For me, citizenship means taking seriously our responsibility to make our country the best place it can be. There are many ways to practice citizenship: Following the speed limit, keeping your sidewalk free of snow in winter, noticing problems in your community and working to fix them….
Read more ›Guest Column: Responsibility
What do you think of when you hear the word “responsibility?” I hear my mother’s voice sternly questioning, “Who is responsible for this mess?” As badly as I wanted to blame my little brother, I knew it was my doing….
Read more ›Guest Column from the West Plains Chapter: Generosity
Volunteering has always been a passion of mine. In the summer during some of my middle/high school years, I volunteered as a camp counselor at camp Na-Bor-Lee and was a leader at Vacation Bible School. During the school year, I would go to the local nursing home and visit and play bingo with a woman who I had met in the time that my great grandfather was there….
Read more ›Guest Column: Generosity
My most poignant experiences with generosity have happened through mentorship. Amongst an eclectic network of mentors – comprised of childhood dance and art teachers, colleagues and college professors to family members, peers and fellow artists – I have discovered various facets of generosity;…
Read more ›Guest Column from West Plains: Integrity
Each month The Current supports Partners Advancing Character Education (PACE) by publishing a guest column connected to one of PACE Character Traits. For the month of June it is Integrity, which is living a set of values encompassing honesty, respect for others,…
Read more ›West Plains Guest Column: Trustworthiness
Trustworthy is the PACE character trait for April. As a former school counselor and now teacher I’ve learned a lot about trustworthiness, working with students and families. To be Trustworthy means to be someone that others can trust and count on to be reliable. …
Read more ›Guest Column: Trustworthiness
Growing up in a big family has had a huge impact on me and who I have become. In my family, there seven of us living in a four-bedroom house, and I am one of the five kids in my house,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Diligence
In life, rarely is anything worth having easily or immediately achieved. Sure, you may experience an immediate reward from time to time—winning the lottery is the obvious example here—but you did not do much, if anything, to earn that reward….
Read more ›Valley Guest Column: Diligence
Diligence is defined as persistence, dedication, and hard work. Some may say these qualities are deep-rooted within individuals while others say they are acquired. It is my experience that they are both. People throughout our lives influence the paths we choose through their actions….
Read more ›Guest Column: Honesty
Honesty can seem like a simple concept. Merriam-Webster defines it as “fairness and straightforwardness of conduct; adherence to the facts; sincerity.” Or perhaps we are more familiar with it being “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” But,…
Read more ›Guest Column: Fairness
As a leader in the Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) I often reflect upon those critical characteristics that have contributed to our success as an organization over decades. One of the most important, “fairness” is a character trait that is embedded in the core value set of the employees here at SVFD….
Read more ›West Plains Guest Column: Caring
The holiday season and caring go hand in hand. I feel it is a safe assumption that for many of us the act of caring comes rather naturally, and we rarely look at the act itself as something extraordinary. But in a world that can be harsh and ugly at times,…
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