User:Sir Intellegence/Paradigm

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Paradigm High School is a classic liberal arts educational institution serving students in the 9th through 12th grades and has approximately 17 teachers and 500 students, which means that the classes at Paradigm are smaller than classes at most public high schools. Located in Sandy, Utah, Paradigm is a charter school that is currently in 2 office buildings north of the Sandy public works and is operating within the Jordan School District, the largest in the state of Utah. Paradigm opened in September 2006.

Paradigm was founded on the pillars of wisdom, virtue and relevance. The institutional goal is "to inspire the development of essential leadership and critical thinking skills of attending students". Paradigm's vision is "to become a wellspring of statesmen and stateswomen who can read and think deeply, write profoundly, speak concisely, and lead with integrity in every path they pursue".

Focus in education centers on these virtues, originally taken from the American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, 1828:

Virtue-  Moral goodness; the practice of moral duties and the abstaining from vice, or a conformity of life and conversation to the moral law. In this sense, virtue may be distinguished from religion. Virtue is voluntary obedience to truth and moral law.

Civility- Refinement of manners; politeness; courtesy; decorum of behavior in the treatment of others; acts of politeness and kindness; gratitude; neat and clean in appearance.

Dignity- True honor; nobleness or elevation of mind, consisting in a high sense of propriety, truth and justice; Degree of excellence; Elevation of deportment in manners or behavior.

Diligence- Steady application; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay; attentive; industrious; not idle or negligent; steadily applied; prosecuted with care. Integrity- Wholeness; entireness; unbroken state; the entire, unimpaired state of anything, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; uprightness; honesty; purity; genuine. Morality- Subject to the moral law and capable of moral actions; conformed to rules of right; virtuous; chaste; purity of body and mind; freedom from obscenity, as in language or conversation. Optimism- Happiness; the opinion that everything in nature is ordered for the best; an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome. Ingenuity- The quality of power of ready invention; quickness or acuteness in combining ideas, or in forming new combinations; inspired, inventive, resourceful; having vision. Discipline- Education; instruction; cultivation and improvement; comprehending instruction in arts, sciences, correct sentiments, morals and manners; Due subordination to authority; subjection to laws, rules, order, precepts or regulations. Respect - That estimation or honor in which men hold the distinguished worth or substantial good qualities of others; That deportment or course of action which proceeds from esteem; regard; due attention; consideration. Charity- Love; benevolence; kindness; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good; universal good will to men; gratuitous services to relieve those in distress. These ambitious goals and ideals in education set Paradigm apart from the typical public school experience. By design, the school administrative staff, faculty and student body are relatively small. There are presently about 20 faculty and staff members supporting a student body of approximately 200. By comparison, the two closest traditional high schools operated by the Jordan School District are nearly 10 times as large.

The school promotes itself with the motto "a different kind of think". While curriculum is designed around the basic requirements of Utah State Law the school attempts to provide a different kind of educational experience through smaller class sizes, less required homework, more involved classroom discussion and a return to classic elements of study in literature and history.

Students not only follow a specific dress code but likewise are held to behavioral standards that reflect the ideals stated above. This is the dress code:
 * 1) A polo/oxford (in red, white, yellow, navy, or light blue)
 * 2) Docker style pants, capris, or skirts(in khaki, black, or navy)
 * 3) Nice dress shoes.

As a charter school operating under Utah State educational statutes Paradigm is a public school. Anyone who applies to the school is accepted.

The early history of Paradigm High is typical of many new charter schools. Located in 2 converted office buildings, the school at first lacked facilities, equipment and supplies. Through the support of the administration and contributing parents the school was able to open, albeit about a month behind schedule. The initial student body was comprised of students who were disenchanted with other area schools, were previously homeschooled or who lacked other options in their educational experience. The standards and virtues of the school were immediately tested over the opening months of operation. By the end of the first full semester, some students were expelled or chose to leave.