Is Your Child Growing in Virtue?
“Two things cannot be in one place. Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.” - Frances Hodgson Burnett
At Pinecrest Academy, our goal is to empower students to be Christian leaders in the world today and in the future, with an emphasis on strong character development.
So what does it mean to be a Christian Leader? Among many things, it means going above and beyond what is required. Often we can be tempted to be minimalistic in our faith life–toeing the line between what we should and shouldn’t do. Unfortunately, many people remain there, and don’t seize the opportunity to truly flourish and reach the heights God wants them to attain.
This is the greatest hope for our students: that each one truly flourish in their faith, and learn what it means to live a life of virtue in a world that often encourages the opposite. As stated in the quote above–thistles cannot grow where roses live. If we seek to cultivate virtues, there is much less space for vice.
This is where Pinecrest’s virtue program comes in (our version of character development for children). Through the combined efforts of students and staff, we hope to build a culture of virtue–to give the virtues an easier chance at growing.
This school year, our focus virtues are responsibility, orderliness, humility, gratitude, generosity, respect, charity, self-discipline, joy, and fidelity. And there are many things we are doing this year to bring the virtues into daily life at school. From coordinated virtue posters in each classroom, to announcements in the morning, to Mr. Lynch’s encouragement at lunch and recess, to bringing virtues into ordinary lessons, the virtue program is present everywhere.
Keep an eye out each month for posts featuring the virtue of the month, both on the Paladin Portal and the Pinecrest Blog.
Parents can also employ the virtue program at home in three simple ways:
Sarah Oryschak a consecrated member of Regnum Christi and is a campus minister for the Lower School at Pinecrest Academy. She can be reached at soryschak@pinecrestacademy.org. Pinecrest Academy is a private PreK3-12 Catholic school located in Cumming, South Forsyth, just minutes from Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Suwanee. We serve families of all faiths seeking a Christian education for their children.
This is the greatest hope for our students: that each one truly flourish in their faith, and learn what it means to live a life of virtue in a world that often encourages the opposite. As stated in the quote above–thistles cannot grow where roses live. If we seek to cultivate virtues, there is much less space for vice.
This is where Pinecrest’s virtue program comes in (our version of character development for children). Through the combined efforts of students and staff, we hope to build a culture of virtue–to give the virtues an easier chance at growing.
This school year, our focus virtues are responsibility, orderliness, humility, gratitude, generosity, respect, charity, self-discipline, joy, and fidelity. And there are many things we are doing this year to bring the virtues into daily life at school. From coordinated virtue posters in each classroom, to announcements in the morning, to Mr. Lynch’s encouragement at lunch and recess, to bringing virtues into ordinary lessons, the virtue program is present everywhere.
Keep an eye out each month for posts featuring the virtue of the month, both on the Paladin Portal and the Pinecrest Blog.
Parents can also employ the virtue program at home in three simple ways:
- Ask your child about Mr. Lynch’s Challenge of the Week
- Set a virtue goal at home with your child and find a way to mark his/her progress
- Take a little moment each day to pray with your child – to back up effort in virtue with God’s help and grace
Sarah Oryschak a consecrated member of Regnum Christi and is a campus minister for the Lower School at Pinecrest Academy. She can be reached at soryschak@pinecrestacademy.org. Pinecrest Academy is a private PreK3-12 Catholic school located in Cumming, South Forsyth, just minutes from Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Suwanee. We serve families of all faiths seeking a Christian education for their children.
