Happy Valley School is committed to instilling good character and moral values in children. We use the Character First! program to teach specific positive behaviors and attitudes that help the school and families develop desirable character in our children.

"Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wing, and only character endures."
Horace Greeley

The Character First! program teaches us that character is the inward motivation to do what is right, whatever the cost. We can build character within ourselves by working on qualities such as truthfulness, patience and loyalty. Basing daily decisions on principles like these produces practical and lasting rewards.

“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to create a menace to society.”
Theodore Roosevelt

We have combined the Character First! program with reading texts,
the McGuffey Readers, from the 1800s to enhance our goals for building character.  In addition, we teach “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” to all of our students in all of our classrooms, encouraging students to be proactive with their lives and take on leadership roles in their communities.

At the end of the year, Character Awards are given to each child in the school by the classroom teacher who chooses one special, positive character trait that they see demonstrated in the attitude and behavior of that child throughout the year. 

YeeeHaaaa Awards are given to students throughout the year when they do something that demonstrates strength of character, such as responsibility, diligence, kindness, respect, generosity or other positive attributes.