Responsibility: We are self-directed.
We believe that one of the most important life skills a student can learn is that of responsibility. While we all function within a broader global society, we are expected to be self-directed. To that end, responsibility is integrated into all facets of da Vinci. As students progress in age, fewer and fewer of their choices are dictated by staff. They receive more freedom—and hand-in-hand with that freedom comes greater responsibility for their actions. By the time students are in the upper grades, they are expected to maintain a planner for assignments and activities, are required to check their own assignments and grades using PowerSchool, have opportunities to dual enroll or take Career Center classes, and are able to leave campus for various activities. Responsibility also plays out in academics. Mastery of skills comes only in conjunction with responsibility; a student has to absorb and practice with the material before he or she can become an expert. Students are graded on their level of responsibility in their classroom work before they are then graded on their mastery of the academic content. Through myriad ways of practicing responsibility, students leave da Vinci ready to become a responsible part of our global society.
