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Fitness center offers unique program

In conjunction with all of the children’s Karate programs now being taught at Cameron’s Fitness Center and

Karate School, your child participates in the most exciting and innovative program he or she will ever experience in the area of personal responsibility education. The program is S.T.A.R (Success Through Accepting Responsibility or Stop, Think, Act, and Review). S.T.A.R. was developed by the Jefferson Center for Education, located in Pasadena, California. The S.T.A.R. curriculum is currently used by over 5000 schools and 50,000 classrooms across the country. It has reached nearly 2 million students.

S.T.A.R. has just been introduced into the Greater Wolfeboro Area by Jim Cameron, owner of Cameron’s Fitness Center and Karate School on Pork Hill Road.

The Jefferson Center for Character Education is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization founded in 1963 which addresses the need to teach character education in both public and private schools. The Jefferson Center focuses on the systematic teaching of common values that cut across ethnic, cultural, and religious lines. These values include: honesty, respect, responsibility, integrity, courage, tolerance, justice, self-confidence, and politeness.

Cameron’s mission is to instill in students these very values using the martial arts. He believes this to be an ongoing process and not something achieved in a month, or year, but rather over a lifetime of education and effort.

He choose the S.T.A.R. program because it is the perfect compliment to his philosophy. S.T.A.R. will provide an ongoing, systematic method of teaching the core values on which Cameron’s program is based.

Karate

S.T.A.R. is designed to teach students to:

  • Accept the consequences of their actions
  • Use the S.T.A.R. Stop Think Act Review decision making model to solve problems and resolve conflicts.
  • Develop and improve self-confidence, self-esteem, and positive attitudes.
  • Set and achieve realistic goals.
  • Accept that attendance at class, punctuality, and reliability, are part of being personally responsible.

As Sensei, Jim will give out “Caught Being Good” awards to students observed doing courteous, thoughtful, and responsible acts in the dojo.

Star of the Day: Recognition will be given to those students who actively participate in the S.T.A.R. program and demonstrate leadership in class. The Star (or Stars) of the Day will wear an arm band for recognition and will assist the instructors and be highlighted in class.

Teen Projects: As part of their commitment to S.T.A.R. the teens will be asked to organize and undertake a quarterly service project of their choice.

S.W.A.T. Team: Our Special Winning Attitude Team (SWAT), the junior students who volunteer in class and around the dojo, will now also greet new students, show them around, answer questions from a student’s point of view, offer friendship and support.

Visual Aides: Each month, the bulletin board in the entranceway will have the monthly theme and activity set out for parents and children to see.

As S.T.A.R. grows at Jim Cameron’s Karate School, there will be other enhancements to the curriculum. As always, input is essential to success.

New participants are always welcome! Please contact us.