Last school year, Kindergarten Teacher Mieke Delwiche 

and First Grade Teacher Elyse Atkinson hatched a new 

program to bring character education to the forefront of 

Laguna Blanca’s Lower School curriculum. Named Swooper 

Citizens—a cross between Laguna’s owl mascot, Swoop, 

and the “super” character traits the program aims to build—

the weekly class allows the school’s youngest students to 

explore big topics like honesty, fairness, and compassion first-

hand through hands-on learning, self-expression, and fun. 

   “Swooper Citizens allows us to bring Laguna values front and 

center in a tangible way,” Mieke says. “At Open Houses I often 

find myself spending half the time talking about academics, and 

the other half talking about real life—community, citizenship, 

and caring. It felt like it was time to make character education an 

official part of our curriculum here at the Lower School.”

The class complements weekly student discussions led by 

Head of Lower School Andy Surber, offering kindergartners and 

first graders the chance to discuss and practice a certain trait in 

further depth every week. Before launching the program, Mieke 

and Elyse reviewed a list of 80 different character traits before 

selecting the ones they felt to be most important for a Laguna 

student. Each month, they review four or five traits that relate to 

an overarching theme. In a month focused on responsibility, for 

instance, students review traits like determination, diligence, and 

perseverance. 

“This is the perfect age to start a character development 

project,” Elyse says. “These are the traits that make a good citizen. 

And good citizens are who we want as students here at Laguna.”

According to Mieke, humor, problem-solving, and hands-on 

learning play a large role in helping students grasp the values for 

the long haul. During a focus on patience, for instance, students 

were each given one marshmallow at the start of class and 

informed that they would receive a second marshmallow only if 

they could exercise the patience to wait to eat the marshmallow 

on their desks. Students were allowed to make the decision—and 

learn the consequences. Some students walked away with just one 

marshmallow at the end of the lesson.

In addition to classroom activities, students also undertook 

service learning projects that aligned with their monthly themes. 

Projects included participating in the all-school beach clean-up, 

visiting Harbor Patrol, partnering with Angels Bearing Gifts, 

and visiting a retirement community to further instill the values 

learned in class.

Knowing  

2+2=4 is 

important.  

So is being 

kind. These 

are the traits 

our students 

will live by their 

entire lives.

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