Academics

Character and the pledge

Virtue is on the timetable. Students learn the virtues named in the school pledge and practice them in everyday school life.

Safety, character and scholarship, in that order, on purpose

The school's role is to pass on the rules of each discipline faithfully while instilling learning, discovery, health, truth and virtue.

New for 2026–27: Foundations of Virtue

Lessons connect the virtues in the school pledge with people and characters from the history and literature students are studying, and Student of the Month recognition now follows that curriculum. Read the August 12, 2026 announcement.

“Honesty, integrity, and respect.”

What CCS Leland parent Joshua Goodson values most, from the CCS Leland admissions page.

The four cardinal virtues

Prudence

Choosing well, and knowing why.

Justice

Giving each person their due.

Fortitude

Doing the hard right thing anyway.

Temperance

Governing your own appetites.

The three theological virtues

Faith

Trusting what is true.

Hope

Expecting good, and working for it.

Charity

Willing the good of another.

Alongside the virtues, students practice self-motivation, self-discipline, respect, obedience, self-reliance and trustworthiness, and are recognized for them by name each month.

Recognition brings joy to the practice of virtue. Teachers notice specific acts of kindness, perseverance, honesty and effort, making good conduct something children can take pride in.

The school pledge

Recited every morning, right after the Pledge of Allegiance. Elementary students recite the core lines; middle-school students memorize the fuller text. Parents are asked to mentor their children in the same principles at home.

I pledge to keep myself healthy in body, mind and spirit
I pledge to be truthful in all my works
I pledge to be virtuous in all my deeds
I pledge to be obedient and loyal to those in authority
So long as I shall live

What it looks like day to day

Clear, posted classroom rules and high expectations
Uniforms for students; professional dress for teachers
Active supervision and a four-to-one ratio of positive to corrective interactions
Individual behavior plans where a child needs one
Student of the Month recognition aligned with Foundations of Virtue