meaning • relationship •self-awareness

We believe these principles are fundamental to the development of a peaceful, ethical, compassionate, and purposeful life. 

Meaning enables students to reach beyond appearances to what they cannot immediately perceive. It requires them to form connections among the pieces of what they learn. It asks them to provide explanations as well as answers. Those students who practice patience, problem solving, analysis, and philosophical inquiry will achieve a stronger sense of purpose in what they learn.

Relationship is the awareness that meaning exists in the connections we make, among ideas and among people. People in a learning community draw from their relationships to achieve goals; when learning happens in a context of caring and collaboration, it can bring positive transformations to the whole community. Knowing how to negotiate and sustain relationships is hard won, but it opens opportunities throughout life, and it develops greater harmony in the world. 

Self-awareness allows people to make the choices that will support their own growth. Knowledge of the world is not enough; our core beliefs and values will always determine the paths we choose. How are these values formed? By repeated reflection on experience, young people form identities with a healthy and positive outlook.