We are United. We are Family. We are Mana.

Our school creed–created by our scholars–is a daily commitment to excellence and to honor the sacrifices of our ancestors.

"We represent our families and communities." - Mana School Creed

Every morning, our scholars recite the Mana Academy school creed. The school creed was inspired by the Urban Prep Charter School in Chicago, Illinois. Because ritual is a significant and familiar part of the respective cultures our scholars come from, we put together and challenged a focus group of scholars at the secondary campus to create a ritual and a common language we can implement campus wide, where our scholars can affirm and hold themselves accountable for their actions and be intentional about what they want to accomplish each day.

After several class periods of research, consultation with their mentors and revisions, this was the result of their labor:

"We are the scholars of Mana Academy. We embody the dreams and aspirations of our ancestors. We represent our families and communities. We are dedicated, committed and focused. We respect ourselves and all people. We will not yield to uncertainty or fear. We will not accept mediocrity. We take ownership of our academic success. We are future college graduates. We are united. We are family. We are Mana."

Returning scholars teach the school creed to new students.

We now have a small block of time each morning dedicated to a Mana Academy ritual we call "Morning Protocol." New scholars at Mana Academy are mentored by returning scholars on the school creed during the first week of school . It's quite the effective icebreaker and a way to build relationships, one of our key beliefs as a school. At the elementary campus, the scholars created actions to go with the words of the creed. (check out the video below)

Our Morning Protocol at Mana Academy sets the tone for a productive day by giving our scholars a sense of community, purpose, belonging and ownership of their academic journey.