Moral Focus

National Heritage Academies believes great schools develop both a student’s heart and mind. Our moral focus program is designed to support our parents' efforts to teach character at home by reinforcing and modeling universal human virtues, such as compassion, respect and integrity. A different virtue is featured each month of the school year and is supported by curriculum in the classroom. Additionally, teachers model behavior that exemplifies the virtue and recognize and praise students when they do the same.

Highlighting virtues and moral principles
Classrooms are selected to perform a skit at a school-wide assembly that highlights the virtue of the month. The moral focus creates a school environment that is not just physically safe, but also emotionally safe. Students are taught to respect their classmates, make smart decisions and to resolve disputes in a manner that displays strong character.
Moral Focus Curriculum

There are certain moral principles, common to all, that transcend time, religion and culture. Developing and reinforcing these principles has been key to developing individuals of character throughout the ages. At National Heritage Academies we believe it is imperative to equip students with both the moral and academic foundations necessary to successfully interact in today’s society. Through thoughtful study and application of key principles, we expect to develop students of strong moral character. Students are exposed to moral focus directly through a specified curriculum that outlines virtues, their definitions, and heroes who exemplify those virtues. Students experience those traits through an encouraging and rigorous learning environment.

The Moral Focus curriculum is based on the Greek Cardinal Virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice and nine monthly virtues that flow from them. Though the virtue of the month is common across the whole school each month, each grade level examines these virtues from a slightly different perspective.

Greek Cardinal Virtue: Prudence
August/September: Wisdom
October: Respect

Greek Cardinal Virtue: Temperance
November: Gratitude
December: Self-control

Greek Cardinal Virtue: Fortitude
January: Perseverance
February: Courage

Greek Cardinal Virtue: Temperance
March: Encouragement

Greek Cardinal Virtue: Justice
April: Compassion
May: Integrity