NATIONAL CATHEDRAL SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT
We believe in the power of young women and educate them to embrace our core values of excellence, service, courage, and conscience.
OUR CORE VALUES
National Cathedral School lives by these core values:
Excellence: We strive to offer our best work, to maintain the highest standards, and to set goals within a context that honors the contributions and achievements of the entire community.
Service: We believe we have an obligation to make a difference in the world, to contribute to the greater good, and to respond with purpose to the needs of others.
Courage: We act with conviction, strength, and integrity. We stand up for ourselves and others.
Conscience: We work to develop an abiding sense of right and wrong, and guided by that moral sense, seek ethical responses to life’s challenges. We act toward others with kindness, respect, and compassion.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
The talents and potential of National Cathedral School students are great. In response, NCS’s creative faculty and staff support and challenge each student with rigorous and dynamic educational programs. Our expertise is in teaching girls and young women to develop their unique talents in all dimensions. Through the passionate exchange of ideas, opportunities for analytical and creative thinking, personal reflection, and the joy of discovery, our students achieve high levels of skill in their academic and extracurricular endeavors. NCS graduates take on the challenges of life keenly aware of their capacity for leadership and ability to make meaningful contributions to the world.
NCS expresses the philosophy of the Washington National Cathedral and the Episcopal Church by embracing the diversity of human experience. As the National Cathedral is a “house of prayer for all people,” the National Cathedral School honors all faith traditions and welcomes and celebrates students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds. We believe that diversity and inclusion enrich our learning environment and are essential to academic excellence and personal growth. It is through the deliberate and constant interactions with people of diverse beliefs and backgrounds that students learn compassion, cultural competence, and how to work effectively with others in a global community. Diversity in our school is essential if our students are to think critically and creatively about global questions, and to thrive and lead in today’s world.
Relationships anchored in trust and shared values between and among students, teachers, staff, parents, and alumnae create an environment that fosters intellectual risk-taking, healthy emotional growth, and a lifelong love of learning. Integrity, respect, and personal responsibility are essential components of our community.