Mission and Values

This is the mission of St. Johnsbury Academy, a diverse, comprehensive, and independent educational community grounded by our traditions, our deep optimism regarding young people, and our commitment to academic excellence:


Character

To teach good character by modeling and fostering compassion, respect, responsibility, and integrity.


Inquiry

To foster a love for learning by challenging individuals to pursue knowledge, creativity, and intellectual self-reliance.


Community

To encourage each individual to understand relationships, rights, and responsibilities within a community that is itself part of the larger world.

 

Bell tower flag and school seal

The Three Promises

 

At St. Johnsbury Academy, we believe in young people, and in what is possible when they are supported in becoming the best people, best learners, and best community members and citizens they can be. We care about their character, about their ability to seek truth and be motivated to learn, and about how they will engage positively with the world, both within and beyond our community.

 

Guided by this deep optimism about young people, we make three promises to our students and their families:

 

1. To help each student become the best person possible.

We are committed to the values of respect, compassion, integrity, and responsibility. We have compassion and empathy, and we believe in loving those most who need it most.

 

2. To become the best learner possible.

We value expertise, creativity, and the habit of inquiry. We provide support and opportunities for students to pursue their passions and develop an abiding love for learning.

 

3. Become part of something bigger than themselves.

When students come to St. Johnsbury Academy, they become part of the most talented and diverse group of individuals they may ever know as friends and colleagues. They develop an intellectual and emotional connection to understanding the larger world, and to making the community a better place.

 

We do our best to make mutual respect and compassion for one another a daily expectation for everyone in our community. Because we know that when students feel seen and heard, believe that they belong and are cared for, and understand that they share responsibility for themselves, each other, and the wider community, they will thrive. We promise each student at St. Johnsbury Academy that we will do our best to know you, to help you to grow, and to help you become the person and learner you need to be to face the world, in your own way, together, and make it better.

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