"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27
Student Leadership
SCS develops servant leaders who reflect the character, wisdom, and influence of Jesus within the school community and beyond. The social-emotional curriculum encourages leadership development at all levels, while formal leadership programs and responsibilities begin in middle school and deepen through the high school years.
Each junior high school and high school grade is assigned a faculty sponsor who supervises the class council. At the beginning of each school year, students may apply for one of four class council positions, which are elected by members of each class. It is the responsibility of the class council to carry out initiatives that promote class identity, unity, and a spirit of inclusion. The class council for each grade assists in all events, trips, retreats, and graduations for their grade.
The Honor Board is composed of carefully chosen student leaders, including two prefects, who are charged with promoting an SCS learning environment that is marked by integrity. The Honor Board educates middle school and high school students about the important role of the Honor Code at SCS. The values embodied in the Honor Code are the foundation for establishing honor and integrity as a way of life for all members of the SCS community.
At SCS, the goals of discipline are accountability, the strengthening of personal integrity, changed behavior, and restoration to the community. The Honor Board is convened at the invitation of the principal when these specific violations of the Honor Code have occurred: 1. lying, 2. intent to deceive, 3. cheating, 4. plagiarism, and 5. stealing. The student-led Honor Board provides clear accountability between Honor Code violators and the student leadership at SCS. Disciplinary and restorative action is recommended to the Administration by the Honor Board.
Prefects are the school's top leadership positions. Members apply during the spring of their junior year and are chosen after an intensive application and interview process. Each must strongly exemplify the school's core values and possess a proven record of leadership and involvement in LIT. Prefects have two foundational responsibilities:
- To provide practical leadership at SCS under the guidance of a staff mentor
- To practice Biblical justice by seeking ways for SCS to share time, talent, and treasure with SCS partner schools in their specified area of leadership
In August, prefects attend a unifying retreat in which servant leadership is more deeply explored, personal and group goals are set, and plans are initiated for the coming year. Prefects are the tone-setting welcome committee for returning students, poised to lead their peers into a positive and productive year. The Prefect Board is comprised of seven offices:
- Senior Prefect Plan and lead all prefect meetings, meet with the prefect advisors weekly, and work with senior class advisor and senior class council to provide leadership for all senior class activities
- Academics Prefect Manage the student tutoring programs, encourage student use of library resources, and help coordinate activities with the NHS and NJHS
- Spiritual Life Prefect Assist with weekly chapel programs, food drive and other campaigns, TNL ministries, and find new ways to encourage students’ spiritual growth
- Athletics Prefect Assist with the sports program, including regular score announcements, tournaments, athlete recognition, pep rallies, and other spirit initiatives
- Advancement Prefect Assist with campus tours, fundraising events, Spirit Week, jeans days, school publicity, and special events like Family Day, open houses, etc.
- Fine Arts Prefect Assist with implementation of the fine arts program including fine arts nights, theater performances and publications, and art displays
- Community Prefect Assist with programs that encourage community-building, coordinate the Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentoring program, and assist with other initiatives from the Guidance office
Praxis is theory put into action. Every Prefect Board cooperates on a significant initiative called Praxis. Praxis challenges the Prefect Board to work as a team to apply their leadership skills to make a lasting impact within the SCS or partner schools community. Praxis varies from year to year depending on opportunities, needs, and the particular gifts of each Prefect Board.
At the end of the spring playing season, the athletic director, coaches, and players vote to choose team captains for the following year. Seniors vote as a way of extending their legacy to the team. Often, seniors have the best insight into which players are best suited to lead the team. Team captains are responsible to be a role model for all teammates, to be a spokesperson between coaches and teammates, to know and support every teammate, to lead warm-ups and cool-downs, and to generate a unified team spirit.
Leadership and Justice Training
By providing critical leadership and justice training and experience at just the right time, SCS students are being shaped into life-long servant leaders who love God and others with everything He has given them. Our aim is that SCS graduates will be people who show love to God and neighbor by reflecting Jesus in character, wisdom, and influence.
The Global Issues Network (GIN) nurtures and mobilizes trans-generational communities of global citizens to build a just and sustainable future. A GIN project gives students a chance to work locally to address shared global issues.
At SCS, the Santiago Outreach Program assists individuals, groups, and programs that are dedicated to improving the local community. Students become leaders in an initiative of their choosing and other members act as support. Projects include everything from clean water initiatives and building libraries in bookless communities to imagining free energy by turning biodegradable waste into methane gas for cooking in the poor communities near the Santiago landfill.
GIN conferences give students the opportunity to present their projects and be inspired by the work of others. One student put it this way: "SCS trains us in leadership and, at the GIN conference, we have the opportunity to be the leaders."
To find out more about Global Issues Network visit globalissuesnetwork.org.
Freshman Milestone
The freshman justice milestone project introduces students to basic concepts of social justice, evaluating how justice lies at the center of God's character. Students research modern slavery, discuss ongoing work in justice ministries, interact with those working directly with the victimized and marginalized… and then propose their own solutions to complex issues of justice. In the course of this project, students recognize their position as Jesus's hands and feet to bring justice and good news into places of pain and darkness. They learn that becoming personas íntegras means a commitment to respecting others as image-bearers, demonstrating empathy, and advocating for the voiceless. Challenges to students' presentation and public-speaking skills prepare them to advocate for victims of injustice. This milestone has a distinctly Dominican focus. While much research draws on international research and organizations, students' final projects explore examples of injustice here in the Dominican Republic and challenge them to find realistic solutions to these complex issues.
The freshman justice milestone project introduces students to basic concepts of social justice, evaluating how justice lies at the center of God's character. Students research modern slavery, discuss ongoing work in justice ministries, interact with those working directly with the victimized and marginalized… and then propose their own solutions to complex issues of justice. In the course of this project, students recognize their position as Jesus's hands and feet to bring justice and good news into places of pain and darkness. They learn that becoming personas íntegras means a commitment to respecting others as image-bearers, demonstrating empathy, and advocating for the voiceless. Challenges to students' presentation and public-speaking skills prepare them to advocate for victims of injustice. This milestone has a distinctly Dominican focus. While much research draws on international research and organizations, students' final projects explore examples of injustice here in the Dominican Republic and challenge them to find realistic solutions to these complex issues.
Senior Capstone
The senior justice capstone project addresses all the areas related to SCS graduates becoming personas íntegras and gives the students an opportunity to demonstrate their growth in character, wisdom, and influence through academic research and practical works of justice and mercy. The project is broken into two phases during which students collaborate first to research a justice issue and then take action to address it.
- Semester One The goal of part one is to hear personally from people who are suffering from social injustices here in the Dominican Republic, document their stories, understand what the Bible says about the injustice, and come up with ideas to raise awareness and help these people.
- Semester Two The goal of part two is to advocate on behalf of those who are suffering from the injustice that was identified first semester. Students make a sustained effort to implement practical strategies to raise awareness and to bring about positive change. For the Bible final exam, students present their capstone projects to a panel of community members and classmates.
Justice Week is a time for delving deeply into and applying practical concepts of Biblical justice. For a dedicated week, students increase understanding of Biblical justice while strengthening those concepts through practice in real-world settings. Local and international speakers bring rich, engaging, and relevant subjects to broaden awareness of all varieties of injustice. The goal is to cultivate a spirit of compassion by touching the minds and hearts of students in a way that inspires them to think and act justly.
The week ends with participation in a variety of practicums. These practicums provide opportunities to put new understanding into practice at SCS partner schools and other organizations dedicated to social justice. Students see real challenges first-hand and envision responses that address those needs. Best of all, students begin to realize not only that they have the resources required to affect change, but also that now is the time to use those resources. During Justice Week, students are inspired to re-imagine their world as a place fit for all the people God designed in His image to live forever. In so doing, they are beginning to reflect Jesus in character, wisdom, and influence.
Leaders in Training (LIT) is for students in grades 8 to 12 who are in good standing, demonstrate an interest in or talent for leadership, and agree to participate in a series of leadership trainings. LIT members are approved through a simple application process confirming academic and behavioral standing; acquiring signatures of support from parents, faculty members, and peers; offering brief essay responses to questions regarding personal goals and commitments; and promising participation in all LIT trainings. LIT members are class council representatives, team captains, National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society members, and other qualifying students who are eager to strengthen their leadership skills.
Selected students in secondary school have the opportunity to meet monthly with the high school principal to discuss current topics and provide feedback regarding school events. The opportunity allows students to grow as leaders as they receive feedback from peers and directly share the information with campus leadership. Advisory council students are also ambassadors to their peers and play a critical role in providing informed feedback during peer-based discussions.
Student Leadership University (SLU) trains and inspires young leaders in their Biblical calling to lead. It is a comprehensive, progressive leadership program open to all LIT members in good academic and behavioral standing. SLU 101 takes place in Orlando, Florida; SLU 201 in Washington DC; SLU 301 in London, England; and SLU 401 in the Holy Lands. SLU attendants must commit to participation in all group fundraising projects to defray trip costs. SCS was the home of the first international SLU 101 conference in 2014, drawing students from the Cibao region, Santo Domingo, and the United States.
To find out more about Student Leadership University visit www.slulead.com.