Our Unique Approach to Character Development at St. Barnabas Episcopal School

If you’re familiar with our mission statement at St. Barnabas Episcopal School, you’ll know that we want much more than to just create an environment for our students that promotes academic excellence. We strongly feel that instilling sound moral values and high self-esteem in our students needs to be a critical part of this equation as well.

One of the reasons why parents may choose to send their children to a private school is that they want to focus on their child’s character development. Public schools have to follow strict guidelines, especially when religion and faith comes into play. However, with a private school education, character development can be instilled within the framework of God’s love.

We take a very unique approach to the character development of our students, and this is just one of the many ways that makes St. Barnabas stand out among other schools. Here are a few ways that we practice a holistic approach to developing our students:

Fruit of the Spirit

You probably recognize the term “Fruit of the Spirit” as being a biblical reference. To us, this term sums up 9 visible attributes of living a true Christian life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Not only are these attributes, but they are also qualities that we can choose to live by. By embracing all nine of these attributes, students can truly live a fruitful life because the Holy Spirit is actively at work in their lives.

At St. Barnabas, we incorporate the Fruit of the Spirit into every aspect of our curriculum, and this is reinforced during our flag ceremony/assembly, chapel, religious studies, and general classroom culture.

“Gotcha” Program

We believe that having a strong spiritual foundation is the key to developing well-rounded students. By encouraging our students to become servant leaders, we help them to explore their faith at a deeper level and ultimately develop strong moral values.

Through our “Gotcha” Program, teachers and staff recognize students for specific acts that they have done that represent good servant leadership. Making a point to honor these positive actions and behaviors helps to remind students that much can be gained from having good character and doing the right thing. Thanks to Chick fil A Saxon Boulevard, we are now rewarding our students with a free sandwich coupon when they are recognized for servant leadership behavior.

More Athletic Programs Than Any School in Volusia County

At St. Barnabas, we’re proud to offer more athletic programs than any other elementary and middle school in Volusia County, and we do this because we believe that athletics plays a big role in developing a well-rounded student.

There are a number of important lessons regarding character development learned on the field that simply can’t be taught in a classroom setting. Examples of such lessons include self-discipline, respect, communication skills, collaboration, commitment, and cooperation.

As you can see, there are many ways that our private school approaches character development for our students. It’s so important to lay the foundation for good character development early on in your child’s education, and we can help you accomplish this through our Pre-K program, elementary school, and middle school. Please contact us at St. Barnabas Episcopal School to learn more.

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