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Chargers players talking moves out of the Character Playbook with Westminster’s Warner Middle School students

by in News

Los Angeles Chargers football players on Wednesday, June 5, joined students at Warner Middle School, taking on such topics as bullying, insecurity, conflict resolution and effective communication.

The players were on hand to celebrate the completion of Character Playbook, a program that teaches students how to make healthy choices,  build relationships and take a stance on problematic activity.

  • Los Angeles Chargers football players, from left, Anthony Lanier, Justin Jackson and Rayshawn Jenkins, participate in a panel discussion with students at Warner Middle School as part of program titled Character Playbook. (Courtesy of Lou Ponsi)

  • Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Anthony Lanier signed plenty of autographs for Warner Middle School students during his visit with teammates to the school as part of the Character Playbook program. (Courtesy of Lou Ponsi)

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  • Los Angeles Chargers safety Rayshawn Jenkins listens to students at Warner Middle School during a roundtable discussion on character building as part of the Character Playbook program. (Courtesy of Lou Ponsi)

  • Los Angeles Chargers players, from left, Rayshawn Jenkins, Anthony Lanier and Justin Jackson, take a selfie during a Character Playbook assembly at Warner Middle School. (Courtesy of Lou Ponsi)

  • Anthony Lanier, defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers, has a hug for Warner Middle School eighth-grader Ce Ce Nguyen during a character building assembly at the school. The assembly was part of the Character Playbook program. (Courtesy of Lou Ponsi)

  • Los Aneles Chargers safety Rayshawn Jenkins encourages students during a football throwing competition at Warner Middle School on Wednesday, June 5. The Chargers were on hand to celebrate the completion of the Character Playbook program. (Courtesy of Lou Ponsi)

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The playbook, which stems from a partnership between the Chargers and Orange County United Way, was implemented for the 2018-19 school year for the first time in 13 Orange County schools, from elementary through high school.

The Warner Middle School students who participated are among 4,500 total students countywide who used the Character Playbook as part of their curriculum.

“You got to meet the kids where they are at, so the Chargers really were that exciting motivating indicator for our kids,” Warner Principal Tiffany Harville said. “And to know that the Chargers used character all throughout their life to get to where they are, that is really something that we’ve been drilling in.”

In an assembly-like atmosphere in the school’s gymnasium, running back Justin Jackson, safety Rayshawn Jenkins and defensive end Anthony Lanier engaged the students in intimate round-table discussions and then participated in a panel Q & A session in front of an entire group.

“You never know who you are talking to,” Jackson told the students. “You never know who is going to help you out. Character is about treating everyone with kindness and respect.”

The players signed autographs and posed for selfies with students and teachers and cheered students on in a football throwing competition.

Every teacher at Warner taught Character Playbook lessons, Harville said.

“Part of what we really emphasis here is respect,” the principal said. “A lot of the Character Playbook lessons fell underneath that umbrella. What I’ve seen from my students is that they are becoming more of the solution, not part of the problem. We’re seeing an increase of students advocating for each other, which is a great thing. It’s exactly what we wanted.”

The Chargers, the NFL and Orange County United Way plan to implement the program in more schools in the future.

“The football players were amazing,” said Sue Parks, executive director of OC United Way. “Their interactions with the students is heartfelt, so meaningful and it’s going to have a lasting impact on their lives.”