The Strategic Plan for Calvert Hall College High School
INTRODUCTION
Calvert Hall has a rich legacy spanning 180 years, yet our most important work lies ahead. Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families live in a rapidly changing world. The timeless mission and values established by St. John Baptist de La Salle centuries ago are the foundation of our work and continue to guide our pursuits today. This strategic plan, “CHC 2030,” is designed to meet current institutional needs while positioning the school to better serve our mission over the next five years.
Our most recent strategic plan, implemented in 2018, provided a compelling blueprint that guided us through the tumult of COVID and strengthened Calvert Hall across each of the key dimensions – mission, enrollment, academics, brand, student life, and financial strength. This plan is designed for a new time but will similarly align and amplify our efforts to sustain our institution and inspire Men of Intellect, Men of Faith, and Men of Integrity into the future.
We initiated the CHC 2030 plan in the summer of 2023 with a focus on identifying and prioritizing external factors that require our consideration. We also focused on internal factors to improve daily support for our students, faculty, and staff. Grounded in our Lasallian tradition, the resulting plan integrates these perspectives and addresses the distinct challenges and opportunities ahead. We are grateful to all the members of our community who contributed to a truly collaborative effort, with special appreciation for our faculty, staff, and trustees.
AFFIRMATION OF MISSION
Since its founding in 1845, the underlying mission of Calvert Hall has followed The Rule of the Christian Brothers, written more than three centuries ago. It states, “the purpose of this Institute is to provide a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor.”
CHC 2030 reaffirms and recommits to our school’s mission statement:
Calvert Hall College, a Lasallian Catholic college preparatory school, prepares a diverse community of young men to achieve their full potential utilizing their unique talents. Through excellent academic and extracurricular programs led by innovative and dedicated educators, our students become confident men with the ethical foundation for service, independent thinking, and responsible leadership.
Inspired by the faith and zeal of St. John Baptist de LaSalle, our students develop a respect for others as part of an inclusive, lifelong Calvert Hall brotherhood as Men of Intellect, Men of Faith, and Men of Integrity.
We believe this declaration continues to serve as an effective articulation of our purpose, values, and Lasallian Foundation. Our focus in CHC 2030 is to expand the impact of this enduring mission in the lives of our young men and in the communities that surround us.
SUMMARY OF THE PLAN
Calvert Hall and its community are influenced by social, governmental, and economic forces in a post-COVID environment. These key external themes include:
• Teacher shortage – declining number of qualified teachers entering the profession
• Well-being crisis – increasing mental health challenges among young men
• Polarization – deepening societal divides and increased hostility
• Secularization – decreasing religious influence and engagement in society
• Technology – growing impact of AI on education and careers
• Demographic shifts – changing socioeconomic, racial, and geographic trends
Within Calvert Hall, several internal themes emerged as areas of attention and evolution, including:
• Mission - improving the lived reality of our Lasallian Foundation
• School size – aligning class sizes with staffing, operations, and campus facilities
• Modernization – evolving the curriculum for modern practices and 21st century careers
• Faculty engagement – addressing challenges including work/life balance, communication, and competitive pressures
• Personalization – providing for each student according to their needs, abilities and interests
• Facilities – refreshing our master plan to optimize within the constraints of our Towson campus
• Financial – exploring opportunities to expand revenue sources and refine operations
The resulting plan is organized around the 10 key initiatives listed below. Each of the initiatives is detailed in the sections that follow. Please note that the initiatives are focused on the strategic changes needed for the chapter ahead. There are many elements required to resource, execute, and track each of these initiatives. Many other essential activities are needed to sustain and improve day-to-day operations. All of these considerations will be rationalized, prioritized, resourced, scheduled and managed through the Annual Operating Plan which establishes the objectives, budget and plan for each school year.
1. MISSION: Amplify the Impact of Our Lasallian Mission for Our Students and Surrounding Communities
2. FACULTY: Establish Calvert Hall as the “School of Choice” for Exceptional Faculty and Staff
3. ACADEMICS: Evolve to Sustain Excellence and Unlock the Full Potential of Each Student
4. ACTIVITIES: Sustain Excellence and Breadth in Athletics and Activities
5. WELL-BEING: Expand “Whole Student” Development with Personalized Wellness
6. TECHNOLOGY: Thoughtfully Embrace AI to Prepare Our Students and Advance Our Mission
7. ENROLLMENT: Refine and Adapt to Sustain Matriculation and “Craft the Class”
8. ALUMNI: Further the Promise of Lifelong Brotherhood
9. FACILITIES: Build and Execute a Campus Plan Aligned with Academic and Extracurricular Priorities
10. FINANCIAL: Fund the Roadmap and Strengthen Resilience
1THE 10 INITIATIVES
MISSION: Amplify the Impact of Mission for Our Students and Surrounding Communities
Calvert Hall is committed to deeply embedding Lasallian values into every aspect of student life and to expanding our impact on the communities in which we live and operate. To achieve this, we will pursue the following goals:
Goal #1
Build plan and launch the “FSC” Center (Formation: Faith, Service, and Community) as central hub to coordinate, accelerate, and amplify mission, faith, and service-related initiatives
Design and implement a “Mission Dashboard” that includes the key measurements of success for Calvert Hall along with the process and tools to gather, report, and analyze the results over time (to include evaluation against the “Identity Criteria” provided by The Christian Brothers General Chapter)
Refine the articulation, communication, and promotion of our mission and its impact with the help of our marketing team
2
FACULTY:
Establish Calvert Hall as the “School of Choice” for Exceptional
Faculty and Staff
The heart and soul of Calvert Hall is its faculty and staff. Our careercommitted teachers have the deepest impact on our young men and shape for many what it means to attend the Hall. It has become increasingly difficult to attract and retain committed educators. Given the headwinds, we need to act boldly to attract, retain, and inspire experience-defining faculty. We will achieve this through the three key goals outlined below:
Goal #1
Define, develop, fund, and execute a bold faculty and staff benefits/ career program that establishes CHC as the “School of Choice” for exceptional, mission-aligned faculty and staff
Goal #2
Build and execute program to regularly receive faculty and staff feedback, measure engagement/satisfaction, and respond with targeted action plans
Goal #3
Research and create programming to support mental wellness for faculty and staff
ACADEMICS
: Evolve to Sustain Academic Excellence and Unlock the Full Potential of Each Student
Calvert Hall has a history of academic excellence built on the Lasallian tradition. Now is the time to build on this heritage and push forward with modernizing the curriculum, introduce new innovations, and ensure we are giving each of our students a path to unlock their individual potential. We will achieve this through the following goals:
Goal #1
Provide an academic experience tailored to the individual goals, abilities, and interests of each student
Goal #2
Strengthen and extend our distinguished academic programs
Evolve academic facilities to align with academic standards and modern practices
Develop a written curriculum in each department, based on 21st century skills and learning needs
ACTIVITIES: Sustain Excellence and Breadth in Athletics and Activities
Calvert Hall has a rich history of excellence in co-curricular activities including world-class athletics, fine arts programs, debate team, marching band, robotics, and even e-gaming. We also offer a wide breadth of activities to engage every student across a vast range of interests and proficiency. Each of these offerings provides opportunities for growth and reinforcement of the Lasallian values. Our challenge is to maintain our tradition of excellence in a competitive and evolving landscape, while also ensuring every student can explore and grow. The goals below will help achieve this dual mission.
Goal #1
Establish CHC as the “School of Choice” for high-impact coaches and activity leaders through a bold program to attract and retain top leaders (see 2. FACULTY)
Goal #2
Assess and evolve athletic/activity portfolios to fill gaps and align with evolving student interests, college preferences, and school competition
Goal #3
Develop and execute the facilities roadmap to maintain best-in-class experiences for our competitive programs and broad support for our participatory programs
Goal #4
Design and build a digital archive experience to celebrate and preserve the remarkable tradition of CHC extracurricular activities
Goal #5
Identify and deliver new revenue streams tied to athletics/activities including summer and booster programs
WELL-BEING: Expand “Whole Student” Development with Personalized Wellness
The mental well-being of young men is a major concern that requires dedicated attention, skills, investment and programming. The Lasallian focus on relationships – faculty and students, lifelong brotherhood, mentorship of counselors, coaches and all adults – define the Calvert Hall experience and encourage social and emotional health. Our support of each student’s well-being will be strengthened through the following goals:
Goal #1
Build and execute a roadmap for student wellness programming that ensures that each student is supported socially and emotionally throughout their Calvert Hall journey
Expand student surveys to regularly receive feedback, measure engagement/satisfaction, and respond with targeted action plans
TECHNOLOGY:
Thoughtfully Embrace AI to Prepare Our Students and Advance Our Mission
AI is the most transformative force facing education today. Its impact on the lives and careers of our young men will be profound. With both promise and complexity, AI demands thoughtful leadership. We see this moment not as a threat, but as an invitation—to lead, to learn, and to ensure our students thrive in our rapidly changing world. Our approach is proactive and principled: we will build AI fluency, apply strong guardrails, and keep our Christian and human values at the core. With new capabilities, we gain avenues to expand our reach and tailor support to the needs of each student. As technology accelerates, so does the importance of our mission. Our plan for navigating this future includes:
Goal #1
Expand our cross-functional AI task force with external experts and
ALUMNI: Further the Promise of Lifelong Brotherhood
The Calvert Hall Brotherhood is a powerful force. Tremendous progress has been made engaging our 14,000 alumni in recent years resulting in significant impact on both giving and participation. Our goal in the chapter ahead is to further activate the alumni network to not only help secure our financial future, but also, to create unique and enduring connections for current students, recent graduates, and older alumni. At a time when young men have never felt more isolated, the Brotherhood of Calvert Hall stands as a source of lifelong community, support, and opportunity.
Goal #1
Develop and implement an ambitious internship/mentorship program for current students and recent graduates
Plan and implement programs (including the creative use of technology) to materially increase life-long alumni connectivity and
Plan and implement campaigns to help fund the strategic initiatives through alumni contributions
ENROLLMENT:
Refine and Adapt to Sustain Matriculation and “Craft the Class”
Calvert Hall’s admissions team has excelled in recent years. With state-of-art analytics, powerful branding, and compelling prospect engagement, the team has attracted impressive classes of sought-after students well aligned to the CHC mission. To sustain our momentum and mission, we need to continue to evolve and innovate. Specific goals for the future include:
Goal #1
Define and maintain clear and measurable objectives to guide “crafting of the class” aligned with our mission and operational objectives
Goal #2
Attract and retain students by understanding their individual needs and providing compelling, personalized experiences throughout their journey with Calvert Hall
Goal #3
Maintain current demographic and student-related analytics to steer enrollment planning and execution
FACILITIES:
Build and Execute a Campus Plan Aligned with the Strategic Initiatives
The fundamental challenge facing Calvert Hall’s facilities team is optimizing its Towson campus to balance safety, sustainability, and strategic evolution. To achieve this, we will do the following:
Goal #1
Refresh the master plan and campus roadmap to advance the strategic initiatives
Goal #2
Develop and implement a process to prioritize, provision, and govern ongoing facilities investments
FINANCIAL: Fund the Roadmap and Strengthen Resilience
Calvert Hall’s financial position has been strengthened in recent years through impressive enrollment, successful capital campaigns, new levels of alumni giving, and improved management of financial resources. The strategic plan offers a new challenge that will be met through the following:
Goal #1
Build the financial roadmap to enable the strategic initiatives and sustain our mission for future generations
Goal #2
Define and initiate new capital and operational programs required to
