History:
It all started when the 1996-97 Arkansas State Legislature passed a ruling that allowed character training to become a part of our public school curriculum. Community leaders teamed up with Arkansas Athletes Outreach (AAO) to develop a program and as a result, the Champions of Character program was born! It started in Fayetteville elementary schools, and has expanded to middle schools in Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Farmington, Greenland, and West Fork.

The Messengers:
Because surveys overwhelmingly show that children look at athletes and other sports personalities as some of the most respected groups in our culture, AAO Champions of Character features Razorback and other collegiate athletes as messengers to teach the importance of character development.

The Method:
We identify specific character traits each year, and then teach students about these traits through a creative, interactive school assembly. The school assemblies feature Razorback and other collegiate athletes who perform a drama to teach students about each character trait. Each student is also given a Student Magazine that reinforces what is taught in the assembly and gives the students activities to help them put each character trait into action. Each school also receives posters to hang up to serve as constant reminders of what they have learned.