The Park District of Highland Park is a member of the Highland Park Character Counts Steering Committee in collaboration with the City of Highland Park, North Shore School District 112, and the Highland Park High School, which honors nominees whose beliefs, attitudes, and actions consistently exemplify the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.  

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 Character Counts Pillar Award, and we hope you will consider nominating worthy candidates from the Park District of Highland Park.  This year’s deadline is December 31, 2023. 

• Individuals must live, work, or volunteer in Highland Park or attend a school North Shore School District 112 school.
• Criteria for the nomination do not include activities performed within the normal scope of one’s job.
• Nominations must be submitted by someone other than a family member.
• Students may be awarded one (1) CCPA throughout their academic career; Adults may be awarded one (1) CCPA as well.

The Six Pillars of Character is an integral part of the Highland Park community philosophy. To become more productive citizens of the future, children need to develop a set of core values that they can build on and call on throughout their lives to guide their behavior and attitudes. They also need adults serving as role models of good character.  Six building blocks of character – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship – form the foundation of character education. These building blocks are inseparable parts of a complete attitude that will help children reduce risk behaviors, improve achievement and develop personal integrity, and for adults to live together in a civil manner.

These goals cannot be accomplished through the efforts of any one teacher, parent or institution. The responsibility for developing a nation of morally conscious students must be shared by all. Only through shared commitment can we hope to raise the level of character consciousness.