Mission Statement

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Mission Statement

	We, the community of Joel Barlow High School, believe in a rigorous, dynamic education that respects the diversity of student abilities and interests. Committed to an open and active exchange of ideas, we promote values, knowledge, and skills that foster personal integrity, intellectual curiosity, individual well-being, and civic responsibility.

	Guiding Principle "Education is not the filling of a pail, ----------------but the lighting of a fire." ---------------------------William Butler Yeats

	The measure of an education, that which will sustain learners beyond Joel Barlow High School, is the vital exchange between educators and students. We hold to the tenets of that exchange: the stimulation of the intellect, the cultivation of inquiry, the fostering of thoughtful behavior, the enhancement of a sense of wonder, the quest for truth. The essential nature of the classroom is more than the transfer of content. It is an invitation for all students to develop the promise of their inherent talents. The informing metaphor of our school community is learning-as-discovery with the expectation that, by using their minds as well, students will have opportunities to appreciate the triumphs, the frustrations, and the incongruities of the human spirit.

	Graduates of Joel Barlow High School will:
	Learn the importance of the arts in expressing the human condition. --- Demonstrate an understanding of the basic knowledge of history, civics and government, geography and economics and apply this knowledge to real-world circumstances. --- Analyze a wide range of texts, write with precision and clarity, and utilize language to communicate their ideas to others. --- Acquire and demonstrate the conceptual understanding of numerical, algebraic, geometrical and statistical skills necessary to formulate, analyze and solve quantitative problems, to facilitate the inquiry and the exploration of real-world phenomena, and to support continued development of mathematical thinking. --- Acquire and demonstrate an understanding of basic scientific concepts, processes, and methods of inquiry, apply them to the real world, and acquire and demonstrate a knowledge of, appreciation for, and respect for the environment. --- Demonstrate acquisition of a code of ethics and assume responsibility for personal actions and community involvement --- Have the necessary knowledge and skills to make healthy lifestyle choices in the promotion of personal and community wellness. --- Acquire and demonstrate an understanding of the appropriate use of information resources and technology. --- Demonstrate the development of an educational plan and the skills necessary to achieve vocational and personal success. --- Be effective communicators who understand the application of an interrelationship among listening, speaking and viewing skills.