Faith is our North Point — the one star that does not move in the night sky. To have confidence in any journey, we need to have a firm reference point from which we can begin to navigate. Faith in God is our unchanging reference point.

As the sun rises in the east, we have placed Hope in the east quarter of our moral compass. At Emmanuel College, we are convinced that we have the historical and intellectual basis and reason to believe that through Jesus we can live lives of meaning and joy, even in death.

Inspired by God’s love, and driven by our belief in the sacredness of life, we live our lives in genuine expressions of love for others. At Emmanuel, we see compassion as represented perfectly in the love that Jesus demonstrated in the New Testament.

Our strong South point, sitting opposite Faith. We see recognition of the Truth of God as the beginning of wisdom. It is both the basis and the outcome of all the others. At Emmanuel College, we believe in the value and importance of graduating young people with the grounding of Wisdom on which they can construct their lives.

This point sits between Faith and Compassion. Justice without compassion is harsh and legalistic. Justice without Christian faith is arbitrary, resting on popular opinion or totalitarian edict. We believe children should learn from school age how justice is established in the world, and how they can work to assist it. This is the heart of the work of the Kingdom of Heaven.

This character quality sits opposite from Integrity, as Integrity is impossible without Self-Control. It sits between Justice and Courage, which are its parents. Self-Control is an essential quality in a child’s or a teenager’s life.

Courage is found opposite Justice as we need Courage to truly fight for Justice. Hope and Wisdom are its immediate neighbours as both support Courage.

A person with Integrity will always do the right thing; they will stand up for truth; and not be afraid to admit when they are wrong. Integrity is who you are and what you are when no-one is watching.