Academics

Positive Education

Positive Education

List of 1 items.

  • Our mission is to inspire in our students the curiosity to learn, the self-confidence to lead, and the compassion to serve.

    Heritage Hall is more than a place of rigorous academic learning; it is a community that believes in supporting the whole child in their academic, personal, and social growth. To accomplish this, Heritage Hall uses Positive Education, an evidence-based approach designed to enhance learning, deepen self-knowledge, promote healthy relationships, and spur students’ exploration of their values and purpose. Positive Education guides students to engage with and contribute to the world around them – in other words, to flourish.

Implementation of Positive Education

Heritage Hall’s implementation of Positive Education follows the PROSPER framework, which highlights the seven critical contributors to healthy development and well-being: Positive Mindset Skills, Relationships, Outcomes, Character Strengths, Purpose, Engagement, and Resilience. This framework is used intentionally and proactively to guide our conversations and activities about well-being throughout the school.

List of 7 items.

  • Positive Mindset Skills

    Experiencing positive emotions such as joy, curiosity, and gratitude enhances every aspect of well-being. Students can learn to be mindful of their thoughts and feelings, challenge negative thought patterns, manage setbacks, and notice and savor what is going well.
  • Relationships

    Healthy, supportive relationships are the foundation of mental well-being and academic achievement. Students thrive when they have positive connections with both peers and teachers and when they feel safe and supported at school.
  • Positive Outcomes

    Environments that prioritize good effort, promote effective learning strategies, encourage self-reflection, and give opportunities for feedback help build a growth mindset culture. Within this environment, the best possible outcomes naturally follow.
  • Character Strengths

    Everyone possesses a unique set of positive qualities – character strengths. Making character strengths part of our everyday language helps students more readily see the good in themselves and their classmates and begin identifying the strengths they need to call upon when tackling challenges.
  • Purpose

    Thinking beyond ourselves and helping others create a greater sense of purpose. When students know their core values and identify issues that interest or concern them, they learn to live into their purpose.
  • Engagement

    Dedicated teachers and curious students set the stage for engaged learning. A balance of autonomy and guidance and an appropriate level of challenge increase students’ intrinsic motivation to learn.
  • Resilience

    Challenges in life are inevitable and normal, so resilience must be continually cultivated. Developing healthy sleep, nutrition, and exercise habits and building internal strengths such as motivation, frustration tolerance, self-compassion, and grit support students in times of difficulty.

Positive Education in Practice

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  • Lower School

    Positive early learning environments start with creating a positive social and emotional environment built on caring and responsive relationships. The positive education framework promotes positive aspects of development in elementary-aged children, such as gratitude, positive emotions, accomplishment, and self-esteem.
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  • Middle School

    School is the training ground that helps shape individuals into the people they will become. Promoting positive learning experiences in Middle School education focuses on the ideal conditions for maximizing student success and engagement.
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  • Upper School

    Ensuring the well-being of students is a top priority in the Upper School, as well-being is believed to be pivotal in improving academic outcomes, school retention, and student engagement. Studies show a connection between positive school experiences and positive long-term outcomes, such as being less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors and a strong sense of preparedness for their personal aspirations
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"As a Positive Education school, we believe students learn and perform at their best in school environments that value and support their whole development. We strive to instill a 'toolbox' of knowledge and skills that students can utilize throughout their lives to deepen and enrich positive moments and cope with inevitable adversity. Put simply, Positive Education empowers students to be their best selves as they learn, lead, and serve."
– Kristi Bradley, Positive Education Coordinator
Heritage Hall is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse community promoting fairness, acceptance, equal treatment, and opportunities for all. With regard to hiring, student admission, allocation of financial aid, and educational policy, it is our policy not to discriminate and to comply with all applicable state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, gender, national origin, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or other applicable protected classification.