By: Ashley Winterstein
With 111 character coaches in Queen Anne’s County, a husband and wife team is not unusual. The start of Brian and Linda Pierson’s coaching experience is perhaps the most extraordinary part of their story.
Originally from New Castle, Delaware, the Piersons now reside in Chestertown, Maryland. While visiting the Queen Anne’s County Fair in August 2009, they stumbled upon the Character Counts! booth and were instantly interested.
After an orientation with Jacki Carter, Coordinator for the Character Counts! Program in Queen Anne’s County, the Piersons were ready to start coaching at Centreville Elementary School less than a month later. Linda remembers being captivated the very first day in the classroom.
Each week throughout the school year, the Piersons continued to visit Mrs. Schillings 2nd grade class at Centreville Elementary School. They shared countless lessons on the Six Pillars of Character – Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship – all while earning the respect and admiration of the students.
For the grand finale of their Character Counts! lessons, the Piersons wanted to complete a project with the students that would incorporate everything they had discussed throughout the year and leave a lasting impact on the students. The perfect conclusion to this journey was a project they designed – the Pillar Pathway.
Each student decorated their own set of the Six Pillars of Character handouts with memories and illustrations of things they had learned. The Piersons connected each child’s pillars together and topped every one with a crown to remind them that they are winners.
On the morning of May 11, 2010, the Piersons arranged each child’s set of Pillars on the floor of the gymnasium in a spiral design they named the Pillar Pathway. When the students arrived, they each took their place by their Pillars and then were able to follow the pathway to the center where they found a poster that read “You’re the 2010 Best Character Counts Kids!”
The excitement could be seen on the children’s faces as they saw the final project that held a piece of each of them. The relationships built this school year were also evident as the students shared high fives with both of their Character Counts! coaches at the close of the lesson.
Linda is quick to share how rewarding this experience has been for her and commented, “We enjoy the wonderful talents and energy of each child.” Both coaches confirmed that they will definitely be back to serve next year, with hopes that their lessons will remain with the students and one day even be shared with their family, friends, and peers.
The Character Counts! Advisory Council would like to thank the Piersons for their enthusiasm and commitment to sharing the messages of Character Counts! The program would not be possible without these devoted citizens.
For more information about the Character Counts! program in Queen Anne’s County, please contact Jacki Carter at 410-758-6677 or jcarter@qac.org. Queen Anne’s County Character Counts! is a part of QAC Community Partnerships for Children and Families, our local management board.