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HAMILTON — Where do you put the fork on a place setting? What’s the proper way to answer a phone? How should you write a letter to someone?
As part of Character Week, Wilson and Garfield middle schools have embarked on a weeklong study of manners to answer these and other questions of etiquette.
“Last November, the two character committees from each school met to outline activities for the year,” said Brad Watkins, Wilson’s representative. “We wanted our character work to coincide.”
“It’s important that we start preparing them to be together in the same school,” said Emily Reimer, Garfield’s representative.
Manners, Watkins said, is something that is touched upon at various times during a student’s career, “when the opportunity presents itself,” but that making etiquette a weeklong focus helps them get into it a little bit more.
“We had a brainstorming session and decided some of the things will be most impacted by and what they need,” he said. “Some of the neatest lessons concern cyber manners and phone manners. With technology being so prevalent in their lives, it’s good for us to talk about how you conduct yourself in an e-mail.”
Character Week also includes having students from each school matched up with a pen pal from the other to write actual letters to introduce themselves, share their interests and school activities, Reimer said.
Monday’s kickoff activities included a pep assembly to introduce the districtwide Fill That Bus food drive and a session of team-building activities and games.
Manners Day had originally been scheduled for Wednesday, but the cancellations and delays pushed it to Thursday, with the first 10 minutes of each period devoted to exercises to reinforce mannerly conduct.
Each school also held a Mix It Up Lunch in which students were assigned to sit with different people and given conversation starters so they could get to know each other.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.
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