ETHICAL EDUCATION graduating

GOOD CITIZENS

In 1867, Rowland Hall was founded with the mission to instill ethical and spiritual principles in its students and to expect every child to strive for academic excellence. Developing character was an important part of our vocation long before “character education” emerged as a national trend. We believe that no education is complete without commitment to making a better person and to making the community a better place. To that purpose, Rowland Hall students engage in a sequential, age-appropriate curriculum to identify values, recognize ethical actions, practice responsible decision-making, and live meaningful, ethical lives. All Rowland Hall students learn that character includes developing self-discipline, drive, and grit, as well as honoring the principles of fairness, empathy, integrity, and altruism. First and foremost, the teachers model a deep commitment to learning, to the emotional and social well-being of others, and to the school as community. Instilling these lessons is just as important as teaching core skills in traditional academic disciplines. Rowland Hall’s service learning program gives students opportunities to act on their growing awareness of how to meet needs in the community beyond the school. This participation, most often integrated with curricular units, but also with stellar stand-alone projects, starts in the Beginning School. By the time students graduate from the Upper School, they have had many opportunities to expand their sense of service while gaining the deep sense of belonging that such responsibility confers.

OUR actions AFFECT OTHERS. ETHICS CREATE community. ETHICS guide CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

Our school-wide chapel program encourages students to reflect on honesty, compassion, generosity, and volunteerism. In all divisions, chapel programs use music, prayers, stories, and teachings from a variety of faith traditions to enhance respect for cultural traditions different from their own. Whether singing along with our chaplain in St. Margaret’s Chapel on the McCarthey Campus or hearing from a guest speaker on the Lincoln Street Campus, students are immersed in concepts that encourage personal integrity. Within these pages you will learn more about ethical education at Rowland Hall. More specific content is available on our website, www.rowlandhall.org. And, of course, our admission office welcomes your questions.

Rowland Hall strives to graduate good citizens, not just students well prepared for college. Concepts such as character and service, ethics and community, matter here. From the earliest grades right through the senior year, we stress the need to lead by example and to have a positive influence on the lives of others. --First Pillar of our Strategic Plan

Beginning School Teaching age-appropriate ethical tools The Beginning School promotes social and emotional competency by equipping children with the age-appropriate strategies to enable them to make good choices and decisions. While teachers weave ethics education throughout their curricula, classroom management, and student problem-solving, 4PreK and kindergarten students are introduced to Second Step, a research-based social skills curriculum. Weekly lessons teach skills for identifying emotions, labeling these emotions, and taking the perspective of others. In addition, students learn to manage strong feelings and peacefully solve conflicts with peers. The Beginning School has two community-building goals for its classrooms: “I belong to a community” and “I contribute to my community.” Students identify the diverse communities to which they belong and begin to practice being contributing community members. Students begin to understand cross-cultural competence as they celebrate the array of family histories and cultures they represent by bringing photos from home. Parents also come into classrooms to share their own faith traditions and cultural practices. Holiday celebrations feature Christian traditions, Diwali celebrations, Muslim prayers, and the rituals of Hanukkah. Even the Flat Stanley project encourages social connections across the nation and the world that foster early awareness of shared values.

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Scan to learn more about age specific, classroom information character in the Beginning School or visit www.rowlandhall.org/beginningethics

IDENTIFY

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Lower School Taking the next step Teaching students to be responsible and compassionate citizens is the goal of the Lower School ethical curriculum. Lessons from the Second Step curriculum continue in first through third grades to help students recognize and empathize with others’ feelings, practice peaceful problem-solving strategies, and manage strong emotions. Fourth and fifth graders graduate to Steps to Respect, which emphasizes inclusivity and friendship building. Through these lessons students develop the skills to address bullying behavior. By highlighting a Virtue of the Month, students recognize a range of virtues that reflect core values of the school. Students also engage in the classroom exercise of Bucket Filling, by which students recognize peers who have filled their bucket with kind words and actions. Weekly chapel gatherings use the music, prayers, and teachings of multiple traditions to explore topics like caring for our environment and the values of kindness and generosity. As fourth and fifth grade students begin using email accounts, teachers and staff teach them about responsible digital citizenship. Students adopt Common Sense Media’s T.H.I.N.K. test to examine their online communication for appropriateness as they learn to be considerate digital citizens. Lower School students participate in grade-level service learning projects focusing on the local community and the wider world. These projects have served TNC’s Rainforest Project, Primary Children’s Hospital, the International Rescue Committee, Tracy Aviary, the Road Home, the Mali Health Organizing Project, Tree Utah, animal services, and the Utah Food Bank. A highlight of Lower School service is the buddy program where fourth and fifth graders mentor their preschool buddies. Teachers also support student-driven initiatives such as recycling and charitable fundraising efforts. Division-wide service initiatives include the October Food Drive, the clothing and book drives, the McCarthey Campus Half Day of Service, the Be Idle-Free clean air campaign, and the Go Green Days walk/bike/carpool to school initiative.

RECOGNIZE

Scan to read more about to read more about the specific classroom activities. Or visit www.rowlandhal.org/lowerethics

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Middle School Practicing ethical decision making and behavior Middle School students practice ethical decision-making in the classroom, on athletic fields, and in the larger community. Encouraging students to take responsibility for their behavior is at the heart of the Middle School’s philosophy. Teachers weave ethics education throughout their curricula, classroom management, and guidance in student problem-solving. During the middle school years, students are grouped in supportive grade level advisories, where they build on social and emotional competencies through hands-on activities. As part of health education, students explore how moral codes are shaped by family, peers, religion, and culture, and they learn to articulate their own moral and ethical codes. Role playing teaches students how to recognize inappropriate behaviors and how to intervene with peers. Monthly chapel gatherings broaden understanding of world religions by introducing specific practices, philosophies, beliefs, and observances. Middle School students use iPads and email accounts for schoolwork and are expected to be responsible digital citizens: online communications should be thoughtful and considerate. Students address larger community issues through integrated service learning. Recent projects have included work with the International Rescue Committee, the Horizonte School, the Homeless Youth Resource Center, and Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance. Student-initiated drives and fundraisers are encouraged and individual advisories take on service projects such as Sub-for-Santa for Odyssey House and Comunidades Unidas. Week-long class trips put students in situations where they must be accountable for their own well being and that of the larger group. In addition, participation in sports enables commitment and leadership. Coaches introduce “Raise the Bar: ‘Do Rowdy Right’” -- reinforcing what good sportsmanship means for athletes and fans.

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Scan to learn more about to read details about Middle School ethics curriculum. Or visit www.rowlandhall.org/middleethics

www.rowlandhall.org

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Upper School Fine-tuning ethical literacy Ethical literacy means understanding that one’s actions affect others and that, while deeply held personal values may differ, we commit ourselves to the ethics that create our community: respect, integrity, and empathy. In the Upper School, students broaden their understanding of the historical arc of ethical paradigms in order to internalize thoughtful decision-making. Recognition of good character occurs daily at school, whether celebrating student-to-student acts of kindness, engaging with guest speakers, or communicating about what we value as a community. Service learning, whether integrated in dance, science, or math class, addresses issues as diverse as poverty, hunger, autism, wildlife habitat, domestic violence, and racism. Juniors, through Project 11, identify a local need for which they feel passion, then devote time to one organization whose mission it is to address that need. All students participate in community service that encourages living the mission of the school, such as the mid-October Half Day/Whole Heart Day of Service. Extracurricular clubs also offer opportunities to develop leadership skills and initiative in areas of service. Our institutional practices and curricular units focus on the broader ethics of sustainability. The Upper School gathers once a month for chapel, broadening understanding of the practices and philosophies of many world religions. A required world religions class also explores the history and traditions of faith. Cross-cultural competency is also acquired through learning to be an ally by interrupting discriminatory speech or acts whether or not one is a member of the targeted group. Upper School athletics provide a platform for developing not just the skills to play competitively, but also the values of fair play, and responsibility.

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LIVE

Read about the Upper School for a detailed picture of the Upper School’s ethical curriculum or visit www.rowlandhall.org/upperethics

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Ted Ward, head coach of the University of Utah’s women’s volleyball team, about the need for and positive impact of Title IX Dr. Susan J. Matt, Weber State University history department chair, about how advertisers at the turn of the 19th century used envy to legitimize consumer desire

LINCOLN CAMPUS speaker series Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro

Scott Jurek

Kelli Hyland, Salt Lake City psychiatrist, about recovery from trauma and her work with local veterans, with English classes reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Things They Carried

Michael Spurgeon

Mat Johnson

Debra Daniels

Nathan Zick-Smith, alumnus, on the effects of global climate change and the choices available to students who want to begin to make a difference

Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, CEO and President of the Global Fund for Women, on empowerment projects for women in Third World countries

Thad Hall, University of Utah, about elections and the Supreme Court case Citizens United vs. the Federal Elections Commission

Maz Jobrani, Islamic comedian from a group called Axis of Evil, dealing with stereotyping

Imam Muhammed Matar, leader of the Utah Islamic Society, on the relevance and importance of Dr. Martin Luther King’s message to people of all backgrounds

Felicity Fouche, former Rowland Hall parent, talking about living under Apartheid in South Africa Marion Blumenthal Lazan, Holocaust survivor and author of Four Perfect Pebbles Debra Daniels, from the University of Utah Women’s Resource Center, speaking about how to be an ally

Jeremy Jones

Reverend France A. Davis

Lee Hirsch, director of “Bully,” on tackling this emotional subject for a documentary film Parker Lawrence, from the University of Utah, on the experience of students of color in independent schools

Inspiring and Influencing Lee Hirsch

Imam Muhammed Matar

Jeff Whitbeck, Momentum Recycling, about the challenges of starting up a glass recycling business in the Salt Lake Valley Scott Jurek, ultra-marathoner, about personal motivation and pushing beyond one’s perceived limits

Marion Blumenthal Lazan

Jeremy Jones, professional snowboarder and founder of Protect Our Winters, on effects of climate change

Darryl Hunt, founder of the Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice, discussing his 20 years of incarceration after being exonerated for a crime he didn’t commit

Michael Spurgeon, alumnus, author of Let the Water Hold Me Down, on writing as a profession and the geopolitical themes of his novel: choosing to act rather than being a bystander

Mat Johnson, author of Incognegro, about adapting the graphic novel form for the story of African American reporters “passing” in the south to expose lynching Teri Martin and David Garbett, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Tim Catlin from the Wild Utah Project, and David Pacheco from HEAL Utah, speaking with environmental science classes

Olivia Mattis, Stony Brook University, about the heroic work of Aristides de Sousa Mendes during the Holocaust

Jeremy Beckham, from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Marion Blumenthal Lazan

Maz Jobrani

Reverend France A. Davis, Calvary Baptist Church, on the bravery of leadership for Martin Luther King Day

SummerWorks Five principles guide our summer program SummerWorks, Rowland Hall’s ACA accredited day camp for children ages four through 18, is rooted in five guiding principles that inform our behavior, interactions, and curriculum: personal responsibility, authentic communication, gratitude, service, and inclusivity. Personal responsibility is reinforced through a problem solving approach to discipline. Campers have daily jobs such as lunch monitor, recess clean-up, and flag duty. Four-year-olds and kindergartners abide by the “three rules of camp” -- keep hands and feet to yourself, include all friends, and listen to your counselors. First through fifth graders are encouraged to focus on the “thought of the day” during the camp flag raising. Outdoor wilderness trips for campers, sixth through eighth grades, provide a realistic and heightened opportunity to practice personal decision making, accountability, and interpersonal skills. We encourage authentic communication by being an un-plugged camp -- no cell phones, electronics, television, or movies. Instead, we emphasize slowing down, listening, reading, and learning to recognize and respond appropriately to social cues. We show gratitude through a weekly thank you ceremony, recognizing campers of the week, and the staff Lion is Roaring comment board to recognize positive behaviors. SummerWorks’ bullying prevention policy is anchored in the bullying prevention training our staff receives through the American Camp Association (ACA). Inclusivity is promoted daily through our get-to-know and team-building game time, Friday all-camp afternoon events, and camp scholarship program. We provide service projects for campers through fifth grade, with weekly bake sales to raise funds for childrens’ book donations to The Road Home and the book label art project. Our sixth through twelfth grade campers have volunteered time to benefit the Fisher House at the Veterans Administration and during their two-day clean up of the Jordan River by way of canoe in partnership with S’PLORE.

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PLAY

Scan to register for SummerWorks 2014 or visit www.rowlandhall.org/ethicalsummer

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Among our priorities as educators is the creation of a vibrant and inclusive community, intellectually exciting and socially supportive, that prepares students to live in, work in, and contribute to a global community.

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2PreK-12

720 Guardsman Way

Salt Lake City, Utah 84108

801.355.7485

www.rowlandhall.org