Moral. Happy. Productive. 

Those words are at the heart of Durham Academy’s mission statement — and have been for more than 50 years — because at DA, character matters. More than homework or grades or test scores, character is what endures. Our mission to prepare students for moral, happy, productive lives means DA is as committed to developing our students’ moral compass as we are to developing their intellect. Removing any one of the mission statement’s essential, interdependent values would risk toppling the balance, stability and foundation provided by that three-legged stool.

But what does a moral, happy, productive life look like? What do we mean when we use those words? What traits or characteristics are essential to living such a life? This page contains some answers to those questions — Durham Academy’s schoolwide definition of good character. It represents our aspirational articulation of the values we hope to infuse in all our students.