Values Education

At Stanwich, ethics and values are included in the curriculum as a priority. The school seeks to instill a code of ethics and inherent values in each student that will guide him or her to live a life based on the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule.

PRIMARY HOUSE VALUES EDUCATION

In the Primary House, students learn through stories and discussions which connect the lessons to their daily lives. Qualities of good character are discussed and highlighted daily. The basic tenets of the curriculum are to instill respect for all God's children and learn to make God's world a better place.

During weekly values lessons, Stanwich students are reminded that they share a common goal of improving the world. Stories, projects and ideas for helping children develop qualities of good character are woven into these values lessons.

INTERMEDIATE HOUSE VALUES EDUCATION

In the Intermediate House, weekly ethics classes are taught by the Headmistress and the Head of House. Students maintain "values notebooks" in which they record assignments and gather articles of interest from current media. The values discussed in those classes are reinforced during morning assemblies. The goal is to encourage students to become ethical, responsible individuals of character. As one sixth grader observed, "The kids here are all-around good people, they never pressure me to do anything I wouldn't like to do which helps me progress more easily. The teachers are strict but they know that everybody is unique. I have learned that if you try your very best you shall succeed at Stanwich; no one expects any more or less than that. I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to go to a school like Stanwich."

UPPER SCHOOL VALUES EDUCATION

At the Junior House, the curriculum integrates its unique, character building culture into the pre-adolescent experience. Jerome Murphy, Head of the Junior House, adds, "One of my greatest joys is creating curriculum and The Stanwich School provided an exceptional platform to truly develop the whole child. I want students to develop a sound academic foundation at the highest level. Even more, I want them to know how to form an opinion...not just for their schoolwork, but also for their lives and their relationships with others. Our values-based education is key. It develops a well-rounded, kind, solid young person in a world where peer pressures, media and technology are influencing them to grow up too fast." In the Junior House, students are assigned a faculty advisor and an advisory group. The group meets twice a week to discuss both academic and social topics in small groups and one-on-one with the advisor. Each month, students in the Junior House celebrate a virtue, such as compassion, which is incorporated into much of the curriculum, assemblies and advisory discussions. Students maintain "Character Notebooks" and are assigned homework relating to the monthly virtue.

In addition, all Junior House students and their parents are required to sign The Stanwich School Code of Conduct which clearly defines the school's expectations for students and parents. In these and so many other ways, Stanwich School is committed to training students to become ethical, responsible individuals of character.