What does it mean?
How does one become a person of character?
- It’s the 3-year-old who, seeing a friend’s concern when her mother leaves, pats her arm and tells her, “Don’t worry. Grown-ups always come back.”
- It’s the fourth grader who, moved by the suffering following the earthquake in Haiti, rallies the school community to raise money for disaster relief.
- It’s the young graduate who, when he doesn’t make the middle school soccer team, goes to the coach to ask how to improve.
All of these actions require empathy and more than a little courage.
It’s our privilege as a Christian school to educate the whole child — mind, body, and spirit. We nurture, cultivate, and challenge our students, each of whom is special and uniquely designed by God, to stretch their motivations, empathy, and abilities to reach out to others. By the time they move on from Park Street School, they have learned the importance of showing respect for others, being compassionate, taking risks, and living lives of generosity. They are prepared to be outstanding scholars and active citizens.
What Others Say About Us
Kari Turner
Park Street School parent of children in Grade 2 and Kindergarten
Alli Achtmeyer
PSS Parent, Elementary
Susan and Stan Rogers
PSS Parents, Elementary
Ways Children Learn About Character
We see it modeled.
Our teachers and staff demonstrate compassion and treat others with kindness. They seek to show respect for one another and students. Through service projects, but also through daily teachable moments in the classroom, our faculty members have opportunities to demonstrate integrity, think of others’ needs first, and to treat others with dignity.
We learn to show kindness, respect, and integrity from what we read in the Bible.
Opportunities abound regarding what we learn about God and the men and women whose stories are told in the Bible. We are reminded of God’s kindness to us, and how we can be kind to others. Second graders learn how God wants us to treat people when studying the Trail of Tears during the Westward Expansion unit. Fourth graders discuss how we can exhibit Christ-like qualities when reading about Sir Galahad and chivalry in the Middle Ages. Preschoolers hear the story of the Good Samaritan in chapel and realize it is kind to stop to help people in need.
We are encouraged to take risks and try new things.
It takes courage and resilience to take risks. Within a caring and nurturing environment, we encourage one another to try new things and safely take risks.
We learn from our mistakes and try again!
We try and try again! We are challenged to not give up. We learn that our unsuccessful attempts are not failure, but resilience to see something through. We learn from what hasn’t worked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Park Street School community affect character?
It is the caring, nurturing atmosphere of community at Park Street School that makes us feel safe to take risks. Park Street School is a family in every sense of the word that is comprised of teachers, staff, students, and parents. It’s a place where students are known and valued, challenged and encouraged, believed in and supported. We partner together in fostering character — parent and teacher, parent and parent, student and teacher. We approach learning as an exciting challenge we tackle together. Children are encouraged to stretch beyond their comfort zones and take risks. We treat mistakes as “teachable moments” and help students in their efforts to persist, whether with a problem in math or an issue outside at recess. At the end of the day, we hope our students will take ownership of their learning — character education as well as academics.
I want my child to develop morals and values, but I am not sure about Christianity. Would my family still fit in at Park Street School?
All families are welcome, regardless of church affiliation or religious practice. We enroll families of any religious practice who would like to attend. We are a Christian school, so do talk about God and Jesus and read stories from the Bible in age-appropriate language. We desire to be transparent with families about what we teach about Christianity, and how we express faith or talk about it. Parents are always welcome to ask questions, or even sit in on a Bible class or chapel. We offer a safe space for students to learn and ask questions about Christianity. Expression of faith — on the part of any child or parent — is voluntary. From the context of this nurturing environment, we hope that each student will graduate with a formation of character and a knowledge of God's love for him or her.
Character's a big topic. How do you teach it?
You are right! Building character is a lifetime lesson. As a Christian school, we believe the Bible has a lot to say about character, mostly because the Bible is ultimately the story about God and what he has done, which shows his character. In the Bible, we are reminded of God's love for us as he sent his son Jesus to rescue us. We remember that, through God, we can love others well too. We learn how wise God is in showing us how we can forgive others, think about others' needs before our own, tell the truth, and demonstrate integrity. During these formative years — from Toddler through Grade 6 — students are encouraged in age-appropriate ways to show respect for one another because we are all created uniquely and are each special. We are reminded of God's kindness to us and how we can be kind to our friends. We are reminded of our many blessings, which encourages us to demonstrate humility, express gratitude, and take responsibility to use and share what we have been given with others. We are reminded that God provides courage when we are presented with tough challenges. We are encouraged, through annual service projects, to consider how we can give regularly to those in need. We are cheered, and not afraid to stretch beyond our comfort zones and take risks, thanks to our supportive environment, which makes us feel loved and safe.
Learn more about what it means to be a Christian School
Our faith in Jesus Christ is our cornerstone. From this foundation, we seek to provide an environment of respect, balance, and fairness regarding faith and its questions.