Core Virtues
Prospective Families
Core Virtues
Courage
Remain steadfast when you are afraid. Practice perseverance when the work is difficult.
Moderation
Practice patience and self-control. Think before you speak. Keep your temper under control.
Justice
Follow the rules. Help others, and treat them fairly and with respect.
Responsibility
Take pride in your work and your duties. Hold yourself accountable even when others do not.
Friendship
Be kind and generous. Learn how to get along well with others.
Prudence
Deliberate before you act. Practice good judgment.
Wisdom
Cultivate a thirst for knowledge about the most important things.
Each virtue is accompanied by an explanatory statement intended to help students understand the virtue and the ways in which its associated vices can take root in the character of a young person. We speak about virtue in the same way in all grades because we want students to understand that virtue is for all human beings no matter their age.
The school’s virtues are taken from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the first and greatest book about virtue. The virtues are taught in ascending order and students are encouraged to practice the virtues with the understanding that the higher virtues will become easier as the lower virtues become habits. This is one lesson of the Nicomachean Ethics–that intellectual virtue is higher than moral virtue but depends upon it. To live the good life a person must cultivate good character as a foundation for the intellectual virtues.
Students have the opportunity to earn NOCA bucks when they display characteristics of the NOCA Virtue of the Month. NOCA Bucks can then be used to “purchase” NOCA prizes.