The Virtue Project: Promoting a Culture of Civic Virtue in Our Schools

Autor/in	Macioci, Bob
Titel	The Virtue Project: Promoting a Culture of Civic Virtue in Our Schools
Quelle	In: Independent School, 72 (2013) 2 PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0145-9635
Schlagwörter	Values Education; Student Leadership; Student Projects; School Culture; Values Clarification; Program Descriptions; Educational Practices; Massachusetts + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Werterziehung; Studentenwerk; Schulprojekt; Schulkultur; Schulleben; Wertbewusstsein; Bildungspraxis; Master-Studiengang
Abstract	In this article, Bob Macioci, dean of student affairs at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, describes the effort to elevate and align character education curriculum with the school's larger mission by the establishment of the Virtue Project, a program that challenges a select group of student leaders to promote and encourage both the intrinsic and civic rewards of a virtuous life. The goal of the Virtue Project is to make common and timeless values part of daily life, and through the presentation of stories, heroes, and real-life role models and events, the selected students are responsible for transitioning virtuous ideals from the abstract to the concrete, stabilizing the common foundation of the diverse architecture of the community. Overseen by the Student Affairs Office, the Virtue Project consists of six teams of five proctors, all of whom encounter a rigorous and lengthy vetting process. In general, these young leaders take on many responsibilities in the community, including peer mentoring, peer mediation, and, most important, striving to live up to the values they promote daily. The programming in the Virtue Project is designed and implemented by these student proctors. Each team is responsible for two chosen virtues for the entire school year. These include, among others, compassion, respect, honesty, tolerance, gratitude, and charity. With a faculty advisor for each team, the students have the flexibility to be creative in how they promote and encourage their chosen virtues, and have full financial and logistical support for approved events. Groups are assigned specific weeks during the year and use school assemblies, formal dinners, advisor meetings, and wall space, both physical and virtual, to promote their messages. In addition, each student involved in the Virtue Project is responsible for assessing and documenting his or her efforts so that future teams can build on the successful work of prior groups, while at the same time making important changes to content and delivery as the programs evolve. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Association of Independent Schools. 1620 L Street NW Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-793-6701; Tel: 202-973-9700; Fax: 202-973-9790; Web site: http://www.nais.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10