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We at St. Richard’s School believe that well-rounded education
should lead to more than simply knowing lots of information; the
purpose of education is to shape individuals into more informed,
caring, and responsible people who will share in the task of making
society a better place for all people. Virtually all of a St. Richard’s
education, whether garnered in the formal Classic Curriculum or
in other less formalized lessons and programs, is focused on helping
students become the best people and citizens that they can possibly
be.
Even though that is true, highlighting Civic Responsibility as
one of the “Pillars of Success” holds this aspect of
St. Richard’s up to the light of scrutiny and ensures that
this ideal of citizenship formation is recognized as important
and a special part of the overall program. The National Alliance
for Civic Education notes, “Civic knowledge and participation
are not passed down through the genetic code – they require
that each generation of students learn civic facts, learn democratic
ideals, and connect such concepts to the responsibility of citizenship.” At
St. Richard’s, democratic ideals and overall civic responsibility
are not only taught throughout the grade levels, they are practiced
as norms in daily life.
The Early Childhood program at all three levels abounds with the
rudiments of life together as a community, the fundamentals of
personal responsibility, and the essentials of respect for self
and others. The Lower School classes begin the study of social
contracts, governments, basic rights and responsibilities, the
vagaries of the treatment of social groups in society throughout
history, the influence of cultural and environmental influences
on society, the specificity of life in Indiana and its communities,
and more. In Middle School, students begin to hone their analytical
skills a bit more while learning about the intricacies of the foundations
of western civilization and governmental systems, the American
system of government, and challenges to this form of government.
Not only do MS students learn about civic responsibility, they
begin to live it in more concrete ways. In venues like Student
Council, serving as State House pages, the Middle School Leadership
forum sponsored by SRS, the “We the People” constitution
competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, and various
community service projects in the surrounding neighborhoods, SRS
students put their civic responsibility education to the test in
authentic ways.
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