Character Development
Building Good Character/Character Development Programs
Good character is the foundation of success in a person’s life and at Quest Academy, we believe that good character best develops under the direct guidance of adults in a child’s life. To complement the family values learned at home, we provide students with opportunities to discuss and practice good character at school, and we guide them in developing well-rounded character that will serve them well in relationships and in life.
Quest Academy’s four character development programs are a unique hallmark of the school and the foundation of our strong community. Our students have outstanding gifts and talents, which are only enhanced by good character. These programs are designed to help each student advocate for themselves, practice personal responsibility, and develop respect and compassion for others.
Good character does not always come easily. It takes many life lessons for a person to collect enough experiences and understand the importance of good character. At Quest Academy, we celebrate the growth of all students, but recognize that there is no predetermined timeline for achieving good character – it is truly a lifelong quest.
Eight Character Traits
At its core, the Character Development Program encourages each student to internalize eight key traits: Compassion, courage, generosity, gratitude, honesty, respect, responsibility, and self-discipline. Each trait has a corresponding symbol to remind us of the qualities we all strive to embody. All students must know these symbols to recognize these traits in themselves and commend other students for the traits they demonstrate.
Compassion is tender responsiveness to another’s misfortune and is symbolized by a heart. We must always take into consideration the feelings of others as we contemplate our own actions.
Courage is a confident and reasoned approach to challenges. The French symbol of the fleur-de-lis is used here. It reminds us that it is the courageous among us who point the true path along the road to knighthood.
Generosity is a willingness to give freely. The sun stands for the warmth that is spread for every act of kindness. In this symbol, the rays remind us to spread our giving in all directions, while the spiral reminds us of the rejuvenating power of giving.
Gratitude is appreciation of kindnesses received. The stars remind us that we are but one small piece of the universe and that we must be thankful for all that we receive.
Honesty is straightforwardness in thought, conduct and speech. We must liken ourselves to the true arrow, using pure accuracy in our words and deeds.
Respect is esteem for another’s self-worth. This symbol is four distinct triangles, all of equal size, all connected to each other. Likewise, each of us is of equal worth, and each of us is connected within a larger community.
Responsibility is accountability for one’s words and deeds. The earth reminds us of the far-reaching consequences of every action we take.
Self-discipline is correction of oneself for the sake of improvement. The balance recalls the need to strive to keep behaviors in check and to remain levelheaded.
The SPARC Program
Quest Academy’s SPARC program is where you see character traits in action. SPARC is a part of our weekly schedule where time is dedicated to helping students understand how to build character and learning how to be of service to others.
SPARC stands for:
Service Learning
Pageant
Assembly
Relationships
Character
Service learning takes place through Quest Academy’s Day of Service where students practice being the next generation of change makers and good community citizens. When is this held?
Pageants are a time to celebrate our character and take place how often? Pageants are run by Quest Academy students, and include performances from the school’s drama honor society, Saturday Morning Live, recognition of new student squires, and a special knighting ceremony for students who have completed independent community service projects.
Assemblies take place how often? (Amanda said we didn’t do as many this year) are an opportunity to come together as a community and enjoy fun activities, such as tricycle races and giant Hungry Hippo games.
Relationships are nurtured through Buddy Days, which take place throughout the year and bring together students from different grades.
Levels of Honor
To encourage students as they strive for excellent character, Quest Academy has established several levels of honor to acknowledge their growth.
Page: All students become Pages at the first pageant they attend. At this level, they can be awarded character seals when they are observed displaying one or more of the character traits.
Squire: Squire status indicates that a student routinely chooses behaviors consistent with several of the character traits. Starting in third grade, a Page can initiate the Squire process by submitting a nominal form, or they may be nominated by a teacher.
Knight: A Knight is recognized as having developed distinguished character and has applied that character by completing a meaningful service project. Beginning in fifth grade, a Squire can seek Knight status by proposing and working on a 30-hour service project outside of school that has a positive impact on their community. Knights serve as leaders and role models for the rest of the student body and actively participate in Round Table Meetings and Pageants.
Five Houses, One Quest
The heart of Quest Academy is its community, and nurturing our community is an important part of our daily conversation and yearly activities. The school’s House Program ties all the elements of character development together and provides opportunities for students to actively collaborate, build relationships, and thrive as a community.
Starting in third grade, Quest Academy students attend a special sorting ceremony to be sorted into one of five houses: Isibindi, Onraka, Reveur, Sollevare, and Nukumori. Each house has a corresponding color, trait, animal, shield, country, and chant. Younger children are assigned to a house as a group class until they become of age. This allows them to experience each of the houses until the house chooses them during the sorting ceremony.
Houses are a way for students across grades to foster a sense of belonging and celebrate our differences. Quest Academy’s Knights lead teams of students from different grades and complete school service projects throughout the year to encourage and uplift one another.
The House Program fosters collaboration between the grades, builds strong mentoring relationships between students of different ages, establishes a service-oriented mindset within our community, and creates an awareness of how we can positively impact the world around us.
As we continue to see division in our society, the House Program promotes unity, empathy, and personal strength.
