Compass is well known for our environmental sustainability mission due to the very visual impact of our gardens, greenhouse, and high tunnel; it’s great to hear that our social responsibility mission factors into families’ school choice decision-making as well. While there are many layers of depth, in its simplest version, social responsibility is teaching our students to care about their community.
Character doesn’t just happen; it’s explicitly taught through intentional activities and structures. Please read on to learn more about 3 ways we seek to support our students in the development of Compass Character:
Buddies are Back!
Students learn about social responsibility by being connected to those within and outside their immediate circles. Through our older buddy/younger buddy matches, we bridge the gap between our lower school and our middle school. The 5th-8th grade students take on additional responsibility for mentorship of a K-4th grade student. Our first Buddy Meet Up took place last week. Buddies went on a leisurely stroll together across Compass campus.
Student Voice and Leadership has Launched!
At Compass, we communicate that students’ contributions matter. Each year, middle school students have an opportunity to join Student Voice and Leadership (SVL), a group that meets weekly with Ms. Brandee to improve/launch programs and provide feedback to enhance our school. Different than a student council format which is often very exclusive, we seek to include all those who express their interest and submit thoughtful applications to the program. This program also took a pandemic pause last year and is returning now. The applications are in and woah! 1/3 of our middle school students signed up for SVL!
Treats for the Troops
Many thanks to Ms. Kristen from the Navigator step for spearheading this campaign for us! Did you know that a standard pillowcase can hold over 1,600 pieces of candy when fully stuffed? WOAH! Studies show that kids can consume as much as three cups of sugar per sitting eating Halloween candy. This equals almost 169 sugar cubes. The World Health Organization recommends we eat no more than 25 grams of sugar per day – which is about 6 cubes – total! Of course, trick or treating is fun! And we love to eat sweets on special occasions, but we don’t necessarily need all that we collect.
In an effort to support our community and give back to the troops, The Compass School collected any extra candy for Treats for Troops. On our final day, we made it all the way to the weight of an Investigator!
1st Year Investigator= 82 lbs
Cultivating a community of socially responsible citizens is a Compass mission written right into our school’s charter. However, we know that words on a paper need all of us working together to bring the mission to life in everyday interactions and structured experiences.