Mission & Philosophy
We specifically focus on helping boys reach their potential through personalized, structured, innovative learning practices in a college preparatory, all-boarding community.
- Blue Ridge School Mission Statement
Within the context of our mission, we seek boys who:
Respond well to personalized instruction.
We emphasize and develop study habits, time management and organizational skills, while living in a close-knit boarding school community. We try to develop a rapport with each student and to focus on individual growth.
Are willing to grow and who are open to joining the Blue Ridge family.
Each boy is accepted as a unique individual, is nurtured as a valued member of our boarding school community, and is expected to develop sound habits of mind, body, and spirit. He is suited for and appreciative of the 24/7 living and learning environment at Blue Ridge School.
Are honest and respectful of other people and their property.
Our Code of Conduct, which includes an Honor Code and core values, emphasizes decency and civility as integral parts of the private boarding school culture.
Will strive to fulfill their potential as learners and as leaders.
We are a people-centered boarding school. Our academic, spiritual and co-curricular programs offer learning and leadership opportunities that stimulate personal growth, and develop the skills and willingness to positively influence others.
Will flourish in an academic environment that focuses on learning to use one’s mind well.
We are a small private school offering small classes, a structured, experiential learning environment and a faculty dedicated to the success of each boy.
Philosophy
Blue Ridge School believes that education is a life-long journey; that education should be holistic with intellectual, spiritual, physical, social and emotional dimensions. We believe it is essential to train the mind to think critically and creatively and to teach students why learning is important. We also believe in developing skills needed to succeed in an increasingly interdependent, technology-based world. Perhaps most importantly, we believe education included inculcation of virtues needed to be good people, committed family members, responsible citizens and assets to society.
It is the School’s belief that the process of learning is as important as the product of learning. As a college-preparatory school, Blue Ridge prepares students to have a sound academic foundation that will enable them to successfully complete college goals, but while we emphasize this foundation, we stress how it has been built – how they have learned. The School believes that teaching a young man to understand and enjoy learning is equally important to what he is learning.
Blue Ridge considers a structured and nurturing educational environment a prerequisite to effective learning. The soul of Blue Ridge School is found in every venue where students and faculty gather. Students are not only Blue Ridge’s beneficiaries; they are our ambassadors. We believe a school should be a better place by virtue of every human who is a part of it. Students are taught to balance rights with responsibility and order with freedom. Learning environments must impart ethical values and promote moral behavior. Learning across all dimensions of life is facilitated in an atmosphere where character, mutual respect and personal responsibility are stressed. Blue Ridge provides and nurtures a spiritual base that enables graduates to lead happy, fulfilling lives.
As a school for young men, we nurture camaraderie and loyalty to the School, each other and the community. Our Code of Conduct conveys the idea that personal honor is a set of virtues fostered within and among individual students, not from adult authority figures, and further, that the good of others – as individuals and as a group – is also one’s own good. The School expects the spirit of the Code of Conduct to guide all on and off campus interactions between students and other people.
Blue Ridge School believes quality education depends on several factors: an excellent curriculum; students who are motivated to learn; a dedicated, professional faculty and staff; an air of mutual respect and affirmation between students and teachers; and adequate facilities and resources. Blue Ridge understands a quality institution depends on a supportive, enthusiastic base of parents, alumni and other constituents. The School cultivates excellence internally and embraces our external community as well. The continued trust and loyalty of constituents is critical to continued health and vitality of the School.
