Throughout the past week, our Advisers have used their group session with students to discuss some of our community’s important values such as empathy, trust and respect.
You might be wondering why we would do this kind of activity three months into the school year. It is not unusual in any high school for students at this point in the year to become a bit lax about school expectations. Giving students the opportunity to review our standards of behaviour and ask any related questions serves as a good reminder about what we value and how individual actions need to reflect these values. Some of the topics touched upon in the Adviser session relate to the school uniform, academic honesty and the school’s alcohol and drug policy.
In addition, I spoke to the students at this morning’s assembly about the responsibility of the bystander and how students need to look out for one another. In most instances, this simply means speaking up if they hear or see something that is inappropriate; in other instances, it may involve speaking to a teacher or other adult within the school. Taking sides against another student is not an easy thing to do, as it goes against informal social codes that exist in every school. Students also fear they will be ostracized by their peers. However, doing the right thing, though not always easy, is an integral value within the Greenwood community and we will continue to do everything we can to help all of our students develop this vital aspect of character.