Eugene Elementary Principal Teresa Messermith told students Wednesday morning that respect means "to treat others as you would want to be treated."
"Respect means if you are on the bus, you follow the rules to make sure the driver has a safe drive for you and everyone on the bus," she said. "Respect means if someone needs help, you help them you always be respectful to your parents, your teachers, your family and your friends."
Those examples of respect are what 15 of the school's students displayed during September. Their teachers and/or peers also named those individuals "Student of the Month" and celebrated their accomplishment at the first Character Trait assembly of the school year Wednesday at the elementary school.
The honored students at the assembly and showing the character trait, respect, were: pre-school student Carson Boehmer; kindergartners Tre Brandt and Lexi Rains; first-graders Isabella Cregger and Quentin Woods; second-graders Matthew Eidson and Gage Gray; third-graders Sidney Sappenfield and Kiersten Cardwell; fourth-graders Justice Allen and Shaelyn Boessen; fifth-graders Grace Hale and Melody Green; and sixth-graders Alyssa Kemker and Evan Birdno.
Each student earned a Student of the Month certificate, a free kids meal coupon for Chick-fil-A and a T-shirt.
Seven additional Character Trait assemblies will be held October through April, each honoring students as "Students of the Month" who best represent that month's character trait.