Next week is an important week and I bet you don’t even know it! Next week, October 16-22, is national Character Counts week. Every year, the third week in October is designated as a special week to honor and promote Character Counts. Last year, 8 million kids in 54 different nations participated in this event.

There are many, many performers in this country making their livings, or trying to make their livings, through performing school assembly programs for kids. Some are good, some are great and some are, well ... some are not so great.

I don’t know if you caught this but it took me by surprise. China recently launched a piece of a future space station into orbit. Coming as it does on the heals of the end of our Space Shuttle program it kind of rocked me back on my heels a little.

As September rolls rapidly toward its conclusion (Boy, can you believe how quickly that went by?), we find ourselves looking ahead toward the rest of the school year. Many schools have now made their plans for school assemblies, though many have not yet even begun. Just some thoughts today on strategically planning your school assemblies for maximum benefit in supporting the curriculum.

With all the hoopla and attention centering on our new Stronger Than a Bully program this Fall, we have somewhat neglected another of our new school assemblies, The Invisible Wonder (All About Air!). That certainly needs to be corrected!

Middle school can be really tough. Miserable, in fact. My own daughter went through it recently, so I can speak with some authority. Kids are mean to each other. Really mean. And girls are often worse than boys. If your kids are in or have gone through Middle School, you will know what I mean. If your kids are not there yet ... prepare for a rough ride!

Recently we spent time in Illinois attending the annual Centre East school assembly performers showcase in Skokie. One of our performers, Dick Buchholz, was there all day sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with school representatives from all over Northern Illinois.