What if EVERY child and adult truly felt seen, heard, honored, and valued in their school community? What if you, as an educator, could help co-create a school community where minds are shaped, hearts are nurtured, spirits are uplifted, and every person feels they belong? In a time when fear, disconnection, anxiety, and a loss of meaning are felt deeply in schools around the world, and both students and staff can struggle to find belonging and significance, the call to create nurturing, connected, and purposeful learning communities has never been more urgent.

In 1991, Linda Kavelin-Popov, Dr. Dan Popov, and John Kavelin co-founded The Virtues Project to respond to this very need. Witnessing the growing despair and tragedy of young people killing themselves and others, the founders sought to restore hope by awakening the virtues, the universal qualities of character that live within every person, as the foundation for personal and social transformation. Their vision offers a timely and powerful response to the challenges school communities face today, reminding us that the heart of education is the cultivation of human dignity, meaning, and purpose.

A school grounded in The 5 Strategies of The Virtues Project, co-created by these visionary founders, is a place where everyone—students, staff, and families—can experience a sense of belonging, dignity, wellbeing, and growth. This holistic, restorative, and culturally responsive approach naturally brings to life Dr. Shawn Ginwright’s Healing Centered Engagement (HCE) framework, which centers Culture, Agency, Relationships, Meaning, and Aspirations (CARMA). The 5 Strategies of The Virtues Project create more than an approach to discipline, classroom management strategies, or an SEL program; they cultivate a living, breathing restorative community where healing, accountability, and human potential flourish.

Speak the Language of Virtues

When adults and students Speak the Language of Virtues, they shape a culture where everyone’s inherent worth is acknowledged. Words like respect, courage, empathy, and justice are not just ideals; they become the lens through which we see one another, even in times of stress, conflict, or harm. Speaking the Language of Virtues helps to create a shared culture of care, where individuals are called by their strengths rather than their mistakes. It also nurtures meaning as students and adults connect their daily actions to deeper values, seeing every choice as part of their personal and communal growth.

Recognize Teachable Moments

Challenges, mistakes, and even harm become opportunities for learning, not sources of shame, when they are recognized as Teachable Moments.  Rather than rushing to correct or punish, a virtues approach invites curiosity: What virtue is this moment asking for? Is it patience, accountability, or truthfulness? This perspective empowers adults and students with agency, helping them recognize their capacity to choose, to repair, and to learn. It shifts the focus from shaming and blaming to reframing and naming virtues needed to transform conflicts into stepping stones for strengthening life-giving habits of heart and mind. As staff and students reflect on their choices in this way, they are also able to envision their growth, nurturing their aspirations for themselves and their relationships.

Setting Clear Boundaries

Healthy boundaries are essential to any thriving community; they are a gift, not a restriction.  In a virtues-based school community, these boundaries are not imposed from the top down. They are co-created with students and adults, as shared agreements or promises, rooted in virtues that align with the values of that specific school community.  When boundaries are framed through the lens of virtues, they nurture relationships by creating a foundation of safety, trust, and meaningful connection, making space for the honest expression of needs and feelings, the acknowledgment of mistakes, and the opportunity for repair.

Honor the Spirit

A school community that utilizes The 5 Strategies of The Virtues Project does not reduce anyone, child or adult, to a single action, mistake, or role. It honors the spirit of the whole person, including their culture, lived experiences, dreams, and struggles. Whether it’s students finding their voice by sharing their creativity during a Poetry Slam event, recognizing the wisdom and experience of elders in the community, this approach sees each member of the school as someone who carries their own story, meaning, and purpose. In such an environment, aspirations are nurtured, not only for academic success but for living a life of joy, meaning, purpose, and service.  

Offer Companioning

At the heart of Companioning is the gift of being fully present to another with compassionate curiosity and deep, non-judgmental listening. Companioning is not about giving advice, fixing problems, or offering solutions; it is about holding space so that others may hear their own inner wisdom, speak their truth, and find clarity from within. This gentle presence affirms the dignity and agency of the one being companioned, inviting them to reflect, make meaning of their experiences, and discern their own next steps. Through this process, relationships are strengthened by trust and respect, as individuals feel seen, heard, and valued—not only for what they do, but for who they are.

Toward a Healing-Centered School Culture

A virtues-based approach is not something done to students; it is a way of being that is embraced by the entire school community. Students, staff, and families walk alongside one another, working in unity to strengthen the soul of the school, honoring the inherent nobility, potential, and worth in every person. When The Five Strategies of The Virtues Project is practiced,  the school becomes more than a place of learning; it becomes a sanctuary for growth, healing, and connection, where belonging and restoration are woven into the daily fabric of life.

May we each choose, with intention and love, to Speak the Language of Virtues, Recognize Teachable Moments, Set Clear Boundaries, Honor the Spirit, and Offer Companioning as a way of building a more just, compassionate, and healing-centered world. The invitation is open to all: to begin right where we are, to unite in transforming our schools into communities where every voice is heard, everyone is valued, and every soul can thrive.

Created with love and hope, Dara

Bibliography

Feldman, D. (2013). The heart of education: Bringing joy, meaning, and purpose back to teaching and learning. Motivational Press.

Ginwright, S. (2018). The future of healing: Shifting from trauma informed care to healing centered engagement. Retrieved from https://ginwright.medium.com/the-future-of-healing-shifting-from-trauma-informed-care-to-healing-centered-engagement-634f557ce69c

Kavelin-Popov, L., Popov, D., & Kavelin, J. (2000). The Virtues Project educator’s guide: Simple ways to create a culture of character. Jalmar Press.