Portrait of a Graduate
Through active, connected learning experiences, while in the Bedford Central School District, Fox Lane High School graduates will have developed six essential skills, competencies and attributes that are necessary for a successful transition to life after high school.
A Fox Lane graduate will:
- Be a problem solver
- Be a critical thinker and innovator
- Be an effective communicator and collaborator
- Be an empathetic global citizen
- Be adaptable
- Have integrity
Thinking Skills
Problem solver
A problem solver is someone who can think critically and creatively to find innovative and practical solutions. A problem solver works well with others, considers different viewpoints, and engages in continuous improvement. A problem solver is someone who perseveres and asks new questions in order to understand all aspects of a problem.
Critical thinker and innovator
A critical thinker and innovator will assess, process, and synthesize relevant information and conditions in order to create a new plan, solution or design. A critical thinker is someone who takes intellectual risks, considers multiple perspectives, and applies new thinking to create solutions to real-life problems. A critical thinker “reads between the lines” and “connects the dots” in order to see relationships between ideas, as well as to bring new insights to current experiences.
Interpersonal Skills
Effective communicator and collaborator
An effective communicator begins with being an active listener. An effective communicator regulates one's own emotions in order to articulate needs, wants, ideas and opinions clearly for an intended purpose and audience. An effective collaborator builds relationships and will actively engage with information, knowledge and ideas, obtained through multiple literacies, in order to articulate one’s ideas or the ideas of the group in meaningful and productive ways.
Empathetic global citizen
A person with empathy brings care, awareness and understanding to others’ thoughts, feelings, perspectives, and backgrounds. An empathetic person takes action to show compassion. A person with empathy listens to others without judgment and is open to others’ points of view, cultures, and experiences with a willingness to change one’s own thinking when considering new ideas. We celebrate diversity as an important component in developing global citizens.
Personal Skills
Adaptable
An adaptable person is able to enter multiple environments and situations with flexibility, perseverance and resilience. Being adaptable means having self-awareness to direct and advocate for yourself and others in the face of adversity. It means the ability to adjust one’s own behavior effectively based on one's understanding of the people and the situation to create a positive outcome.
Integrity
A person with integrity has the ability to be self-aware and to do the right thing even when no one is watching. Having integrity means being honest with yourself and with others. It means being consistent, fair and true to yourself so that others will trust and respect you.