Strong GPAs and test scores mean nothing without strong character. We honor our core values every day in everything we do.
Honor, respect, and accountability are at core of Maclay’s expectations for all faculty and students, beginning with our youngest Marauders to our graduates. Our common purpose is to enable our students to reach their potential, outfit them with the tools to do it, and foster the character so they choose to accomplish it and fulfill it in the right way. Our attention to not only the academic but also the personal development of our students sets us apart and allows us to help all our students become the best that they can be.
Beginning in Pre-K, our character education program is intertwined in the daily routines and lessons for our students - instilling pride in doing the right thing, caring for each other, and taking responsibility for ourselves.
One School Service Learning
All year long, our students have opportunities to serve our community whether a school-wide day of service or through clubs, homerooms, or an athletic team. Our One School One Community philosophy is that the idea of service is introduced as early as Pre-K and grows each year to help our students understand and appreciate what it means to be a good citizen in our community and to Learn Serve Grow.
Marauder Moments
Character Development is an important part of the Maclay education from Pre-K through graduation. The Honor Code values Honesty, Respect, and Accountability, are the foundation for the Marauder Moments which introduces monthly topics that are discussed in class and special assemblies. The K-12 program focuses on teaching character traits that help our students grow as individuals.
Art with Empathy and Compassion
The Middle School Community Outreach through the Arts (COTA) merges art and character education focusing creativity that positively impacts both the Maclay and Tallahassee communities. Visual Arts strategies with a service-learning model ingrains a spirit of service and empathy fitting of a Maclay Marauder. The concept extends into all divisions through special projects like the eM bracelets - a way to empathize and connect us all. It’s simple. Giving students a platform – a foundation and a place to start to rebuild their creative confidence.
"The most notable aspect of Maclay is our Honor Code, which builds lasting character for all who pass through its halls"
Eli Paddack, Maclay student
The Honor Code
I will respect all people and property, I will be honest in all matters, I will take responsibility for my actions:
A Marauder is Honorable, Respectful, and Accountable.
In 2000, a group of student leaders came up with the idea of creating an honor code for Maclay. After meeting with faculty and administration and researching honor codes from other schools and colleges, the Maclay Honor Code was introduced into the Upper School. By writing the Maclay Honor Code at the end of each test, students affirmed their work was honest and complete.
In 2015, a group of students and faculty revised the Maclay Honor Code to carry a more straightforward meaning that all students, Pre-K-12th grade, could understand and follow. Each September, the Upper School holds a formal ceremony where all new members of the Upper School, including the entire freshman class, sign a roll book to indicate their participation in the Maclay Honor Code system. The Honor Code Book symbolizes our collective effort to uphold the Maclay Honor Code at all times and is displayed in our library for future generations to see.