Values & Respect

Powhatan places a strong emphasis on the values of trust, respect, honesty, and compassion. We believe that developing the ability to work effectively with others and the ability to respect different points of view are essential skills. We believe that respect for self and others, in combination with an understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures, help young people appreciate and embrace the complexities of the world.

Listed below are just a few examples of behavior that are modeled by our older students to our younger students. All students are encouraged to act like young ladies and gentlemen, not just at Powhatan, but away from campus as well.

• When passing, students look other people in the eye and greet them in a friendly manner.
• Students respond to adults in polite terms such as “Yes, Ma’am” or “No, Sir” without gestures, shrugs, or nods in place of a polite verbal response. “Please,” “Thank you,” and “I beg your pardon” are examples of the accepted form when speaking to each other at Powhatan.
• Students and Faculty use proper names to address each other because “nicknames” and teasing references are disrespectful.
• Students introduce peers, adults, and visitors politely.
• When introduced, greeted, or in leaving the classroom for the day, students shake hands firmly and engage the teacher eye to eye.
• Students entering a classroom wait outside the door until the students inside have exited.
• Students demonstrate polite manners at meals.