Leadership

Because Canterbury is a small K-8 school where every student is known and supported, our students benefit from exceptional leadership development opportunities.

  • PUBLIC PERFORMANCE: From participating in grade level productions in grades K-4 and by taking advantage of countless opportunities in grades five through eight, including reading in chapel and serving as acolytes, Canterbury students learn to be comfortable before an audience. In this safe, supportive environment, students take many risks, and because they start very young, they learn to do so with tremendous confidence and ease.

  • ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS: Fifth grade students are responsible for helping our community become more environmentally “green.” Students educate parents, staff, and students by sharing recycling tips and environmental facts, organizing school-wide recycling efforts, and taking the lead on Earth Day activities.

  • FAMILIES:  Each eighth grade student leads a “family,” which is a cluster of approximately nine students, one from each grade level. Designed to build a strong bond between students of all ages, families meet once a month to socialize, perform outreach projects, beautify the campus, and build lasting bonds of friendship.

  • CHAPEL BUDDIES: Each sixth grade student at Canterbury is paired with a kindergarten “chapel buddy.” These older students help our youngest ones adjust to school life and act as a “security blanket” and familiar face. Chapel buddies walk hand in hand to chapel, where they sit together throughout the year.

  • STUDENT COUNCIL: From orchestrating fundraisers, to selling pizza to the whole school on selected Fridays, to planning dances, to researching charitable organizations for contributions, our student council seeks to serve the school and larger community.

  • 8TH GRADE LEADERSHIP TRIP: Every fall, the students who will lead our school take a journey to explore, discuss, and experience what team building and leadership really mean. Nested in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the Wilderness Adventure facilities at Eagle Landing offer the perfect seclusion, solitude, and natural beauty to undertake this task.

  • VENTURE OUT: With the help of trained and certified outdoor educators, students in grades K-8 use Canterbury’s Venture Out program to learn to identify and master skill sets such as cooperation, collaboration, teamwork, listening, self-awareness, goal setting, and fun. On site outdoor education facilities include low and high ropes elements, a climbing wall, a pond for water activities and a nature and fitness trail.