"The Strawberry Pot" is a special sister project under the Brightest Star Program. This project is a “climate changing,” character education and peace building project, designed to foster a non-violence lifestyle in 4th and 5th grade students in the public school system.

The project aligns with the basic simple principles of the PeaceBuilder’s model of: Praising people, giving up put downs, noticing the hurts you caused, righting wrongs, seeking wise people and helping others in school, home and community.

Therefore, this project is designed to build peace and good character. When practiced in the classroom, students know exactly what is expected of their behaviors and the results is a positive attitude of accepting differences in others, which allows every student to engage in learning.

Project Operation

Guest author, Executive Director, Lea Cash visits each classroom and discusses the chapter book (middle reader), “The Strawberry Pot” with students after they have read the story with teacher’s involvement including class work and homework assignments.

"The Strawberry Pot" chapter book features a fifth grade female student who finds it difficult to get along with a new boy in the classroom who happens to be a bully. The student’s father gives her some moral advice and encouraging words to live by associated with “The Strawberry Pot”. The student decides to follow the advice of her father.

The goals of this project is to reach children before adolescence teaching them the language of empathy, producing new communication skills and new ways of preventing fights and de-escalating anger.

This project does not single out abused and abandoned children, but is designed for all children in the public school setting, teaching them to appreciate the beauty in all human beings and to celebrate the differences in others with peaceful alternatives.

For more information about this project, please e-mail: CashL@thebrighteststar.org