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The St. Johnsbury Academy is a mission-based school with the values of character, inquiry, and community at its core. Throughout its documents and through its practices as a school, the Academy reveals these and other important values, including school pride and responsibility. In such key documents as the school’s Hhonor Ccode, Alma Mater, and Athenian Oath, and through such actions as instituting a dress code and holding Pep Chapels, the school demonstrates its values clearly. The documents and activities of the Academy represent some of the school’s main values.
Many of St. Johnsbury Academy’s core documents reveal its school pride. Through key Academy documents such as the text of the Alma Mater (school song) and the Athenian Oath (a type of school pledge), a strong pride in our school, community, and culture is shown. These documents are both very central to the school; the Alma Mater is sung regularly by the student body and the Athenian Oath is displayed prominently in one of the main buildings. Both texts indicate the school’s pride; for example, in the second verse of the Alma Mater, the lyrics state: “high above the…bustling town/stands our noble Alma Mater/looking proudly down/forever.” These words indicate satisfaction not only in the school itself, but also in the larger community which it is a part of. The Academy is an important part of the community and culture of St. Johnsbury, and pride in this role is evident in the verse from the Alma Mater. Similarly, the Athenian Oath illustrates the ways in which students of the Academy should demonstrate their pride in their school, stating “we will never bring disgrace to this our school” and “we will transmit this school not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.” Clearly, the Athenian Oath shows that the people of the Academy take enough pride in their school to want to keep improving it. The concept of leaving the school better than it was found implies a type of pride for the school: respect and care for its future reputation. Both the Athenian Oath and the Alma Mater showcase the ways in which the Academy shows its school pride.
Similarly to its documents, the actions the St. Johnsbury Academy takes as a community indicate its school pride. Although there are many examples of this, two of the most prominent are the school’s Pep Chapels and its community singing the school’s Alma Mater. These spirited events really exemplify the school’s pride. For instance, the regular Pep Chapels, in which the whole school gathers in the gymnasium, show the school’s pride in and support for its sports teams. During this event, the cheerleaders perform for the crowd while the various classes compete against each other by cheering loudly. The purpose of Pep Chapel is to excite all the students for any upcoming sports events. This event demonstrates school pride because it is all about supporting the sports teams so that they will do well in their events and represent their school. Pep Chapel is all about school pride in terms of its reputation, while the singing of the Alma Mater: this shows the school’s pride in its community. A few times a year, the entire school sings its Alma Mater together. This, apart from the fact that the Alma Mater’s text itself has to do with school pride, shows pride in our community. By singing together, the Academy demonstrates pride for the unity of the school. Thus the Academy’s practices of Pep Chapel and singing the Alma Mater depict one of their values: school pride.
Another of the the Academy’s main themes is responsibility. Throughout many of the school documents, such as the honor code and the Athenian Oath, the concept of responsibility is inherent. For instance, the honor code, which all students sign, states that “the students of St. Johnsbury Academy…have high expectations of themselves…and depend upon their own honesty and integrity to uphold these expectations.” There is a lot of responsibility involved in having high expectations for oneself; it is fully taking responsibility for one’s actions. Likewise, honesty and integrity are values that can only exist through responsibility. Yet another example of the school’s emphasis on responsibility can be seen in the Athenian Oath, a kind of school pledge. Despite its brevity, it clearly indicates the responsibility of Academy students, stating that “we will revere and obey the school’s laws and do our best to incite a like respect in those among us who are prone to annul them and set them at naught.” The author of this pledge demonstrates clearly the Academy’s belief that students are not only responsible for themselves, but also in part for others. Modeling responsible behavior for others is a piece of every student’s responsibility to their classmates and peers. Responsibility, the Academy emphasizes through its documents, should be practiced by all students for their classmates as well as themselves.
A different way in which the Academy demonstrates its belief in responsibility is through its actions. For example, through the dress code it has instituted, the practice of Waste-Free Wednesdays it has adopted, and the decision to supply its students with iPads, the Academy implements responsibility. This is a distinct part of the Academy’s dress code, which consists of dress pants, button downs, ties for boys, and knee-length skirts and dresses for girls. By introducing a dress code to its students, the Academy has introduced the concept of responsibility for looking neat and acting professional. In another way, Waste-Free Wednesdays, where the school tries to waste as little food as possible during lunch. are also introducing responsibility. This holds students and faculty accountable for their everyday choices in terms of food consumption, and also reminds everyone of the impacts of their choices on the larger environment. In yet another example of the value the Academy places on responsibility, the school loans its students iPads every year. These are important academic tools, but they also can be distractions to students. The Academy entrusts its students with the responsibility of using their iPads for the intended purpose–schoolwork. In this way, as well as the dress code and Waste-Free Wednesdays, the Academy demonstrates trust in its students and gives them responsibility.
Throughout the Academy’s documents and practices, it is evident that the Academy takes school spirit and responsibility seriously. In forms such as the honor code, Athenian Oath, Alma Mater, and other documents, these principles are evident, interwoven with other values. Similarly, the actions of the school imply its appreciation for responsibility and school pride.