The Four Pillars

Kindness is everywhere.

Many schools have a designated “Kindness Week.” At RCDS, kindness is everywhere. You can follow its path through our Buddy Program, where each grade is paired with another; our Family Style Dining, where students, teachers and administrators sit down together to eat each day; the Carmody School, which is a resource for all students and especially students with special learning needs; to our no-cut athletics program.

Honesty is essential.

At RCDS, it is safe to be honest because we accept our students as they are in order to help them build on their strengths. This is possible because of the depth of our relationships, built through small classes, teams, Upper School Advisory, and more. Our close communication with families is part of that relationship.

Responsibility promotes maturity.

Our students learn early that being responsible just feels good. How? They get plenty of practice through their jobs at lunch, their roles as Buddies, and take charge attitude in leading community service initiatives. Furthermore, we use a social decision-making model to help students resolve conflicts and come to a deeper understanding of behavior through reflection, encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions.

Respectfulness reigns.

There's a social contract in effect at RCDS: we all respect one another. We're a warm community, but there are expectations for all of our behavior. It’s in the air at RCDS, in the way:

● Everyone says hello in the hallways and initiates introductions to make new students and visitors feel welcome.
● Faculty are readily available to students outside of class, and students feel quite comfortable approaching teachers for extra help, questions, or just to say hello or share an anecdote.
● The environment of our classrooms is highly productive. The understanding of mutual respect means that teachers can work with small groups or one-on-one, while students work independently.
● RCDS students don’t have to be told to help — they readily encourage their classmates, teammates and younger buddies.