When I was in high school, I imagined that if I could only define the good life, I would be equipped to pursue it. After all, I sincerely wanted to pursue it. But the reality is that even if one perfectly understands what the good life is and sincerely wishes to live that life, he may be unsuccessful.

We must develop individuals who can both ask AND answer such questions for themselves. That is the work for which we rise even when days seem tedious.

Every student, teacher and administrator is not here incidentally, but purposely. Everyone is at Ridgeview because although it is not always the easiest, it is certainly the most worthwhile.

Just as a liberal arts education prepares its students to seek the good and true, it also teaches them to appreciate the beautiful.

The True, like the Good, is often hard to capture but always worth pursuing.

After delving into definitions of each word, it becomes evident to the newly-minted middle school students that goodness requires virtue whereas greatness entails prominence. The rest of the year and even all subsequent curriculum, hinges on students' understanding of this quintessential principle of the liberal arts.

Since graduating from Ridgeview, it has come as a surprise to me to see how many people live an “unexamined life,” as Socrates would call it. Much of my interaction with my fellow man has been superficial, at best, which has left me sometimes wondering if the Senior Thesis really does matter.

Amanda Sanders, class of 2010, reflects on her thesis.

This particular blog post has given me much reason for reflection over the last month. I have fiercely debated between calling it "The Behavior of Man" and "The Character of Man."

Did we simply become more responsive to the concern of parents and teachers, or did we become self-sufficient and internally motivated?   Did we become thoughtful contributors? Did we become expert thinkers and writers? Did we become students who performed tasks with integrity in a timely manner?

Even though most of my time was spent at Ridgeview or with Ridgeview people, I was more than a student. I was a sister, a daughter, and a friend. It does a great deal of good to also realize that teachers and staff are also more than just that: they are siblings, children, friends, spouses, parents, and much more.

No matter who we supported in this year's election, we are all can breathe a sign of relief that the campaigning is over. With no more commercials and no more debates,  only a few stickers and yard signs remain. Now is a time to reflect not simply on the issues, but on the system itself.

While we must assess academic achievement based on standards and rubrics, we must recognize that other areas also distinguish our students.

Modern youth have received many epithets, very few of which have been complimentary. Perhaps the most disparaging of these remains "The Entitlement Generation." This is the strongest opprobrium because it implies not simply a cosmetic flaw, a flaw in application, but an identity flaw, a flaw in how we see ourselves in relation to the world.

Often I look at new traditions and wish that, as an alumna, Ridgeview had implemented them sooner. The tradition I am most envious of as a graduate of the school, and most proud of as a member of the community, is First Responders' Day.

Students will not remember every detail of every class they take at Ridgeview Classical Schools. Rather, good character is the permanent mark of a successful Ridgeview education.

Every graduate who has walked to "Pomp and Circumstance" has also walked into Ridgeview's doors with only that first day on their mind. Graduation is no small feat, but neither is that first day. 

In my experience, one of the hardest tasks students face at Ridgeview can be summed up in two daunting words: required contribution.