Virtues Program

Wakefield’s Virtues Program grew out of a desire to create an organic, systematized way to incorporate into everyday school life the character education central to Wakefield's mission.

Throughout the year in the Lower School, the four cardinal virtues--prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude--are introduced, and week-by-week, characteristics of each virtue are discussed in detail in class, to help students see the practical ways in which individuals can "live" these large ideals.

Mrs. Sipes, Lower School Counselor talks about character with kindergarten students.

Students are acknowledged in the community when they display these characteristics and virtues in their everyday behaviors and decision-making, and are helped to see how practicing the cardinal virtues leads to a civil, friendly, supportive, and enjoyable community.

Lower School Virtues Program Update

The Lower School’s Virtues Program, Character Counts: Reach for the Stars, is underway.  The program is under the supervision of Lower School counselor Jen Sipes.  Every Lower School teacher implements the Virtues Program every day, both in teaching the ideals and in actively cultivating students' behaviors that reflect them. 

Middle and Upper School Virtues Program 

The Virtues Program in our Middle and Upper School is very successful.  Over the holiday season, our students expressed generosity to others through our Service Club Holiday Gift Collection given to local charities.  Our middle school made gift baskets for our cleaning and maintenance staff here at Wakefield.  We also talked about being thankful and expressing our thankfulness to others.  We provided cards to the students and encouraged them to write notes to one another telling the other person how thankful they were for something that person had done.

Middle and Lower School girls read about Abraham Lincoln.

The virtue of Justice became our focus after returning from ski week.  We spent most of February discussing the life of Abraham Lincoln and the character values he portrayed in holding our country together at a very difficult time. 

 

Middle and Lower School boys spend time together talking about Abraham Lincoln.

Our seventh and eighth graders partnered with first and second grade  classes for a reading, discussion, and an activity session based on the life of Abraham Lincoln.  The seventh and eighth graders led the activity in their groups.  The younger students were thrilled to have one-on-one time with their older "buddies".