Planting Seeds - Ethics and Spirituality at the Bay School

Attention to the personal growth and maturity of each student at the Bay School is a central element of the school's mission. As such, consideration of ethical and spiritual issues is fundamental and intertwined throughout everyday life at school on many different levels. It is our hope that every Bay School student will graduate possessing the tools to habitually examine life choices from an ethical perspective, constantly refining his or her conscience as life experience grows. Equally, as our students address the fundamental questions of adolescence and individuation, “Who Am I?” we intend that they gain experience and strength in their spiritual lives, as well as the academic.

We encourage our students to be awake, skillful, and responsible in paying attention to their own feelings, thoughts, and actions, while being mindful of their effect on others and their responsibilities as members of a community. Each day at Bay opens with an all-school morning meeting at which we offer students training and practice in the skills of being present and focused, using meditation as a primary tool.

In conjunction with practices of individual introspection, the entire Bay School community continually reflects upon a set of 'Guiding Precepts' that frame the values to which we aspire. Strictly speaking, the precepts are not rules, but rather guidelines that articulate important ways to live intentionally, healthfully, and with compassion and empathy for others. At morning meetings and afternoon gatherings, members of the faculty and staff, as well as students, share their experiences and beliefs in the context of applying the precepts as tools in our daily lives. Students come to recognize the difference between how they aspire to behave and what they actually do. It is in that gap that many significant insights arise if one is present enough to notice.

The Bay School chaplain assists students with tools to awaken and clarify their unique paths of discovery as well as serving as a confidential counselor with whom life situations may be shared. Recognizing that students come to campus with a wide range of traditions and experiences, the chaplaincy seeks to support each member of the Bay School community on their personal journey, and is a valuable resource for students and their families in identifying community resources that are appropriate to their traditions, interests, and needs.

On the academic level, the curriculum is designed to provide students with an in-depth exposure to the study of a broad range of the world’s religions and cultures through an interdisciplinary approach—building important connections that are useful in striving to understand the relationships and conflicts that exist between the diverse cultures surrounding us in the world today. Religious study is a part of the humanities program; ethical issues permeate the entire study of science, technology, and social studies.

As an important complement to academic study, we introduce our students to the practice of the world's religions, giving them opportunities to experience how major holidays are celebrated by different faith traditions, and an appreciation of the many different ways in which people worship. We aim to increase our understanding of other points of view through experience and practice.

We have no illusions that any of these skills are easy to develop. We are patient planters of seeds in offering Bay School students many varied opportunities to find a calm quiet place inside themselves in which they consider the life questions and important choices that are a part of teenage life.