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The Community
of Caring is a Kennedy Foundation program of character/value education aimed at
preventing adolescent pregnancy and self-destructive decisions and actions. Zoe
Barnum High School has adopted this program and integrated the five universal core values
of caring, respect, trust, family and responsibility. Basic to the program is the
notion that students learn to avoid risk taking through responsible decision making and
thoughtful future planning by embracing the healthy values and beliefs they need for a
quality life. Research supports the power of belief and value systems in healthy
life changes and actions. The Community of Caring encourages critical and
creative thinking, collaboration and diversity. The core values guide students to
explore themselves in the world: to make healthy choices, to approach conflict
constructively and to adopt a responsible citizen lifestyle. Students are challenged
to not only make responsible, informed decisions, but to take action. Zoe Barnum
staff and students have embraced the main goals and there is daily action taken to make
the key components of the program come alive. They are: Teen Forum Workshops,
school based coordinating committee, community service, family involvement and a general
integration of the core values across the curriculum. The school adopted a theme of
Healthy Relationships this year. Activities and discussions are infused throughout
each day. The Community of Caring program has been proven to reduce teen
pregnancy, truancy, substance abuse and dropout rates as well as raise school achievement
rates. Most importantly, students generally become happier and more successful
contributors to society. Simply stated, the goal of this program is to create a
school climate that will help students develop positive values, and build self-esteem and
confidence by enhancing a student's ability to take effective, hope-filled control of
their own future.
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