Whit Burrell, along with classmates in Ashley Kirk's first-grade class, cheer fellow student Kylah Payne for being selected as a 'Kid of Integrity' for the week by Lewisburg Primary School principal Jeannie Treadway.

Principal Jeannie Treadway finds it impossible to be ignored at Lewisburg Primary, especially when she enters the school cafeteria wearing a bright yellow smiley face hat.

"I think we all know ... what time is it?" asked Treadway through a microphone Friday morning.

"Integrity Time!" replied the eight classes of mostly first-grade students, in unison.

Suddenly, the cheeseburgers and fruit cocktail on many of the trays would have to wait. There was some possible winning to be done.

"Integrity Time is our character (education) program," said Lewisburg counselor Penny Martin. "We wanted to find one that was geared toward primary students. This is probably the part they love the most."

Treadway approached each table and pulled out two colorful slips of paper. One child was praised for following the rules. Another was recognized for being a good listener. Two more students had helped others "with a kind heart" and "with a smile on his face."

During this particular lunch period, 16 would receive a collective round of applause from their classmates. Thirty others earned similar accolades in the ensuing sessions. They all marched up to a prize table to retrieve pencils, stickers, bookmarks or Silly Bandz.

It's an event that takes place every Friday.

"Exhibiting those good traits -- it's contagious," Treadway said. "They see me out in the hall and they'll go, 'Hey, I hugged my brother this morning.' It makes them want to do good things.

"That's just very important to me: To educate the whole child -- not just the academics -- I want them to be good people."

The school's 550 students have been learning daily about integrity in an A-to-Z format. January's focus is "O" (Optimism), "P" (Peaceful/Positive) and "Q" (Quality).

"We hope what they learn in the classroom doesn't stop," Lewisburg kindergarten teacher Misty Vanderburg said. "It carries over to their homes, to their family -- wherever they are. We want them to understand the meaning of helping each other and doing what's right."

Said Treadway: "It's a great thing. They love it more than I thought they would."