Character Education

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Rotary Character Education and Award Program
 
The founding father and inspiration for the Character Education Program was California District Court of Appeal Justice F. Douglas McDaniel, a member of the Rotary Club of San Bernardino. Justice McDaniel was a strong believer and advocate for including the value of character and personal responsibility in classroom curriculum. 
            In 1990 Duncan Webb, a local Attorney also a member of the Rotary Club of San Bernardino, rode his bicycle from Rhode Island to San Bernardino talking to Rotary clubs along the way about the importance of Character Education in the schools.  The following year the members of his Rotary Club led by Justice McDaniel, with the cooperation of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, established The Duncan Webb Award in honor of this feat. 
            Each year a teacher was selected through competition as being the one who best implemented character education in classroom teaching. The winning teacher receives a check for $2000 from the Rotary Club of San Bernardino together with a trophy to be displayed at the winner’s school until the next Awards Luncheon.
             Over the years other local Rotary Clubs have elected to participate by each club awarding a $500 check to a teacher selected as a finalist in the competition. As other Rotary Clubs joined the program the name was changed to the Rotary Character Education Program.  The Duncan Webb trophy however, is still awarded as part of the Rotary Character Education Program and the San Bernardino City Unified School District remains a vital part of the program.