Over the 23 years of this newspaper’s existence we have published many heart-warming stories – stories of generosity, displays of humanity, selflessness, academic brilliance, entrepreneurial excellence, cultural successes, and, of course, sporting supremacy.

The report in yesterday’s Observer North East highlighting the activities at Mount Pleasant Primary School in Portland again gave us that feeling of encouragement. For it demonstrated to us that, amidst the coarseness that appears to be spreading in our beloved country, all is not lost.

Principal Dian Vidal Briggs and her staff have decided that the children under their care will not leave Mount Pleasant Primary without daily reinforcement of what are simply good manners.

So, at the entrance to the 78-year-old school they have built a ‘good manners garden’ where signs are posted displaying basic expressions of courtesy and decency – ‘Excuse me’, ‘Good Morning’, ‘Please’, ‘I’m sorry’, ‘No thank you’, ‘May I’, ‘You’re welcome’.

According to Mrs Vidal Briggs, the school holds a strong belief that it is important to teach not only the academic subjects but to ensure that the children who come under their care are well-mannered and can represent themselves, their families, their communities, and the school with distinction.

Mrs Vidal Briggs told us that from the day the students first enter the school, they are “made aware of the etiquette standards that are required and, for the most part, they comply and, after a while, it becomes second nature for them”.

She pointed out that although her students are usually well-mannered when they first enter the school, that does not prevent her and her staff from strengthening the values already instilled in the children. In fact, she insisted that as educators they don’t have a choice.

“You simply cannot have too much good manners, and that is the main aim of our ‘garden of good manners’,” Mrs Vidal Briggs said.

Mrs Vidal Briggs and her staff deserve high commendation for this initiative which will help to counter some of the coarsness that is too common in the society today.

The Mount Pleasant initiative, we believe, complements the civics in schools programme which was commendably reintroduced to the curriculum during the 2012/13 academic year to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of Jamaica’s first National Hero Right Excellent Marcus Garvey.

Older readers will remember that civics was previously taught from grades seven to nine in all-age schools and at first form in high schools.

Included in its instructions are the rights of individuals, the duties and responsibilities of citizens, the structure and functions of government, as well as the significance of national symbols and emblems.

That, we believe, will go a far way in moulding our young people into responsible citizens. So, too, will the good manners garden programme at Mount Pleasant.

But even as schools like Mount Pleasant Primary do their part in helping to shape the minds of students, there is a larger role for parents, as they, more than anyone else, are responsible for the values instilled in their children.

When it comes to manners, basic decency and etiquette, schools should really just be reinforcing the lessons taught at home.