Woodward HS

Woodward's Originial Founding Principles

The Three Rs: Our Founding Motto

When Charles W. Woodward High School first opened its doors, the school's namesake, Judge Charles W. Woodward, shared a vision for what education at Woodward should stand for. He spoke of the "three Rs," not as reading, writing, and arithmetic, but reimagined as Rights, Respect, and Responsibility. This became the founding motto of Woodward High School, a set of guiding principles that shaped the culture, character, and daily life of the school throughout its 21 years.

For the students and educators who walked Woodward's halls, these three Rs were more than words on a wall. They represented a shared understanding: that every student has rights worth protecting, that a respectful community is one built by everyone in it, and that responsibility, to oneself, to one another, and to the broader community, is at the heart of a meaningful education.

Carrying the Three Rs Forward

As we prepare to reopen Woodward and welcome our first new class of students, we are not starting from nothing. We are building on a foundation that has already stood the test of time. Judge Woodward's three Rs remain as meaningful today as they were decades ago, and they will serve as a guiding thread as our community comes together to shape what Woodward becomes next.

In the coming months, our school community, students, families, staff, and neighbors, will work together to develop our core values, vision, and mission for this new chapter of Woodward's story. The three Rs will be part of that conversation, a reminder of where we came from as we decide together where we are going. Rights, Respect, and Responsibility are not just history. They are an invitation, one that asks every member of our community to help carry them forward into Woodward's future.