Character Education
Living our Values
Our character education program rests upon a simple, yet powerful idea: a meaningful education must enrich both the mind and the heart.
By prioritizing both cognitive and social-emotional growth, we are preparing K-8 students to be leaders and thoughtful citizens who can navigate the complexities of the adult world. They learn to approach problems with both logic and empathy, making decisions that consider both the facts and feelings involved.
Our approach positions students to achieve more than just academic and professional success—it equips them to lead healthy, productive, and principled lives.
What is InDeCoRe? /ɪnˈdɛkɔr/
Our nationally-recognized Individual Development and Community Responsibility (InDeCoRe) program guides our efforts to foster character development throughout our program. In partnership with parents, we consistently teach, model, and discuss values such as care, gratitude, resilience, courage, and respect, with one additional rotating value chosen annually by eighth-grade students.
InDeCoRe is the relationship between developing individual character (Individual Development) and its expression in community (Community Responsibility). These two components encompass "Personal Integrity" and "Consideration of Others," two values inherent to Peck's mission.
For younger students, these values are contextualized within individual, family, and school settings, while older students explore their application in local and global contexts, such as respectful conduct in political discourse. Peck emphasizes values in developmentally appropriate social behaviors, measuring progress through the "Consideration of Others" rubric on report cards and encouraging students to reflect on and take responsibility for their actions and choices.
I can concretely point to my middle school experience as being one of the strongest influences in my character development and life at large. Daily, I recognize the impact that Peck’s core values have had on my identity and in the ways I interact with others.
TJ Parekh '16
Darthmouth College '24
What are Peck's Core Values?
Closely connected to our guiding principle of Consideration of Others, our six core values speak to the foundation of character development at Peck.
Living Our Values
Learning through service and character education are closely linked at The Peck School. Throughout the year, our students develop individual character and build community through a variety of engaging events and activities, including:
Community Service Award
Peck’s Community Service Award was established in 2007 by the Board of Trustees. It is given annually to a member of the Morristown community who merits distinction as a result of his or her personal dedication, community commitment, and service to others.
Some of our past Community Service Award winners include Morris Minute Men EMS, Kids To Kids, Jill and Stewart Lasser of Preschool Advantage (2021), Callie Danysh (a Morris Township fifth grader who started Flags of Gratitude), The Interfaith Food Pantry, the late Marty Epstein of Marty’s Reliable Cycle, Charlie Lia of Wesley’s Toy Box, and Shaun Ananko of Grow it Green.