Building Character:

There is a saying, "Character is what you do when no one is watching." In educating children, the development of character has many facets but without a focus and consistent reinforcement, it is a random process. Parents and teachers who work together to create high expectations, who model such high expectations themselves, and who provide reinforcement for such expectations, plant the seeds in youngsters that will blossom as character in young adults.

At Marywood-Palm Valley School, the relationships between students and faculty in small classes enhance the sense of shared values and a common purpose. But it doesn't stop there. Daily assemblies, with student presentations on topics related to character; school-wide charitable events; consistent reminders of the core values of Courage, Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Compassion, Creativity , Tolerance, and Balance through curriculum applications, all serve to focus students, daily, on the things that matter most. There is no greater gift in teaching the next generation than to give them a sense of civility and responsible citizenship that will not only make them productive participants in society but ethical leaders in their homes, their communities and the world outside.

Peer Pressure... It's Not All Bad

The unique stage of development known as the middle school years offers students in a college preparatory program the experience of positive peer pressure. A school environment that recognizes and utilizes this positive power of the peer group creates opportunity for students to develop independent learning skills because college preparation and college success are the goals of every student in the middle school program.