Our Culture of Crew

Crew is a component of EL Education curriculum, inspired by their motto, “We are Crew, not passengers.” Crew is a school-wide structure that supports the whole child. It is a time for students to come together and learn from and about one another. Crew fosters a sense of belonging at Genesee and promotes student agency through our habits of character and scholarship.

The EL Education Design Principles and our GCCS Character Traits guide our school culture. We teach our students to understand and respect their own strengths and needs, as well as those of their peers.

EL Education Design Principles

EL Education is built on ten design principles that reflect the educational values and beliefs of Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound:

1. The Primacy of Self-Discovery | “I can learn new things about myself.”
2. The Having of Wonderful Ideas | “I have wonderful ideas.”
3. The Responsibility for Learning | “I am responsible for my learning and I help others learn.”
4. Empathy and Caring | “I care for others; others care for me.”
5. Success and Failure | “Success is sweet, but failure is good food.”
6. Collaboration and Competition | “We work together as friends; I compete with myself.”
7. Diversity and Inclusion | “Our differences make us stronger.”
8. The Natural World | “Nature is our teacher.”
9. Solitude and Reflection  |“I need time to be with myself.”
10. Service and Compassion | “We do excellent things for others.”

GCCS Character Traits

In combination with EL Education’s Design Principles, GCCS has seven Character Traits that serve as the core values of our school community:

• Responsibility
• Compassion
• Collaboration
• Initiative
• Perseverance
• Courage
• Gratitude

Responsive Classroom

Since its inception, GCCS adopted the Responsive Classroom model to support our social curriculum. It is an “evidence-based approach to teaching and discipline that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental awareness.” (responsiveclassroom.org)

Several of the structures provided by Responsive Classroom have laid the foundation for building community and common language. These structures help our students learn how to be intrinsically motivated so they are able to make their own choices in the face of adversity.

Community Circle

An important weekly tradition at GCCS is Community Circle. Every Wednesday, our students come together to participate in a variety of culture-building activities. Family members are invited and are active participants in Community Circle.

Students and families can always count on singing at every Community Circle, but the themes change from week to week. Below are some examples what we do during Community Circle:

• Celebrating ourselves and our classmates
• Highlighting student talent
• Sharing experiences from field studies and exhibitions
• Special themed Community Circles (Whacky & Whimsical Wednesdays)
• Drum and dance circles
• Guest experts and artists
• Singing, singing, and more singing
• Classroom-led Community Circles

Student Service

Our students often venture out into the metropolitan area to deepen their understanding of the world around them. Our older students also take part in investigating community issues and proposing solutions.

Family Service

It is important that families and GCCS staff collaborate to support student achievement. Therefore, we encourage families to commit to 20 hours of service per year to either GCCS campus. Families can fulfill this commitment in a variety of ways:

• Chaperoning fieldwork
•  Volunteering in the classroom (read alouds, helping with projects, serving as a guest expert)
• Serving as a Family Association Officer or Committee Member
• Volunteering at Family Association events
• Serving on the Board of Trustees
• Serving as a classroom caregiver
• Cleaning and organizing classrooms
• Doing photography or videography
• Managing our social media pages