Character Moment from February 21

As I mentioned last Wednesday, we will have a WASC accreditation visiting team on campus in a few weeks. This is an event that occurs every six years. Our team, made up of five educators, from both public and non-public schools will be here to review our self-study document and determine if we have clearly communicated a real picture of Orange Lutheran High School programs and those things we have identified as what we need to work on.

The filter they use to evaluate us is our three core values and our mission. As you remember, it is the mission of Orange Lutheran High School to help students internalize the Gospel message of salvation in Christ Jesus. We seek to accomplish this goal through three values that are emphasized daily.

A core value helps guide all actions in an organization. It defines who we are and what we strive to be about. It is the glue that holds us together in times of change.

The first of our core values is excellence in Christian character development. What we mean by this is that we strive to be a people that display character qualities in a Christ-like way. Out of all of the character qualities that could be emphasized, we pay special attention to three: respect, honor, and service.

In the area of respect we emphasize respect for God, for others, and for His resources. We emphasize appropriate conduct in the hallways and good manners. We expect all of our students to use words of courtesy like: Yes, No, Please, Thank you, and proper eye contact when speaking to others.

We also expect our community to be known as a people who are honorable. This is carried out inside and outside of the classroom. Valuing honor and striving to develop this characteristic shapes our school culture in such a positive way.

We also promote service to others. A person who serves is one who is connected to something much bigger than themselves. Christ said this was a fundamental teaching. “I have come not to be served, but to serve.”

The value of Christian character development communicates to others the identity we strive to portray as a Lancer community. People can sense there is a difference in a person who truly desires to be respectful, honorable, and focused on serving others. That difference creates a place that students and families want to be a part of.