An interesting effort got under way Tuesday at Juda School, one that is both commendable and worth paying attention to.

With a community pep rally of sorts early in the day and an informational meeting during the evening, the school launched its Character Education program. The idea of character education has been in place for five years in the Jefferson school district. There, it is a "whole school effort to create a community of virtue where moral behaviors such as respect, honesty and kindness are modeled, taught, expected, celebrated and continuously practiced in everyday interactions."

Particularly in today's world, where civil discourse seems to be increasingly uncivil, the goal of teaching and celebrating respect, honesty and kindness is laudable. Residents of the Juda district should be proud their school leaders have made such a commitment.

The character education effort will not require a special curriculum at Juda school. Instead, said Sandy Swartz, a consultant from Jefferson, teachers will highlight a themed concept throughout the month, showing students how it pertains to regular lessons. The themes for this school year include responsibility, respect, honesty, caring, self-discipline, fairness, perseverance, courage and citizenship.

The idea, Swartz said, is that the more moral character is emphasized, the more time teachers will have to teach because of improved student behavior. That sounds idealistic, of course, but Swartz said that's exactly what's happened in the Jefferson district.

The results in Juda over the next few years will be interesting to watch. Hopefully, other school districts in our area will be watching, too.