Bishop Ireton High School Five-Year Strategic Plan
2025 - 2030
Bishop Ireton’s Mission & Vision
In the spirit of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop Ireton High School is a Catholic college preparatory school that promotes spiritual, intellectual, creative, social and physical development.
As a Salesian community of learning and service, Bishop Ireton High School prepares and inspires students to Advance Always with a Christ-centered focus to meet and surpass current and future global challenges.
Profile of a Graduate
Bishop Ireton accomplishes its mission by developing within each student the following:
• Deepened faith in order to encourage a loving commitment to God and the Catholic Church
• Spiritual and moral values
• The desire for life-long learning
• The pursuit of academic excellence in all disciplines
• Appreciation of the fine and creative arts
• Understanding of our multi-cultural heritage to appreciate and respect individual differences
• Knowledge and application of technological innovations for the benefit of humanity
• The pursuit of physical fitness and knowledge of mental and physical health as a life-long goal
Together with its community of families, Bishop Ireton provides students with the foundation and relationships for a lifetime of success, helping to ready the next generation to be exemplary and ethical leaders in an ever-changing world.
Strategic Goals
Overview
• Advance Faith and Catholic Identity
• Advance Academic Excellence
• Advance the Arts, Athletic and Extracurricular Programs
• Advance Financial Stewardship and Sustainability
• Advance and Strengthen Funding Opportunities through Community, Boosters and Alumni Engagement
• Foster Innovation, Support Continuous Improvement and Advance Always
Background
The Bishop Ireton High School 2025-2030 Strategic Plan is designed as a framework and roadmap for current efforts, new initiatives and future projections for the school. This plan has been developed to ensure consistent, continuous improvement and advancement aligned with our mission and faithful to the vision of Catholic education in the Diocese of Arlington.
This plan is organized into six categories which correspond to the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Secondary Schools from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), and it was designed with knowledge and correlation to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s 2022 Strategic Plan, including tuition affordability, faith formation, inclusion, and service. This strategic plan was also created after much review of stakeholder and advisory board input, academic and extra-curricular data and current enrollment numbers. The plan was impacted by recent campus capital projects, including the 2020 campus renovation project and the 2025 chapel renovation project, as well as technological enhancements made and resources accessed in response to the 2020 global pandemic.
At the center of this strategic plan and all things we do at Bishop Ireton is our Catholic mission. Our work is rooted in keeping Christ at the center, fostering the pursuit of excellence and the dignity of the whole person, with the call to Advance Always and Live Jesus. We pray that our strategic work to advance Bishop Ireton will be enhanced by this dynamic document and all who seek to implement each goal.
Advance Faith and Catholic Identity
Strategic Goal #1
• Continue to integrate and strengthen our Catholic identity and our Salesian charism in all areas of school life, with commitment to Church teachings and diocesan initiatives.
• Empower the school community to promote Christian charity and participate in service beyond the service hour and grade level retreat requirements, including opportunities for mission trips, retreats, schoolwide service day, student life activities and club focused projects.
• Ensure daily access to the sacraments and bi-monthly opportunities for full school Masses.
• Recruit and retain faculty and staff committed to the ministry of Catholic Education and the mission of the school through a supportive environment, competitive compensation, professional development, retreat programming and chaplain involvement in all staff hiring.
• Promote the dignity of the human person in all that we do, in accordance with Christian anthropology and Church teaching.
• Utilize the chapel as center of campus, increase the visibility of a Catholic faith community through new faith activities and facilities.
Advance Academic Excellence Strategic Goal #2
• Maintain excellence in academics, providing students with access to the knowledge and skills needed for higher education, career and adult life.
• Continue to evaluate and refine the curriculum to provide an integrated and appropriately challenging college preparatory program that is meaningful, relevant, differentiated, grounded in our faith and consistent with diocesan standards.
• Continue to enhance and refine the professional growth of our faculty to support student success through collaborative learning teams, professional development and professional certifications.
• Provide programming and pedagogical practices which are rooted in Catholic social justice teaching, enhance cultural awareness and ensure that people of diverse backgrounds are welcomed and supported by all members of the community.
• Continue to enhance and provide Special Services programming for neurodiverse students and those with special learning needs.
Strategic Goal #3
Advance the Arts, Athletic and Extracurricular Programs
• Promote Catholic Identity through our arts, athletics and extracurricular programs.
• Promote and maintain strong student participation across all extracurricular programs and skill levels.
• Improve and provide a quality digital presence for all Bishop Ireton extracurricular programs.
• Improve competitiveness across all athletic programs, with a focus on consistent processes and strong coach engagement on campus and in the local athletic community.
• Continue upgrades and enhancements to the auditorium and exterior athletic campus.
• Strengthen city partnerships for off-campus athletic site usage.
Advance Financial Stewardship and Sustainability
Strategic Goal #4
• Continue consistent and sound use of diocesan fiscal policies and procedures to maintain institutional financial stability.
• Maintain the financial schedule to pay off the current diocesan loan.
• Continue to advance the campus with updated learning tools and technology aids consistent with the school’s emphasis on academic excellence in a college preparatory environment.
• Utilize the Facilities Assessment Report and Plan to maintain and update all campus facilities.
• Maintain operational vitality through a robust facilities staff and maintenance service contracts for all areas of campus.
• Evaluate marketing materials, promotional publications and technology tools, with an eye towards developing strategies for improved use of each.
Strategic Goal #5
Advance & Strengthen Funding Opportunities through Community & Alumni Engagement
• Explore and establish community, alumni, corporate and institutional partnerships to enhance scholarship, endowments and new funding sources.
• Grow our alumni programming through increased events for donors and prospective donors.
• Grow our boosters and parent club programs through increased visibility and volunteer opportunities.
• Align Advancement, Admissions and Institutional goals to increase engagement in school special events and participation in Annual Giving.
Strategic Goal #6
Foster Innovation, Support Continuous Improvement and Advance Always
• Increase engagement with feeder schools and prospective families to strengthen our community connections and effectively maintain our full enrollment.
• Expand our school ambassador program, utilizing in-person and digital tools to share our school with prospective and incoming families.
• Explore additional opportunities to make Catholic education affordable for all families who seek it.
• Continue to support campus employment opportunities for Adults with Special Needs.
• Enhance the energy management profile of the school by choosing, where possible, eco-friendly systems.
