The traditional expectations for students in the primary grades are to conquer the three Rs and to make strides in social adjustment. Students at Bower Hill Elementary School, a K–3 model school, easily master these tasks, but they also move on to another goal: cultivating a habit of caring that becomes a pattern for their lives. Visitors to Bower Hill, located in the winding hills of picturesque Venetia, Pennsylvania, some 17 miles south of Pittsburgh, often feel transported to a “utopia,” a perfect place to educate children in grades K–3. “At early stages, kids develop caring attitudes that will be carried with them forever,” states Kelly Gustafson, the energetic principal of Bower Hill. Although the caring at Bower Hill is genuine, it is anything but accidental. Rather, it is the result of thoughtful planning; careful implementation; consistent modeling by staff, parents, and students; and meaningful service-learning opportunities.

Read more about Bower Hill in the 2008 NSOC book: “Getting Set for a Lifetime of Caring”

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