Beyond academics, the Country Day School strives to develop the whole child and prepare them for life’s challenges. The goal is to establish the Aristotle Social Education virtues as the basis for their school’s culture and social activities. Designed to give students a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of kindness, civility and moral character, the ASE program sets the standard for social engagements and helps to promotes positive expectations among students, teachers and administration.

Lower School—Fourth grade students are introduced to the Primus virtues as a fun way to teach the students to the core principals of the school, while providing teachers with a reference for proper behavior.

Middle School—Sixth grade students attend the Genius curriculum to help them navigate the challenges of middle school. Developing social intelligence gives them countless advantages both socially and emotionally and provides them with the tools to successfully engage and find their own path.

Intent on providing social education throughout the life-cycle of their students, the Classical Academy incorporates three levels of Aristotle Social Education programing into their school’s annual curriculum.

Lower School— Fifth grade students attend the Primus curriculum each Fall. The school uses the Aristotle curriculum to launch their spring dance and lower school commencement events. Students are assigned community enrichment roles and given ’school ambassador’ titles upon completion.

Middle School—Middle school students attend the Genius curriculum to build on the comprehensive skills explored throughout the first series. Each spring students come together for a community dinner and dance to solidify student bonds and create lasting memories as they approach the next steps towards high school.

High School — High school students elect to attend the Aristotle program as both leaders and mentors. The Graduati curriculum provides guidance on how to teach, mentor and positively influence their younger classmates. The school hosts two ASE Socials for the upper school, both with and without family members for both a celebration of, and fundraiser for their community.

Working with a tight schedule and budget, the High School sought to design their own Aristotle program to offer a custom series for their 11th and 12th grade scholars. Together, we selected topics that are not only in line with the core values of their institution, but perfectly complimented their college preparatory curriculum already in place. This comprehensive, well-round approach to education not only improved the overall confidence and positioning of their graduates, but contributed to the long-term success and happiness of their students.