"... and I encourage you to have courage, be inspired to community, and live by the virtue of compassion."

Over 1,000 students from Fort Lee High School in Bergen County, New Jersey assembled on March 15-16, 2011 for a character development initiative titled The Power of Character: Rising Above the Storms. This was a follow up to the program previously presented at the school titled Be a Person of Character: Change the World.

Robert Waters School in Union City, New Jersey is to be commended for their dedication to character, achievement and community building. By launching the new school year with a professional development day on Tuesday, September 6, 2011, the school expressed its leadership to addressing these critical educational concerns.

On March 15, 2006 the United States Conference of Mayors produced Best Practices of Community Policing in Gang Intervention and Gang Violence Prevention. The publication examines various approaches mayors and police department are implementing to provide gang intervention and awareness.

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, I was privileged to present a two-hour program titled Educators: Reawakening the Heart of the Nation through our Schools to 150 educators at a leadership conference weekend organized through a partnership of the Bergen County Education Association and Passaic County Education Association.

The cadet honor code of the United States Military Academy at West Point is engraved on marble in the center of campus,

"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."

The United States Military Academy's National Conference on Ethics in America is an extraordinary venue that informs, instructs and inspires undergraduate students who exhibit the qualities of character, commitment, honesty, courage, discipline and who have the passion to serve our nation. The theme for the 22nd annual conference, held in October 2007, was Providing the Nation with Citizens of Character.

Recently, I was reminded of a school violence prevention program which I had conducted a few years ago for the Tenafly, New Jersey Public School District faculty and administrators. During the session, I used a video clip from The Little Rascals (Spanky and Our Gang) series.

Michelangelo and Da Vinci painted the Sistine Chapel and Mona Lisa, respectively. Through Picasso's Guernica, individuals can see the inhumanity, brutality and hopelessness of war. Van Gogh's paintings have captivated and given millions serenity, comfort and inspiration. But above and beyond the mastery of all of the world's greatest artists, only a teacher can mold the heart of a child.

As the nation honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 16th, a testament to his greatness is that nearly every major city in America has a street or school named after him.

After his death in Memphis on April 4, 1968, the words of Martin Luther King Jr. still hold captivating influence and inspiring gracefulness: