To kick off the 2026–27 school year, faculty and staff collaborated to help shape the Portrait of a Cambridge Graduate, drawing on guidelines established by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
Faculty and staff members were broken into groups and created definitions for each of the following characteristics.
Creative Innovator
A creative innovator is a self-motivated, positive, confident problem solver who brings fresh perspectives and demonstrates resilience.
Global Citizen
A global citizen is someone who is open-minded and accepts others. Not only do they understand others, they also celebrate their success. A Cambridge global citizen engages in activities that positively impact our community and beyond.
Critical Thinker
A critical thinker at Cambridge Central School is a student who is curious, asks questions, considers before responding and uses evidence when providing responses while broadening the perspectives of others. A CCS critical thinker is an open-minded, empathetic problem solver.
Effective Communicator
An effective communicator embraces open and welcoming interaction through listening and expressing clear, concise language in a confident audience-centered manner, using articulate, clearly spoken language while being direct and engaging.
Reflective & Future-Focused
A reflective and future-focused thinker is someone who is goal oriented. They demonstrate curiosity, eagerness and positivity. They are adaptive, adventurous and risk-taking. Communication, end goals and empathy are some of the strong work ethic qualities that they portray, which makes them planners and purposeful thinkers.
These five pillars reinforce the district’s core objective—preparing students academically. As stated in our district mission, Cambridge Central School empowers students with the knowledge, skills and values to pursue their goals and contribute positively to society throughout their lives.
