September 14, 2017
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School
I am deathly afraid of heights. The higher floors of office buildings or hotels terrify me. Scary movies, too. My mother still teases me about making my father stay up with me to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street when I was home from college one summer.
What are you afraid of? Lower School students gave voice to their fears yesterday morning in the first CHAMP Assembly of the year and made plans to overcome them throughout this school year. Some responses included speaking in front of a crowd with confidence, scary movies, swimming, starting at a new school, competing at a karate tournament, and doing their best in kindergarten.
CHAMP stands for Character Happens At Mounds Park, and is the Lower School character development program. This year’s character trait is courage, defined as “facing your fears with confidence and being brave.” Nelson Mandela was used as a role model as students learned about the courage he demonstrated when he peacefully fought apartheid in South Africa.
Character education is one of the most important cornerstones at Mounds Park Academy. Our commitment to educating the whole child means that academic preparation is but one aspect of education, and that the artistic, physical, social, emotional, and ethical development are equally important. In practice, character education comes to life through the Lower School CHAMP Program, the Middle School Mind Person Action Program, and the new Upper School REACH Program.
REACH, the new Upper School Advisory Program, is designed to help students strengthen the kind, authentic relationships that are at the heart of human existence by engaging students in the academic, extracurricular, and civic endeavors of their school and local communities. Academic advising fosters thoughtful, aspirational goal-setting and integrates with character development to encourage the persistence, respect, and integrity that must be foundational in student’s academic and personal lives. Ultimately, students will demonstrate humility by acting with graciousness, asking questions, and learning to listen compassionately.
A common characteristic of all three programs is forging a partnership with parents to introduce and reinforce shared values, both at home and at school. For instance, Middle School parents have access to a page on our website with ideas and resources to engage their child with meaning conversations. Paired with activities, assemblies, and reflection that Middle School students experience throughout the week, the dynamic partnership between parents and the school approaches character education holistically.
“Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” These words, spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. over a half century ago, underscore MPA’s mission to teach students to think independently, act with respect and integrity, and to find joy in their learning. By challenging students to take risks and push themselves now, in a safe environment, we hope to foster a lifelong habit of ethical, active citizenship, as well as give students the confidence to navigate unknown opportunities and challenges.
“Dream Big. Do Right.” is much more than a tagline. It serves to sharpen and focus our efforts to inspire students to identify problems in our community and our world, use their values, knowledge, gifts, and talents to address them, and develop the confidence and courage to challenge the status quo and tackle them head on. Our world desperately needs actively engaged, educated, ethical, and empowered citizens who are committed to improving it.
