Cullman VFW Post 2214 Commander Brian Monk speaks with Cullman Middle School seventh-grader Jaleigh Busby about her group’s project during the Good Character Expo Tuesday morning.

Cullman Middle School seventh-graders have spent the semester learning how to become better citizens and working on their own community service projects, and they got the chance to show off those projects during the Liberty Learning Foundation’s Good Character Expo Tuesday morning. 

The expo was the culmination of Liberty Learning’s American Characters program, in which the seventh-graders spent the semester learning about subjects like civic responsibility, character building, financial literacy and career development while looking at examples of American heroes like Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Helen Keller who made a difference for the country through their actions. 

After learning about some of the people who have made an impact in the United States, the students were sent out to make an impact in their own communities by working in teams for projects that ranged from gathering clothing donations for local charities, encouraging fellow students to avoid drugs, tobacco or vaping to promoting mental health awareness. 

They then welcomed special guests from the community to the school for Tuesday’s expo to display their projects and answer questions about the work they have been doing. 

Mason Fuller was part of a group that worked to spread an anti-cyberbullying message among their fellow students. 

He said their project came about because there have been incidents in which students have recorded a fight or bullying incident and shared it on the internet for others to see, which has led to even more bullying over social media platforms. 

“We’re just trying to prevent that by posting flyers around the school,” he said. 

Fuller said his group’s members have also tried to intervene when they see any bullying happen in person or online, and he believes their work has helped to decrease bullying in the school. 

Jaleigh Busby was part of a group that walked dogs for elderly people who are be unable to get out to do it themselves. 

She said her group ended up walking around 20 dogs, and they were happy to get out for an outdoor activity while helping people in the community and their dogs. 

“It was very fun,” she said. 

Busby said she also enjoyed the American Characters program over the past semester, and was glad that let her and her classmates know they can get out and make a difference. 

“It really taught us a lot about helping people, and it really taught us that we could make an impact, and that we could help so many people with what they’re going through and if they need anything,” she said.