Program helps build ethical code for making good c

NEOSHO, Mo. The din in the gymnasium was no more impressive than what would be heard in virtually any cafeteria in any high school.

Nothing unusual about the noise until you get close enough to hear individual conversations, which focus not on prom dresses and rock bands, but whether a person should receive a heart transplant.

Kayleen VanGorp, 17, joined more than 200 of her classmates from Neosho High School s senior class this week in the gymnasium of Calvary Baptist Church for a daylong event about ethics.

She and others sat at a table for students interested in pursuing a career in agriculture. In a group exercise, VanGorp and her classmates debated which person on a list should receive a heart transplant.

I think it s giving us a good look at life and what life is like in the real

world, VanGorp said.

Character building

The exercise was part of a presentation made by Dave Lankford, vice president of education for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The goal of the day, according to Lankford, was to help the students build a code of ethics that they will be able to apply in the workplace and society.

Hearing how personal values helps decision-making will help them make good choices, Lankford said.

Lankford, who has made the same presentation all over the state, said instilling stronger ethics in students is being pushed in part by the business community. He said the leading cause of loss for business is employee theft. The hope is that students, who are exposed to ethical decision-making, will some day become better employees.

Melissa Shepherd, a manager at Hastings, said that most of the younger people who work at the store have a good idea of what is ethical and what is not in a place of employment.

We have a pretty good turnover rate here, but most of the kids we do hire about 60 to 65 percent are good kids and come in and do what they are supposed to, Shepherd said.

The pressure for schools to include greater amounts of character education in the classrooms is also increasing, according to area guidance counselors.

Some parents do a great job at home, other situations … sometimes the kids need more help, said Anne Bryan, Neosho High School guidance counselor.

Bryan, who is counselor for the class of 2006, helped organize this year s ethics event. In the past, schools have veered away from addressing many ethical and character issues because of concerns over the separation of church and state, Bryan said. Now the schools are beginning to address ethics in the classroom again.

Character doesn t have to do with religion. It has to do with living a good life, Bryan said.

Beyond education

Kent Harris, counselor at the Carthage Technology Center, concurred that ethics and character-based education are again becoming a larger part of the curriculum in schools.

The Carthage School District sponsors a similar event to Neosho s. Harris described the day as a last chance to reach students about ethics and good decisions.

Harris said he believes getting away from teaching ethics in the schools is part of what he called the deterioration of the morals of our young people today.

The schools taking on more character education is the result of more parents demanding it and kids not learning it at home, Harris said. However, he said it s just part of a growing trend where schools are no longer just supposed to teach kids to read and count.

It s no longer just educating them and giving them the core curriculum, Harris said. It s make sure they have ethical and moral training, and feeding them and keeping them safe after school.

Other school districts are taking a more conventional approach to working ethics and character into the curriculum. In Miami, Okla., the high school encourages students to join activities that will help them develop character.

We don t do specific programs like national programs. We promote kids getting into clubs, homecoming, sports, chorus. Those are the types of things we do, said Vicki Dismore, high school counselor.

Gina Ulbrich, counselor at Southeast High School in Cherokee, Kan., said she focuses character and ethics education on freshmen. She said she goes to their classes once a month to address various topics.

Throughout my lessons they are taught different things, but they are taught to make good decisions based on their values, Ulbrich said.

Whether or not the lesson on ethics sticks is up to the student. Kayleen VanGorp said she believes the ethics lesson is something some of her more classmates could use.

Trey Harris, 18, another Neosho High School student, said he learned a lot about how trust plays into his decisions. How much it will affect his choices is yet to be seen.

It will probably stay with me after I leave, he said.

Decade of ethics training

Neosho s Ethical Decision Making in the Workplace and Society was sponsored this year by the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce and Community Bank and Trust. It is the 10th year the event has been held.

– Adam Bednar – Globe Staff Writer