Character Education

At home, you teach your children values. Shouldn’t their school do the same?

At Mounds Park Academy, character development is woven into the fabric of the Lower School experience. Grounded in our motto, "Dream Big. Do Right.", we believe that who students become is just as important as what they learn.

Character is cultivated through both daily interactions and our CHAMP program—Character Happens at Mounds Park. Each month, PreK through fourth-grade students come together to explore core traits such as respect, responsibility, compassion, and integrity through student-led assemblies, where children actively teach and learn from one another.

What makes CHAMP especially meaningful is that it extends far beyond a single lesson. Students use a shared language across their day—from the classroom to the playground—and often reference “CHAMP behavior” as they reflect on their choices and interactions. Through modeling, guided conversations, and conflict resolution, they build the skills to navigate relationships with empathy and confidence.

Service-learning is also an integral part of the experience, with projects embedded in the curriculum—such as organizing birthday boxes for children in a local shelter—that help students see the impact of giving back and understand their responsibility to use their knowledge to make the world a better place.

The result is a learning environment where students feel respected, understood, and connected—and where they grow not only as learners, but as thoughtful, capable, and compassionate people.