Character Education

Swain is more than an educational institution. We take very seriously our charge to develop the character of each student, in a thoughtful and meaningful way.

Each year we celebrate an annual theme; for 2009-2010 it is Learning and Living with Honor. Last spring Mr. Stansbery, our Head of School, asked the Middle School Student Senate members to create an Honor Pledge for students, which will be introduced for the new school year.

All students will take this pledge, and will receive a small lapel pin to wear to signify their commitment.

Swain Honor Code

As a member of the Swain community,
to honor myself and my school,
I pledge to be honest
and show respect as I strive for
academic excellence.
I will take responsibility for my actions
and help others to do the same.

Our Virtues of the Month program articulates the concepts we want every child to embrace. Each month, a different virtue is highlighted with special activities, writing opportunities, all-school assemblies, and 'teachable moments'. Our virtues for 2009-2010 are goodness, compassion, thankfulness, humility, courage, charity, patience, stewardship, and hope.

Older students become role models to younger children through our Buddy Program, which pairs them for study, play, and special activities. As a school community, we also meet in Birthday Groups - where everyone (students, staff, and faculty) - born in a particular month meet for activities and fellowship. These relationships promote a special kind of bond among our students, building leadership and friendship.

Our community service program is designed around the concept that our students need to think about what it means to be a citizen of the world. Opportunities to participate are plentiful, and a strong component of our character education initiative. School-wide, we have done countless projects such as benefit dinners, collections of donations (including food and clothing items, books, household goods, stuffed animals, and school supplies), and fundraisers for community organizations.

At least twice a year, every middle schooler travels off campus to serve our surrounding community in some capacity, whether it is serving lunch at a local shelter, cleaning up a playground, visiting an assisted living facility, or stocking the shelves at a local food bank.

Unique to the eighth grade is an Independent Community Service Project. Every eighth grader spends eight hours volunteering in the community at an organization of their choice, and then they share their experiences with the middle school community through a reflective multi-media presentation.

Both the Lower School and the Middle School gather for individual, weekly town meetings. This is time for teacher and student announcements, outside speakers, student presentations, assemblies, etc. It is vital for our community to share experiences and discuss matters of importance, and we find that this scheduled time fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion.

Specific to grades 5-8 is the Middle School Honor Code, signed by every student at the beginning of each school year.

All sixth-eighth graders are assigned an Advisor, whom they meet with for 10 minutes each morning and for 40 minutes, several days per week. More than just a time for announcements, the role of the Advisor is to provide the student with a person to help with structure and/or to resolve school issues, to create a small group environment where members feel comfortable, share information with other teachers regarding advisees, and to be a point of contact for families. In grade 5, homeroom teachers take on many of these same responsibilities.

Every sixth-eighth grader takes a Wellness class as part of our afternoon Continuum (mini courses) schedule. The curriculum is designed around the developmental needs of emerging adolescents, and includes such topics as decision making, healthy food choices, sex education, etc.

As a culmination of their final year at Swain, each eighth grader gives a three to five minute speech about someone or something in their life that inspires them. This speech is presented in front of the entire middle school community at a town meeting, accompanied by a multi-media presentation.

In addition to the above activities, opportunities to participate in school life such as Student Senate, athletics, drama, and middle school girls ensemble are all ways for our teachers and coaches to help students develop into morally sound decision makers.