A Perfect Match: Living Values Educational Program and Aventura City of Excellence School, USA

In 2003, the City of Aventura recruited Dr. Katherine Murphy to be the Principal of their soon-to-be-built charter school, asking that she create a world-class educational model for Aventura, known as the City of Excellence. Meeting with parents, community members, leaders and teachers, Murphy brainstormed and researched to find answers to target the needs of all involved. Together they created a vision for Aventura City of Excellence School (ACES) which is “to join together with the community to become the premier charter school in the nation where academic excellence coexists with the promotion of social responsibility grounded in an atmosphere of human dignity.” Put simply, the teaching of values has equal importance to academic “press.”