Our Core Values at AGIS are more than simple words on a page.Our Core Values are the cornerstones that dictate the culture of our school.They are the values that make our organization special while providing us a guide post to supporting our day to day decision making.Ultimately, our core values are what make us unique!In one of our favorite books, Gung Ho!, we learn that worthwhile work is important, goals get people moving, and values sustain the effort.“Goals are set.Values are lived.Goals change.Values are rocks you can count on.”

Our Core Values were not created, they were uncovered.In the Summer of 2015, we invited students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members to help us visualize the ideal AGIS.That group imagined all that was possible for making AGIS the best place it could be while generating ten “headlines” that clearly articulated the group’s vision for the ideal AGIS.Following that process, we took the ten headlines back to our teachers and support staff and asked them to consider which headlines held the most influence over our work as educators.Through an extensive voting process, the headlines were further narrowed to the set that most clearly defined our vision.As a final step, our team of teacher leaders helped us uncover the statements that would become our Core Values.

In January 2016, we were able to roll out our official Core Values statements with our staff.What followed was a process of planning activities to introduce the Core Values statements with our students to allow all members of our community to reflect upon what we all believe is important in educating our children.

Today, the Core Values are posted in all classrooms and main corridors at AGIS.We close each broadcast of our morning announcements with a reminder of our Core Values.Everything we do at AGIS is focused with the Core Values in our hearts.The AGIS Core Values are not simply words on a page.They are the rocks we count on to guide us through making AGIS the most unique and wonderful school in the world!