Mission
Guided by Purpose
Inspired by the proposition that education is the means by which we both discover our world and contribute to its transformation, and that one’s education is best pursued in the company of others, for others’ benefit as well as one’s own, Stevenson School has long been committed to a mission described by three central aims:
- to prepare students for success in School and their lives beyond School;
- to foster their passion for learning and achievement;
- to help them shape a joyful life.
In keeping with this mission, Stevenson seeks to:
- train students in critical academic, intellectual, social, and emotional skills;
- help students to develop honor and integrity;
- teach students to engage productively and peacefully with others;
- nurture students’ ambitions and healthy pursuit of excellence;
- balance convention and innovation such that Stevenson remains true to enduring values and relevant to the emerging needs of the present generation of students.
We therefore expect all members of our community to be:
- devoted to our tenets of scholarship and citizenship;
- honest, honorable, and empathetic;
- able to examine and be responsible for their beliefs and behavior, respectful of the consequences that may attend both;
- willing to risk failure in the pursuit of wisdom;
- committed to embodying and sustaining our community’s core values of safety, trust, respect, belonging, and inclusion.
Almost seven decades after its founding, the School’s central project remains remarkably consistent with the aspirations that inspired its founding. Our core values, student handbooks, honor code, motto, song, and prayer all serve as guideposts in this regard.
At the beginning of each year upper and middle division advisory groups and lower division classes spend time discussing and understanding the School’s honor code, motto, song, prayer, and the standards of conduct described in each handbook. Students are invited to ask questions and reflect on how the School’s values align with their own values. After doing so, each student is expected to affirm that they have read and understand the School’s expectations for their behavior. Our community regularly reflects on the implications of these principles throughout the year.