Grade Level Thematic Units The process of broadening our community's knowledge of leadership qualities will grow as students' progress through each grade level's thematic unit of study focus. Students will begin their journey of leadership by learning about School Leaders in Kindergarten, first grade students will learn about Home/Family Leaders, second grade students will learn about Community Leaders, third grade students will learn about United States leaders, fourth grade students will learn about State Leaders, and fifth grade students will learn about World Leaders.

Grade Level Service Learning Expeditions The goal of the Service Learning Expeditions educational program is to give our youth a heightened understanding of citizenship in a true democracy and the inspiration to protect our democratic process through civic service projects. Each grade level's Thematic Unit of Study on specified leaders will also correlate with a civics project field trip.

Foundations of Democracy Thematic Focus "The fundamental hypothesis of the Foundations of Democracy curriculum is that education can increase a person's capacity and inclination to act knowledgeably, effectively, and responsibly. It follows that the role of educational institutions must be to help students increase their capacity to make intelligent choices for themselves - to learn how to think, rather than what to think. The alternative, indoctrination, is improper for educational institutions in a free society" (Foundations in Democracy, 1997 Center for Civic Education).

All students, staff and parents will be exposed to Susan Kovalick's LifeLong Guidelines and Lifeskills character building program. Our Lifelong Guidelines and Lifeskills will assist us in arriving at a common ideology of how to truly care for our community and each other.

School wide and Classrooms will display the 5 Lifelong Guidelines of :

1. TRUSTWORTHINESS
2. TRUTHFULNESS
3. ACTIVE LISTENING
4. NO PUT-DOWNS
5. PERSONAL BEST

School wide and Classrooms will display the fifth Lifelong Guideline, "PERSONAL BEST", which is defined by the following 18 Lifeskills:

1. CARING
2. COMMON SENSE
3. COOPERATION
4. COURAGE
5. CURIOSITY
6. EFFORT
7. FLEXIBILITY
8. FRIENDSHIP
9. INITIATIVE
10. INTEGRITY
11. ORGANIZATION
12. PATIENCE
13. PERSEVERANCE
14. PRIDE
15. PROBLEM SOLVING
16. RESOURCEFULNESS
17. RESPONSIBILITY
18. SENSE OF HUMOR