Scattergood students and staff bring diverse identities, cultures, belief systems, and backgrounds to our community. While only about 20% of our school community are Quaker, we share the commitment to live out the SPICES in our day-to-day life.
The Quaker SPICES, testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship, are integrated into all aspects of community life. These shared values support student growth both academically and personally.
Simplicity
Focusing on what is essential to more deeply engage with learning, community, and ourselves.
Peace
Cultivating peaceful, safe spaces where conflict is managed with kindness and respect.
Integrity
Being true to ourselves and our community by acting honestly through our words and actions.
Community
Valuing every person’s place in the community and finding balance between the needs of one and the needs of many.
Equality
Striving to ensure that all individuals are treated with fairness and respect.
Stewardship
Showing gratitude, respect, and responsibility for the places, people, and things in our care.
Testimonies in Practice
Simplicity
The testimony of simplicity encourages us to focus on and connect with what is essential. Minimizing distractions allows space for deeper engagement with learning, community, and ourselves. Simplicity can help us find solace in the bustle of modern life.
At Scattergood we hold periods of silent worship each weekday. This can be an impactful time of reflection and reminds us of the importance of stillness in our lives. In the classroom, teachers often take a less is more approach, choosing to focus on fewer topics to allow for deeper learning.
Peace
Cultivating a peaceful, safe space allows us to manage conflict more effectively and sets the expectation that all are treated with kindness and respect.
Students are introduced to methods of peaceful conflict resolution and are encouraged to explore ways they can promote peace within themselves and here at school, and in the wider world. As a community, we have conversations about world conflicts and strive to find ways we can work towards peace through our actions.
Integrity
Living and learning in our small community requires a great deal of integrity academically, personally, and as a member of the community.
One important way we strive towards integrity is with our focus on restorative justice, rather than punitive discipline. Through our Dean’s Advisory Council, composed of students and faculty, we show our students that we care about their growth, not just consequences for their actions, encouraging mutual learning and accountability.
Community
Finding balance between the needs of one and the needs of many can be challenging but when that balance is achieved, connection is the worthwhile reward.
Our community strives to be one that is engaged and one that provides a platform for each voice. Through our advisory and mentor programs, crew program, and daily intentional practices, community members connect with one another, with the land, and with their learning.
Equality
Equality stems from the belief that each person is valuable and worthy of the same kindness and respect as any other person.
Scattergood is committed to creating a learning community where all are welcomed and valued. From our need-blind admissions policy and generous tuition assistance program, to anti-racist teachings in the classroom and ensuring that we have a gender-inclusive campus, we value diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all their forms.
Stewardship
Appreciation, respect, and care for the people, places, and things in our life is of great importance.
Scattergood’s crew program and community service requirements are an important part of how we teach our students the value of stewardship. It is through this connection with their school and community that students come to understand the impact of their actions.
