The Summit Magazine Spring 2022

Educating Leaders of Character

Tailored for children of all ages, Leaders of Character is a comprehensive and scaffolded effort to focus on three actions (“domains”) that contribute to personal development: Serves God, Builds Community and Grows Self. The Leaders of Character framework is the result of nearly two years of research and development led by Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs, Dr. Kirstin McEachern, with guidance from the Center for Creative Leadership.

Grows Self

We educate for life and understand that leaders of character seek continued growth. “Grows Self” is a focus beginning in Montessori and further explored in Grades 3, 6 and 10 where the featured attributes are:

Accountable - answers for and owns one’s thoughts, actions and words

Creative - engages one’s imagination and generates new ideas and original work

Curious - asks questions to deepen understanding and wants to know more

Resilient - learns from mistakes, perseveres in the face of adversity and remains poised under stress

Self-Aware - knows oneself well by understanding one’s values, strengths, weaknesses and blind spots

Serves God

Rooted in the tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, we are leaders of character who demonstrate that God is good. As one domain in the framework, “Serves God” is the featured domain in Grades 2, 7, 11 and 12. The attributes we teach, model and practice are:

Grateful - appreciates one’s God-given gifts and those of others and improves the world one inherits

Honorable - holds oneself to high moral standards, stands up for what one believes in and demonstrates integrity by being trustworthy and “walking the walk” as one works for the common good

Humble - acts in service to a higher power, places the needs of others above oneself and supports the growth and leadership of others by stepping aside when appropriate

Reflective - pauses to pray, assess, see the bigger picture and draw valuable insights

Builds Community

As leaders of character, we create community among those with whom we work and serve. “Builds Community” is the area of focus for Grades 1, 4, 5, 8 and 9 where each student is guided to learn and practice what it means to be a leader who is:

Collaborative - works effectively with others to accomplish goals

Communicative - expresses oneself clearly, confidently, and concisely

Empathetic - understands the feelings, needs and perspectives of others by putting oneself in their shoes and responding with care and compassion

Inclusive - embraces the gift of diversity and creates conditions that invite and involve others

Respectful - shows consideration for others by treating people the way they want to be treated

The attributes within the Leaders of Character framework are adjectives that describe what it means to be a Summit Silver Knight. “We want our community members to embody these concepts; rather than merely understanding kindness or gratitude, we want them to be respectful, inclusive and grateful,” shares Dr. McEachern.