By Sandi carpello
Staff Writer
MONROE — Some 450 students at the township’s Woodland School are striving to ensure that life will someday be fair.
As part of "Character Counts," a national program that educates children on several character traits that would successfully guide them through their lives, the school’s fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders recently took a good, hard look at the subject of fairness.
On Oct. 11, the school held a Fairness Fair, where students played games with various degrees of fairness, designed to help students make a distinction between fair and unfair situations.
"Fair means kids working together and making sure everyone gets a turn," fourth-grade student Deena Pochopin said.
"Unfair means not everyone gets a turn," said fourth-grader Katharine Wilchek. "If you are splitting a cookie, and one person gets three quarters and one person gets a quarter (of the cookie), that’s not fair."
Pochopin and Wilchek were just two of 21 students who received certificates and free ice cream last Friday as recognition for their fairness traits.
School guidance counselor Robyn Ultan, who recognizes that life is not always fair, said the program’s primary mission is to teach kids to "try to make life as fair as possible," she said.
Throughout the rest of the school year, the students will learn several other pillars of good character. Students will soon be learning the importance of citizenship, said school Principal Victor Soriano.
Other important character traits to be studied this year include respect, trust and responsibility.

