WCSD Portrait of a Lifelong Learner: Integrity

As a critical component of Westlake City School District’s Portrait of a Lifelong Learner, integrity is a characteristic we hope to encourage in each of our students. Having integrity means doing the right thing in a reliable way. It means doing what we say we will do, and doing it well. It means others know they can depend on us.

A person of integrity develops empathy, social awareness, and accountability to understand how behaviors and actions impact others. They exhibit a consistent dedication to their own character development and demonstrate the ability to take action for the greater good. In every interaction, they actively listen to understand others’ perspectives and contemplate problems through various lenses.

A model of integrity acts with honesty, respect and responsibility and prioritizes keeping their promises and helping others. Honesty – both with others and with ourselves – requires that we approach every situation with the intention to stay true to ourselves and be open with the people around us.

We must respect those we interact with by truly listening to them and understanding that regardless of our differences, various perspectives are valuable and everyone deserves to be treated with kindness. Acting responsibly means keeping promises, being mindful of others’ time and effort, and taking accountability for any mistakes we make.

Having integrity is not always easy. Every one of us has been tempted to do something out of character before – something that benefits us to the detriment of another, or something that breaks a promise we’ve made. We all mess up sometimes, but a person with integrity takes responsibility for the ways they fall short, and they dedicate themselves to being better in the future.

That is what we ask of our students – to take a moment each day to ask themselves: What is something I wish I would have handled differently today? How can I work to be better tomorrow?