Student Life
Student Life
Valor’s motto, sapientia per admirationem, points to the fundamental task of cultivating and promoting a deep sense of wonder in every student. While the daily classroom experience is the primary way this vision is realized, experiences outside the classroom can powerfully stir hearts in ways that a classroom cannot.
Each school offers a robust student life experience including field trips, extracurricular clubs, service opportunities, retreats, wilderness expeditions, curricular celebrations, leadership opportunities, and mentorship opportunities. Valor’s Student Life program gives breadth and depth to the student experience and gives rise to better friendships and a deeper connection with the schools and community. As each school grows, student programs expand for both Upper School and Lower School so that students of all ages are engaged in a variety of enriching opportunities.
Human Encounter
Through Valor’s Human Encounter program, students spend meaningful time with the elderly, people with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged individuals in their community, forging new relationships with those who come from different backgrounds and embracing more fully our common humanity.
Wilderness Expeditions
Valor students embark on two wilderness expeditions as a hallmark of their high school experience during their Freshman and Junior years. In the backcountry, free from the distractions often present in our contemporary life, students awaken to a deepened sense of wonder for the natural world.
Extracurricular Clubs
Every club at Valor affords students the opportunity to go beyond their classroom experience and explore areas of interest and develop new skills. They are tailored to specific grade levels and are led by Valor teachers. Clubs may include art, strings, drama, robotics, chess, Latin, science, gardening, and personal fitness.
Leadership and Mentorship
Valor’s leadership program—the Student Life Team—operates with the understanding that true leadership serves the common good of the community. Valor’s mentorship program enables top high school students to mentor new students in grades 6-9.
School Festivals
Valor’s festivals are community celebrations of the school’s culture and traditions. These gatherings are beautiful expressions of the Valor community coming together to foster friendships and have fun! Examples of Valor festivals are: Fall Festival, Shakespeare Festival, and Epic Nights.
Upper School Dances
Valor’s Upper School dances are designed to promote a spirit of joy and friendship across the student body. Students are taught a range of dances prior to each event, from swing to two-step to waltz, and every dance is chaperoned by Valor faculty.
Curricular Celebrations
Special academic events are held throughout the year to celebrate the academic life at Valor. From competitions like the Valor Games to the Scripps Spelling Bee to the annual IHP Symposium, each event is tailored to elevate each student’s academic horizon.
Field Trips
Students in each grade participate in one field trip per year. Each field trip offers students the opportunity to experience places of cultural, artistic, ecological, or historical significance in their region. Every trip is carefully planned and executed by Valor teachers and leaders.
Retreats
Upper School retreats allow students to engage in an extended reflection on a particular topic. Guided by Valor faculty, students meet off campus to discuss an essay, poem, or one of the Great Books and participate in activities that enrich the students’ individual and communal lives.
“The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Aspects of Valor’s Student Life Program
Promotes character growth, including development of empathy and compassion
Develops civic awareness and a concern for the common good
Develops communication and interpersonal skills
Encourages deep encounters with the natural world
Inspires students to ask questions independently and seek answers using their own observations
Applies concepts learned in the classroom to their lived experience