Mission and Motto

Mission and Motto

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Our Mission

Etched glass in Belcher Reading Room

Mr. Taft’s Mission: To educate the whole student

More than 125 years have passed since Mr. Taft founded our school. While the world and the school have changed dramatically, his fundamental values endure: work hard, without regard for public acclaim; develop all of your talents, academic, artistic, and athletic; and most important, give of yourself to others.

Our Motto

Mr. Taft, himself, crafted the school’s motto—words that continue to shape school life more than 125 years later.

Taft wrote, "A great advantage of boarding school is that it gives opportunities for students to get out of themselves. They must work for others." That principle, coupled with his belief that character, above all else, determines success in life, forms the foundation of our enduring school motto:

Non ut sibi ministretur sed ut ministret;
Not to be served, but to serve.

Learn how Taft students embrace our motto