A 'TRRFCC' Totem

Cline Elementary, our FISD sister school, celebrated Character Counts! Week 2011 in Style with the raising of a Character Totem in their Character Garden. Members of the six teaching teams on campus each fashioned their pillar totem out of recycled materials. 

     As explained on their website, the first totems were carved from mature cedar trees and used in ceremonies of families or clans of the Pacific Northeast. Much like a family crest, they were used to represent the emblem of the family as a reminder of its history, then placed at the front entrance of the family log house to honor its ancestors and the clan’s standing, rights and accomplishments. A totem pole is a symbol of the qualities and experiences of the clan. As in the tradition of the Native Americans, Cline students will connect what the totem pole represents to the character traits that they’re living out in the real world.