The mission of Union High School resides in three fundamental tenets:

• The well being of any society as a whole, especially a democratic society such as ours is founded upon the well being of each individual member of the society.

• The well being of the individual is, in great part, a direct result of the quality of education that an individual receives.

• The quality of education an individual receives is dependent upon his or her ability to discover and develop personal potential through physical, emotional, psychological, and intellectual challenges provided by educational institutions.

Union High School (UHS) is a large, public institution that serves a culturally and economically diverse community. To meet the myriad needs of such a community, and to fulfill its mission, UHS provides an environment that is not only conducive to learning, but also encourages diverse and creative thinking and interaction among the faculty and students.

To accomplish its mission, UHS employs a broad-based curriculum and comprehensive interscholastic athletic and co-curricular programs that are in concert with national and state educational standards and are presented through diverse and challenging pedagogy. To that end, UHS maintains a partnership of all stakeholders- students, parents/guardians, staff and the community at large- founded on the beliefs of open and frequent communication, free exchange of ideas, mutual trust and support, and constant access to all participants.

In support of its mission, the Union High SChool (UHS) faculty, staff, students and administration provide the following belief statements that are shared by the Board of Education, the central administration, and the community at large. These beliefs comprise a nucleus upon which all activity- educational, athletic, and co-curricular- is founded.

As a result of participating in the educational process at UHS, students should be able to:

• Comprehend the necessity to respect law and authority and the particular relationship between personal freedom and public good within a democratic society.

• Adopt a code of behavior based upon sound and ethical principles fostering socially acceptable behavior.

• Embrace diversity through a purposeful effort to positively engage all individuals within the school or in a community setting regardless of age, race, color, creed, ethnicity, mental or physical disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, socioeconomic status, or family makeup in a harmonious, respectful, and supportive manner.

• Comprehend and appreciate the balance of the universe that exists in the complimentary and compati8ble relationships between mankind and nature in the arenas of historical perspective, environmental practice, cultural appreciation, political ethics, and theoretical and religious ideologies.

• Prepare and follow a personal regimen that incorporates: considering new and/or controversial ideas and issues; accepting that conflict resolution and diverse problem solving are necessary for success; understanding that self discipline leads to achieving one's potential; and accepting that an appreciation of life is achieved through one's commitment to embrace diverse physical and emotional opportunities.

• Prepare for their future by subscribing to an appreciation of life-long learning through setting personal standards that incorporate, but are not limited to the development of required academic, business, vocational, technical, research, and social skills and the continued acquisition of communication and workplace readiness skills.

• Assume personal responsibility to become productive and goal oriented.