hear daily announcements about each trait and have the opportunity to earn daily bucket filling notes or monthly certificates for displaying different traits consistently.  

The t-shirts will be worn at community events, on field trips, and each month throughout the year to celebrate the pillars and the great Bucket Filling school spirit at Hudson Maxim School.