Phase I (2012-2015) Strategic Plan

the

Strategic Plan for

Cardigan 2020 A Vision of Excellence in the Education of Middle School Boys

Contents Page

The Strategic Planning Process

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An introduction to Cardigan’s strategic planning process, provided by Head of School David J. McCusker, Jr.’80, P’09,’10.

Executive Summary

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An introduction to the Strategic Plan for Cardigan 2020, provided by Committee Chair Burton McGillivray P’07,’09,’09.

Mission and Core Values

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The foundation of all decision making, and our personal and professional code of conduct.

Our Enduring Legacy

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The School’s history, as a distinctive foundation for the future.

Strategic Plan

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Strategic priorities and goals in five key action areas.

Defining Our Strength

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The Cardigan Way defined, and profiles of the admissions candidate, educator, and graduate as envisioned by Cardigan Mountain School.

Supporting Documents

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The Strategic Planning Process

David J. McCusker, Jr.’80, P’09,’10 Head of School

The results of the strategic planning process will impact the entire Cardigan community. Accordingly, we have sought to include all constituencies in the process, whether by direct inclusion in one of the task forces, or by gathering their input and views.

“Strategic Planning Work Groups” put in place to develop this Strategic Plan for Cardigan 2020. These dedicated work groups were co-led by trustees and members of the School’s administration, and also included volunteer members of the School’s teaching faculty.

We use several ongoing and recurrent mechanisms to solicit feedback from multiple parts of the Cardigan family. This information—including survey data from parents, alumni, and nonenrolling families—is collected and reviewed each year, and it informs our annual decision making. Similarly, it improved this strategic planning process.

Periodically since the spring of 2012, and then over two intensive days in June (2012), a group of nearly 30 of these strategic planning participants met to determine—using a “backwards planning” approach— the desired outcomes that should chart the School’s course out to the year 2020. Work groups then carried the work forward to develop this strategic plan.

Our commitment to ongoing institutional reflection is also evident in the work of volunteer faculty committees, collaborative continuing-education activities, participation Strategic Planning Defined

in professional networks and associations, and The formal consideration of an organization’s future course, regular administrative toward the outcome of excellence and sustainability. reviews of Cardigan’s Strategic planning deals with three key questions: own metrics data. All of this information served • What do we do? as a critical resource to • For whom do we do it? the multiconstituent

I am deeply grateful to all the members of our community who participated in this process. Our school is blessed by the passionate commitment of our stakeholders to the current strength and future health of Cardigan Mountain School. Burt McGillivray deserves particular recognition and gratitude for his commitment to leading and shepherding important strategic thinking at the board level, as does Joy Michelson for soliciting and organizing input from the many groups and individuals who contributed to what is, I believe, the most comprehensive strategic plan document in the School’s history.

• How will we excel?

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May 2010 The Goal Our goal is to put in place a strategic plan framework that is a living document, one that is used regularly to guide our decision making, and to measure our progress toward outcomes that are both ambitious and comprehensive in nature. This Strategic Plan for Cardigan 2020 seeks, in part, to define “Cardigan Mountain School,” and to assert its distinctive benefit for middle-level boys. By charting a course toward refining and enhancing the School’s distinctive program—while being mindful of the needs of people and resources needed to deliver it—this document, and the tactical plans that develop from it, will be an integral player in our success.

Market, Position, and Enrollment Research & Analysis (MPERA) committees form and begin work.

NEASC Reaccreditation Self-Study begins.

May 2011 Financial Sustainability Task Force sponsors a two-day retreat to review and discuss financial-planning scenarios.

NEASC Reaccreditation report delivered, site visit conducted, certificate issued.

February 2012 Strategic Planning Work Groups form to address identified action areas.

Ongoing strategic planning work culminates with an on-campus retreat in June.

David J. McCusker, Jr. ’80, P’09,’10

Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan revisions made.

February 2013 Strategic Plan for Cardigan 2020 presented for board approval.

Implementation teams assigned, and tactical action plans developed for each strategic priority.

Going Forward: Tactical action planning and implementation, with regular internal review and Board of Trustee meeting updates.

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Executive Summary Burton McGillivray P’07,’09,’09 Strategic Planning Committee Chair Strategic Anchor Cardigan’s relevance has been and remains the unique demands of boys’ middle school education. We believe the School’s mission is more critical today than it has ever been. Data show that boys’ academic performance lags behind that of girls and that boys have a wider variety of learning challenges. Research on boys’ brains shows they can be disorganized, kinetic, impulsive, and yet quite extraordinary—though most schools have adjusted inadequately to this understanding. Males have become a minority of college students in the United States, as the percentage of females in college now approaches 60 percent. Cardigan’s strategic anchor, the unique educational needs of boys, has never been so important.

Scope

The purpose of this summary is to capture the conclusions of the strategic planning recommendations of the 2012 strategic planning process.

This process began with a review of Cardigan’s financial sustainability, which then evolved into this formal update to the Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan crafted in 2009. Our work involved the creation of individual task forces to assess not only the School’s financial issues, but also its competitive positioning, external market considerations, academic year and summer programming, and issues pertaining to staffing.

Conclusions

Among the principal conclusions from the roughly 36 months of data gathering and analysis are the following:

• Distinctive Program: We captured the essential elements of our distinctive program (the Cardigan Way), in our definitions of the ideal admissions candidate, the qualities of an effective educator in our unique educational environment, and the desired product of our program (the profile of the graduate). These foundational documents* ensure that the School remains true to its identity—its “brand” if you like—in its marketing, staffing, and program efforts going forward. *Defining Our Strength, page 29.

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At Cardigan, the boys are at the center of all we do.

• Interdependent Systems: We recognized the high level of interdependence of each functional area of the School and the direct impact of each area on fulfilling the mission of educating our boys. The adjacent chart appropriately positions Cardigan boys in the center of all of the functional areas at this school, graphically illustrating how each of them revolves around the success of the boys. In addition, the graphic portrays the interdependence of each of the functional areas.

Cardigan is sensitive to the notion that a change in one area requires corresponding changes to others (e.g., changes to the program will drive changes to the appropriateness of our faculty and facilities).

• Financial Stewardship: We identified the indicators of sustainable financial performance and assessed the negative effects of deferred maintenance, underspending in food service, staff compensation, and other areas. Tuition dependency draws attention to the need to ensure that the School is full each year, as well as the need to consider and grow nontuition revenue sources. . . . continues on next page.

e h T

g i a d n r a Wa C People

• Faculty/Staff • • Administrators • Trustees •

Facilities

•

y

Program

• Facilities Mgmt • • Energy Efficiency • • Campus Master Plan •

• Mind • • Body • • Spirit •

Admissions

Development

• Enrollment • • Target Markets • • Marketing •

• Annual Giving • • Constituent Relations • • Campaign Fundraising •

Finance

• Budgeting • • Financial Mgmt • • Investment Mgmt •

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Executive Summary continued Conclusions, continued.

• Market Postition: We demonstrated Cardigan’s unique positioning in the boys’ junior boarding school market, and the corresponding opportunities and challenges. Cardigan is the only school with a nearly exclusive boarding model, as well as a boys-only and middle-school-only focus.

• Student Body Demographics: We assessed the recent and current student body mix and looked closely at demographic and market factors, allowing for a better understanding of the target market served by the School and how best to reach it. A clearer definition of “diversity” has also been embraced at the School, along with corresponding programmatic implications: Our commitment to diversity focuses on serving the broad set of academic, social, and athletic needs of our boys, rather than being solely defined by racial, cultural, or socioeconomic identity.

• Staffing Considerations: We reviewed the School’s staffing configuration, along with the staffing implications of changes to the program and curriculum. Over the past seven years, every key administrative role at the School has been redefined, as well as many faculty positions. Standards for professional performance are at higher levels than they have ever been.

• Physical Plant Assessment: We conducted a campus facilities needs assessment, including the consideration of how our physical plant compares to that of other schools and the prioritization of future plant upgrades and needs.

Additional Elements • Affirmation of Cardigan’s Mission & Core Values (Page 7).

• A statement of Cardigan’s historical legacy (Page 9).

• Five Focus-Area Task Forces For each focus area, a task force comprising both trustees and members of the faculty was created and worked for approximately 18 months, culminating in the recommendations in this report. Our planning process identified the desired outcome and the principal objective for each area, as well as strategic priorities for the first threeyear planning/implementation cycle (Pages 11–27).

The leadership of this effort has been widely shared. The recommendations and strategic priorities are thoughtful, relevant, and important to the achievement of Cardigan’s mission. However, most satisfying has been seeing the creativity and engagement of the broad Cardigan community as this strategic plan has developed. As we move from planning to action, we do so with the confidence that we are focused on the most critical goals for Cardigan’s success, that they are achievable goals, and that they will drive the success of Cardigan for many years to come.

Burton McGillivray P’07,’09,’09

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Mission and Core Values

The Cardigan Mission Cardigan Mountain School offers a close-knit community that prepares middle school boys—in mind, body, and spirit—for responsible and meaningful lives in a global society.

To achieve our mission, we reward effort and accomplishment, helping each boy realize his academic, physical, and personal potential through the integration of the following core values in all aspects of daily life: • Compassion

We cherish the quality of kindness, asking each member of our community to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” and we embrace the importance of service for the greater good.

• Honesty

We expect rigorous honesty in all dealings.

• Respect

We teach respect for all individuals, embracing an appreciation for diverse perspectives.

• Integrity

We cultivate personal integrity, underscoring our commitment to “doing the right thing,” through community discussion, public example, and role modeling.

• Scholarship

We instill a love of learning and promote intellectual curiosity and growth, recognizing that each person learns differently.

• Fairness

We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to grow and develop, succeed and fail, in a safe environment that values intent, effort, and accomplishment, free from bias and prejudice.

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Above: Cardigan Mountain School, 1951, when the School’s campus was located at the “Lodge” on Canaan Street.

Left: Cardigan Mountain School Officers (circa 1950) Standing from left: Robert L. McMillan, Edward K. Robinson, William Brewster, Frank M. Morgan, Charles Cotting, John Kenerson,Wilfred Clark, Name Unknown.

Seated from left: Robert C. Hopkins, Harvey Hood, Arthur Williams, Ernest M. Hopkins, Harold P. Hinman, Name Unknown.

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Our Enduring Legacy Legacy Statement Cardigan Mountain School was founded in 1945 to serve the specific educational and developmental needs of boys during their formative middle school years. Founders Ernest M. Hopkins, president of Dartmouth College; William R. Brewster, headmaster of Kimball Union Academy; and Harold P. Hinman, a local Dartmouth alumnus, understood this pivotal phase in the lives of boys, when their value systems take root and lifelong habits of the mind, body, and spirit take shape.

We believe that our mission is best served in a primarily residential community that allows for greater context and opportunity to educate the whole boy. Whether in the classroom, on the playing field, in the dining room, or in the dormitories, relationships formed between the adults and children in our community continue to be essential to our mission and daily life.

Central to Cardigan’s mission is a formula for educating young men that seeks to find the promise in each individual and leads each boy on a path of purposeful and effective living. The Cardigan “brand” is one that is transformational in nature; it focuses on drawing out and developing the passion and talents of each person. Cardigan graduates young men who possess the self-awareness, confidence, values, and maturity necessary for success in the next chapter of their lives.

A nonsectarian school, founded in the Judeo-Christian tradition, Cardigan fosters the spiritual and ethical development of its students through our weekly Chapel service, through the study of different religions, philosophies, and belief systems, and through an action-oriented program that allows boys to demonstrate their compassion through service to other people and communities.

Cardigan’s abiding commitment to educating middle school boys in a close-knit, residential community in the pristine beauty of New Hampshire will serve as the distinctive foundation for our 2020 vision.

Augere Virtutem—Dirigere Mentem Build Character—Mold Minds 9

Hockey coach Owen Carpino (right) with varsity players (from left) Will Nearis ’13, Ben Finkelstein ’13, Jack Goodwin ’13, and Ward Betts ’13.

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Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan Action Areas, Strategic Goals, and Priorities Page

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Planning Matrix

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Phases of Implementation

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Tactical Action Planning Template

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Building on Our Success

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Strategic Plan Overview

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A. PROGRAM REFINEMENT & SUPPORT

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Strategic Goals & Immediate Priorities: Distinctive and Dynamic Program

B. QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FACULTY & STAFF

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Strategic Goals & Immediate Priorities: Professional Excellence

C. MARKETING & ENROLLMENT TARGETS

Strategic Goals & Immediate Priorities:

A Diverse Community That Promotes Strong Character and Service

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D. PHYSICAL PLANT IMPROVEMENTS

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Strategic Goals & Immediate Priorities: Facilities to Advance the Program

E. FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT

Strategic Goals & Immediate Priorities: Responsible Stewardship of Resources

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From left: Adonis Williams ’14, Jack Goodwin ’13, Henry Cormier ’13, Griffin Harris ’14, Sky Silverstein ’13, Carlos Ochoa ’13, Amos Gilbert ’14, Will Lyon ’13, and Walker Huff ’14 enjoying a multimedia “moment.”

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Planning Matrix

The Cardigan Century: 1945–2045 A Certain Future for Cardigan Mountain School

The Cardigan Mission

Cardigan 2020 Action Areas

The Cardigan Program

Program Refinement & Support

Cardigan People

Quality of Life for Faculty & Staff

The Cardigan Culture Cardigan Campus Facilities Sustainable Financial Model

A Vision of Excellence in the Education of Middle School Boys: 2012–2020

Immediate Strategic Priorities

Tactical Action Plans: Phase I (2012–2015)

Goals

Marketing & Enrollment Targets

Physical Plant Improvements

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

• Distinctive and Dynamic Program • Professional Excellence • A Diverse Community That Promotes Strong Character and Service • Facilities That Advance the Program

Financial Sustainability Commitment

• Responsible Stewardship of Resources

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Phases of Implementation: 2012–2020

Phase II (2015–2018)

Phase I (2012–2015)

2012

Specific

2013

Measurable

2014

Attainable

Realistic

SMART GOALS

2015

2016

2017

Phase III (2018–2020)

2018

Timely

TACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION • Program Refinement & Support • Quality of Life for Faculty & Staff • Marketing & Enrollment Targets • Physical Plant Improvements • Financial Sustainability Commitment

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2019

2020

Tactical Action Planning Template TACTICAL ACTION PLAN FOR (Action Area): _____________________________________

PHASE I

II

III

Cardigan 2020 Strategic Planning Goal:

Specific Objective (Three-year horizon)

Measure

Strategies for Attainment

Benchmark & Date

Party Responsible

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Building on Our Success: Strategic Plan (2009–2012)

P P P 16

Program Goals Achieved

Faculty/Staff Goals Achieved

Facilities Goals Achieved

Refined and developed service-learning and leadership-training experiences for students.

Advanced the School’s technology program in every respect.

Reconsidered/reformatted study hall and dormitory duty schedule.

One-to-One Laptop Program and “technology integrator” position created.

Team-teaching model implemented.

Expanded Gates Program and full-time director hired.

Global Community Initiative launched with dedicated faculty director.

System established for ongoing program review & development.

More effective faculty accountability practices/raised expectations for teacher performance implemented.

Customized schedules and calendar to balance program needs, goals.

Examined/implemented immediate “quality of life” (benefits) enhancements.

Implemented best faculty assignment format to balance teach/coach/dorm responsibilities.

Summer Session housing displacement issue addressed programmatically.

Cardigan Commons construction begun, projected to conclude on schedule (April 2013).

Charles C. Gates I.D.E.A. Center erected and wood shop relocated.

Kenerson and Hopkins renovations completed (additional classrooms to implement team-teaching model).

Meeting room and archive space created in former Gates Lab. Mountain biking and cross-country running trails built.

C.O.R.E. Base Camp and two new faculty residences created.

Strategic Plan Overview

ACTION AREA

PROGRAM REFINEMENT & SUPPORT (see page 19)

QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FACULTY & STAFF (see page 21)

MARKETING & ENROLLMENT TARGETS (see page 23)

PHYSICAL PLANT IMPROVEMENTS (see page 25)

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT (see page 27)

Big Idea/ Outcome

Distinctive and Dynamic Program

Professional Excellence

A Diverse Community That Promotes Strong Character and Service

Facilities That Advance the Program

Responsible Stewardship of Resources

CARDIGAN 2020 GOAL

Prepare middle school boys for the future through a missiondriven program that is innovative, relevant, and responsive.

Attract and retain an exceptional, collaborative faculty and staff through professional development, competitive compensation/benefits, and a healthy residential culture.

Design and implement admissions strategy that ensures the enrollment of a diverse student body that is representative of our collective commitment to mission and core values.

Provide functional, environmentally responsible facilities and the resources appropriate to the delivery and support of the program and people.

Use current and projected financial resources at a rate that can be maintained in perpetuity under reasonably conservative assumptions, and that preserves intergenerational equity, considering the facts and circumstances of the current situation.

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Faculty member Haver Markham works with Tommy Mi ’14, Garrett Lewis ’14, and Jack Milton ’14, collecting data for analysis.

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Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan

A. PROGRAM REFINEMENT & SUPPORT Big Idea/ Outcome

Distinctive and Dynamic Program

CARDIGAN 2020 GOAL

Prepare middle school boys for the future through a mission-driven program that is innovative, relevant, and responsive.

Immediate Strategic Priorities Phase I (2012–2015)

• Utilize research-based criteria to evaluate, analyze, and reflect upon programmatic goals and action steps.

• Foster creativity, critical thinking skills, and collaboration through a range of unique academic and social experiences.

• Develop and implement programs that actively incorporate CMS’s unique natural and historical environment.

• Develop and implement a schedule that is appropriate to our mission.

• Implement ongoing assessment and implementation of educational technology appropriate to the School’s mission and program goals.

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Director of Studies Timothy Newbold, with his wife, Amy, and twin daughters, Thea and Addie, September 2012.

Son Gabe was born on October 30, 2012.

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Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan

B. QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FACULTY & STAFF Big Idea/ Outcome

Professional Excellence

CARDIGAN 2020 GOAL

Attract and retain an exceptional, collaborative faculty and staff through professional development, competitive compensation/benefits, and a healthy residential culture.

Immediate Strategic Priorities Phase I (2012–2015)

• Identify and implement strategies for attracting and retaining excellent faculty members.

• Establish and support positive professional culture and attitudes and a collaborative working environment.

• Develop and implement a program to recognize and reward faculty excellence and/ or achievement.

• Develop and implement a funding mechanism to support individually initiated professional development (continuing education), training in the use of educational technology, off-campus study, travel, conferences, and sabbatical opportunities for faculty members.

• Develop, implement, and refine systems for professional accountability, for educators, administrators, and support staff.

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From left: Gordon Faust ’13, Matteo Mangiardi ’14, Jeff Shi ’14, Reilly Walsh ’14, Mohamed Bamba ’14, and Tanner Boyle ’14.

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Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan

C. MARKETING & ENROLLMENT TARGETS Big Idea/ Outcome

A Diverse Community That Promotes Strong Character and Service

CARDIGAN 2020 GOAL

Design and implement admissions strategy that ensures the enrollment of a diverse student body that is representative of our collective commitment to mission and core values.

Immediate Strategic Priorities Phase I (2012–2015)

• Identify, set, and achieve enrollment goals that support the appropriate student body mix, seeking: 1.) students who respond well to—and benefit from—a structured environment, with families committed to core values; and 2.) diversity in students’ athletic, social, and academic traits, as well as geography, nationality, culture, and socioeconomic standing.

• Provide financial aid resources that support our enrollment goals within the student body mix.

• Provide for ongoing research (e.g., surveys, demographic reporting) that supports the maintenance of current demographic markets and the establishment of new markets, as well as for optimal tools and resources with which to reach those markets.

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The Cardigan Commons under construction, December, 2012.

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Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan

D. PHYSICAL PLANT IMPROVEMENTS Big Idea/ Outcome

Facilities That Advance the Program

CARDIGAN 2020 GOAL

Provide functional, environmentally responsible facilities as well as the resources appropriate to the delivery and support of the program and people.

Immediate Strategic Priorities Phase I (2012–2015)

• Establish and implement guidelines or minimum standards for the construction or enhancement of the following campus features: Student Housing Faculty Housing Classrooms Campus Grounds • Renovate Hayward Hall.

• Ensure a common room space for every dormitory floor or group.

• Renovate and expand small dormitory residences.

• Provide personal storage space for faculty families.

• Enhance/renovate athletic facilities (e.g., providing locker room facilities for female faculty members/coaches).

• Provide a facility for on-snow programs.

• Involve relevant department heads in planning for campus facilities improvements.

• Ensure that all facilities are well-equipped to meet present and future educational technology needs.

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Cardigan 2020 Strategic Plan

E. FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT Big Idea/ Outcome

Responsible Stewardship of Resources

CARDIGAN 2020 GOAL

Use current and projected financial resources at a rate that can be maintained in perpetuity and that preserves intergenerational equity, considering the facts and circumstances of the current situation.

Immediate Strategic Priorities Phase I (2012–2015)

• Assess and determine appropriate revenue goals for Cardigan.

• Assess and determine appropriate spending objectives to support strategic priorities.

• Develop and establish a Cardigan philosophy and guidelines with respect to establishing tuition rates.

• Operate within our means on an annual basis; create and implement an annual budget that delivers a modest surplus at the end of the year.

• Develop a philosophy and guidelines for a Cardigan energy-use plan.

• Identify the true replacement cost of the School’s infrastructure, and develop capital expenditure plans and budgets that provide accordingly for maintenance/replacement.

• Assess the feasibility of attaining a sufficient charitable reserve by the year 2020 that would allow the School to secure Annual Fund charitable contributions one year ahead of operating budget need.

Opposite: The Strategic Planning Committee, led by Trustee Burt McGillivray P’07,’09,’09 (shown standing) at its June, 2012 retreat, which was held in the Gillette Room of Bronfman Hall on the Cardigan campus.

• Gradually reduce the endowment spend rate to 4.0% by 2015 to ensure stronger longterm intergenerational support.

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View from atop Mount Cardigan, on the annual sunrise climb.

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Defining Our Strength

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Our Distinctive Vision: The Cardigan Way

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Our Distinctive Vision: The Cardigan Student

33 Our Distinctive Vision: The Cardigan Educator 35

Our Distinctive Vision: The Cardigan Graduate

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Our Distinctive Vision: The Cardigan Way Middle school boys are at an exciting, important stage in their lives. They seek to discover who they are, who they can become, and what they are capable of achieving. With more than 65 years of experience, we at Cardigan Mountain School truly understand and appreciate boys this age. Our holistic educational approach nurtures the intellectual, emotional, physical, social, and ethical growth of each boy through positive relationships with adults and peers and through learning experiences—in and out of the classroom, everywhere on campus, every single day. These experiences propel boys toward greater selfknowledge and increased independence. We call this educational approach the Cardigan Way, and it is why—in 2020—Cardigan Mountain School will be universally recognized as providing the premier education for middle school boys.

It’s a Way of Living More broadly, the Cardigan Way speaks to our way of life here on The Point. The adults at Cardigan see every interaction as a teaching moment that can nudge a boy forward on his journey toward reaching his potential.

We’ve created a community where boys flourish with: • Room to Grow Boys feel comfortable, unself-conscious, and safe enough to take healthy risks in a single-sex environment where expectations are clearly stated, where feedback and positive reinforcement are constant, and where relationships with adults are characterized by consistency and kindness.

• A Commitment to Core Values We all live by our core values: compassion, honesty, respect, integrity, scholarship, and fairness. Through discussion, class assignments, and community-building activities, students explore the meaning of each of the Core Values. Modeled by adults in the community, the Core Values become the basis for personal decision making. Every day, the boys are expected to put the Core Values into action in every campus context. Our Heart of the Cougar awards regularly acknowledge random acts of kindness that reflect our commonly held values.

• Engagement of the Whole Boy The Cardigan Way is not just an academic curriculum. In addition to the academic program, every boy has the opportunity to participate in the arts, spiritual and ethical development, service, leadership activities, and athletics. Each boy has a chance to shine in areas of strength, to become more well-rounded, and to enjoy a variety of fulfilling experiences.

• A Structured Environment We provide the structure boys need to succeed. Daily life at Cardigan is characterized by predictable routines that keep students productively engaged from the day’s first class, through afternoon sports, at meals, and during the evening study hours. Boys know where they need to be, what they need to be doing, and, importantly, when and how to seek extra help.

• Skills for Life We purposefully develop the interpersonal and communication skills that make a student successful at Cardigan and beyond.

The firm handshake and eye contact, along with the common courtesies, confidence, and respect fostered here—at Chapel programs, during school assemblies, at mealtimes, and in meetings with adults—serve our graduates well both at Cardigan and for the rest of their lives.

• A Community That Cares We show boys that we value what is important to them. Boys thrive at Cardigan because they feel a sense of fellowship and belonging as they work and play together under the supervision of adults who understand and appreciate them.

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. . . A Vision of Excellence in the Education of Boys It’s a Way of Teaching and Learning

The Cardigan Way features a carefully crafted educational program, which is grounded in our decades of experience in teaching middle school boys and informed by the most developmentally appropriate, research-supported, best practices in teaching today. The Cardigan Way rewards effort, promotes achievement, and encourages boys to take more responsibility for their learning.

The Cardigan faculty is a professional community of educators who have chosen to work with middle school boys. Our educators: • Capitalize on student strengths. We channel boys’ energy and enthusiasm into positive engagement. Varied, active, hands-on learning activities and the use of current educational technology generate interest and excitement.

• Instill good study habits. We place special emphasis on organization, study skills, and time management. We don’t expect boys to arrive knowing how to use a planner, how to take great notes, or how to budget their time. We explicitly teach them how to do it.

• Provide positive reinforcement. Frequent feedback from teachers, coaches, dorm parents, and advisors is important to motivating boys and keeping them on track. The honor roll, the effort honor roll, our Heart of the Cougar awards, our Dorm Citizenship Awards, our Leadership Development Awards, and our Student-Athlete-of-the-Week awards are among the formal ways by which we reward hard work and perseverance, as well as achievement and good citizenship.

• Are dedicated to middle-level education. Cardigan teachers serve as role models who are committed to enhancing learning through developmentally responsive approaches. Cardigan’s “team teaching” model ensures that all the teachers of a particular grade communicate and collaborate to enhance curricular objectives and to monitor the progress of individual students.

• Collaborate with parents. Positive parental involvement can only enhance educational outcomes. At Cardigan, students’ advisors are the primary contact for parents and communicate with them regularly and as needed.

We Know Our Boys as Individual Learners Our expertise with boys in general is just the beginning. We firmly believe that excellence in the education of boys requires an approach that is based on the recognition that every person learns and grows in different ways, and at varying rates and times. Our strength is in knowing each boy well as a learner and as a human being. Many aspects of the Cardigan Way support boys’ individual growth, not the least of which is a department unique to Cardigan called PEAKS® (Personalized Education for the Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills). PEAKS focuses on guided self-development and follows a specific study skills and health curriculum for each grade level. In required PEAKS classes and in a variety of other settings, PEAKS coaches help students to become aware of how they learn best and to develop the fundamental study, organizational, and technological skills necessary to become more successful, self-sufficient learners. ****PEAKS® is a registered trademark of Cardigan Mountain School.

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Our Distinctive Vision: The Cardigan Student Profile of the Admissions Candidate Cardigan Mountain School and its distinct mission serve a student population consisting of boys in grades six through nine, for which our program is uniquely appropriate and effective. To be certain that Cardigan is the right match for a prospective student’s academic needs, applicants are evaluated carefully based on previous school records, relevant testing information, and, importantly, personal impressions gleaned during the interview process. We feel strongly about making the right school match, inviting boys to attend Cardigan whose learning needs are well suited to the strengths of our program and residential format.

Cardigan Mountain School invites students of good character who are . . .

• Engaged in Learning It matters a great deal to us that we are working with boys who want to be engaged in their own learning and growth. Our program is designed to excite each boy’s curiosity and invite his participation.

• Committed to Our Core Values A Cardigan boy is ready to commit to our core values of compassion, honesty, respect, integrity, scholarship, and fairness. While we acknowledge that mistakes are a natural part of growth, our boys seek to build a foundation of character following these core values.

• From Diverse Backgrounds Cardigan has a global mission and enrolls boys representing diverse geographic and cultural backgrounds. The School welcomes students from the United States and around the world who represent a wide range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

• Equipped with a Variety of Strengths Cardigan holds as its cornerstone a learning approach based on the recognition that every person learns and grows in different ways and at varying rates and times; the School invites students with varying levels of aptitude and achievement into the learning community. Each boy admitted to Cardigan is acknowledged as an individual with distinctive qualities whose academic, physical, and personal potential—we believe—can be realized through his experience of the Cardigan Way. • Well Rounded Boys who thrive at Cardigan are curious, creative, and possess a variety of interests and talents. Our program is best suited for boys with a willingness and desire to try new experiences both in and outside the classroom, including athletic participation.

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Our Distinctive Vision: The Cardigan Educator Profile of the Educator At Cardigan Mountain School, every member of the faculty, administration, and staff plays a role in our students’ education, and we believe that all boys can succeed. Using every opportunity both in and out of the classroom, Cardigan educators guide their students, as boys transform into young men who are prepared academically, physically, and socially—in mind, body, and spirit—for responsible and meaningful lives in a global society.

Cardigan Mountain School educators are . . .

• Dedicated and Caring Cardigan educators dedicate countless hours both within and outside of the classroom to promote student success. Cardigan educators focus on reaching classroom and schoolwide goals. Our educators are determined in their focus to reach each student, by providing relevant, engaging, and hands-on opportunities to shine. They delight in the lifelong success of their students.

• Attentive Cardigan educators interact with students every day and throughout the day, speaking a common language of core values and consistent expectations that allows all students to feel comfortable taking chances in order to grow and learn. Our educators take time to listen and acknowledge each student as an individual, seeking to develop relationships that will foster mutual understanding and respect.

• Collaborative Cardigan educators collaborate as a professional community. They understand that they must succeed as a school team, in order to address the many aspects of each boy’s growth. They rely on each other professionally and personally for support in carrying out the School’s mission, and in order to put the needs of our boys first. Our team approach to teaching ensures that multiple strengths and perspectives are brought to bear to help students meet learning goals.

• Effective Communicators Cardigan educators are skilled communicators who exhibit strong interpersonal skills and who have the ability to connect both amiably and professionally to maintain positive relationships with all community members.

• Willing to Learn Cardigan educators participate in ongoing professional development provided within the School and by outside organizations that seek the most effective and developmentally appropriate approaches to teaching at the middle level. Our educators are expected to continually reflect on their practice, seek opportunities to hone their craft and improve their effectiveness in every facet of school life in which they are involved.

33

Commencement procession, Cardigan Mountain School Class of 2011.

34

Our Vision: The Cardigan Graduate Profile of the Graduate The achievement of the Cardigan mission is evidenced by a graduate who is ready for the demands of a secondary school program and for life within a diverse community of learners. The Cardigan graduate has been supported and challenged during his time at the School—and encouraged to apply confidence and intellectual curiosity to his pursuits. He understands that his own commitment of effort is key to his success and that he possesses unique skills and strengths with which to approach a learning goal.

Our aspiration is for Cardigan Mountain School graduates to achieve academic and personal excellence as . . .

Critical and Creative Thinkers The Cardigan graduate is able to approach open-ended problems systematically and to seek creative solutions to authentic challenges. He applies the tools of scholarship to gather reliable information toward a solution or position, while recognizing that there are multiple approaches to a given challenge that will yield varying degrees of success.

Positive Collaborators The Cardigan graduate has aspired to achieve success as a member of a team. He has had opportunities to participate in a wide variety of collaborative groups and, as a team member, he has shared in both success and failure. Through this experience, he has learned that group success is best achieved through mutual respect and genuine cooperation.

Globally Aware and Accepting Citizens The Cardigan graduate demonstrates respect for all individuals in his community, embracing an appreciation for diverse perspectives and customs.

He sees himself as a global citizen and recognizes that all people deserve the opportunity to grow and develop, succeed and fail, in a safe environment free from bias and prejudice.

Effective Communicators The Cardigan graduate has been provided multiple opportunities for public speaking in order to communicate effectively in areas including school governance, theater, classroom discussion, elected and nonelected leadership roles, Chapel, competitions, and project presentations—and throughout residential and campus life. He has also experienced a variety of nonverbal communications strategies and can appropriately employ a variety of digital tools and resources in order to demonstrate and support his learning.

Ethical and Engaged Citizens Each Cardigan graduate is equipped with the School’s Core Values to lead a meaningful and productive life in a dynamic world. He has embraced the idea of service for the greater good, demonstrated compassion for others through his words and actions, and participated in service within and outside of his school community. The Cardigan graduate aspires to comport himself with honesty, to “do the right thing” in all his endeavors, and to participate actively in the life of his community.

35

World Languages Department Chair Ken Cushing works with Adam Sherwood ’13, Paul Capozzi ’13, and Matt Banks ’13, on a language exercise.

36

Supporting Documents

38

Advancement Philosophy and Approach

39

The Campaign for Cardigan 2020

41

Financial Sustainability: What It Means

42

Challenges and Opportunities of the Marketplace

• The CMS Business Model & Market Positioning

• JBSA Market Position by School Focus/Size

• JBSA Demographic Research

47

The Strategic Planning Team

37

Advancement Philosophy and Approach

The Road to Strategic Success . . .

by David J. McCusker, Jr. ’80, P’09,’10 Head of School

38

Cardigan has set forth essential and ambitious priorities through this new version of our Strategic Plan. The road to our success is paved by the focus and dedication of staff, adequate resources and time, and the best efforts of engaged stakeholders . . . students, parents, alumni, and trustees among them.

Many of our strategic goals also include the need to raise financial resources to improve facilities, and to establish and grow endowment funds for particular program priorities/objectives/goals.

Cardigan has assessed the fundraising capability of its various constituencies, with a primary focus on alumni, parents (past and current), and grandparents.

The results of an internal capacity study by Cardigan’s Development Office staff, as well as the conclusions reached by an external consulting firm, are consistent and positive. They solidly support our ability to raise needed funds, as detailed in our comprehensive Campaign for Cardigan 2020.

Cardigan has made a commitment to creating a strong development program that will marshal the financial resources for success in these areas. Consistent with Cardigan’s core values, we will invite every member of our community to participate in the goals we have set forth, and we look forward to conversations with individuals and families who choose to invest in Cardigan, our mission, and the good work that happens at our school every day for the benefit of the boys we are educating.

CMS Development Office Mission Statement The Cardigan Mountain School Development Team cultivates and fosters lifelong relationships within our global community—and seeks to secure the resources necessary for the advancement of the School’s goals.

The Campaign for Cardigan 2020: 2012–2020 Comprehensive Funding Needs Capital Needs

Breakdown

$ Goal

1. Cardigan Commons

$10.40 M

2. Hayward Hall renovation

4.00 M

3. Wakely Center renovation

2.00 M

4. Kenerson Center renovation

1.00 M

4. Dorm residences* 5. Clark-Morgan Hall

4.40 M 4.00 M TOTAL

Breakdown

Endowment Needs

$ Goal

1. Facilities Endowment

$ 7.10 M

2. Financial Aid Endowment 3. Faculty Excellence Endowment 4. General Endowment TOTAL

1.25 M 1.25 M 1.25 M $10.85 M

Breakdown

Operating Needs

$25.80 M

$ Goal

Annual Fund Support**

* Including Williams (Pearson House) conversion. **Goals for The Annual Fund for Cardigan correspond to the resources needed to meet operating expenses not funded through tuition, endowment, or auxiliary income.

$13.35 M TOTAL

$13.35 M

Campaign Total $50.00 M 39

Thaddeus Stern ’15 and William Song ’15.

40

Financial Sustainability: What It Means Financial Sustainability (FS) is a set of conditions under which the School, in support of its mission, uses its current and projected financial resources at a rate that can be maintained in perpetuity under reasonably conservative assumptions. With FS, intergenerational equity is highly assured, and all constituencies feel fairly vested as both contributing and benefiting “partners” in the maintenance of a financially sustainable school.

A.

FS should reflect the interests of all major constituencies: trustees, alumni, parents, employees, and students.

Or, viewing constituencies another way: i. ii. iii. iv.

Tuition Payors: Financial Contributors: Program Providers: Direct Beneficiaries:

Parents (Grandparents, etc.)

Parents, Trustees, Alumni, Past Parents, Foundations, etc.

Employees (teachers, staff, administrators, etc.)

Students

B.

FS needs to transcend the changing dynamics of the junior boarding school market or the behavior of our peers.

C.

FS is a primary duty of the Board of Trustees, which is responsible for defining and maintaining FS. The board must ensure that the School’s Strategic Plan promotes and preserves FS.

D.

FS relates not only to the School’s absolute use of resources, but also to a process whereby the allocation of resources is financially appropriate and efficient to meet the School’s mission.

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Challenges and Opportunities of the Marketplace

The Key to Strategic Success:

Preserving and Enhancing Cardigan’s Distinctiveness

by Burton McGillivray P’07,’09,’09 Strategic Planning Committee Chair

Our strategic planning work included a review of competitor schools, as well as the overall market for middle school boys served by Cardigan. Several important conclusions arose from that work, namely: (i) the population of boarding domestic middle school boys today is small and shrinking; it is now half of what it was 25 years ago; (ii) continued increases in the cost of private education create ongoing financial pressures for prospective domestic boarding students; and (iii) international boarding students have offset the decline in domestic students.These trends have increased the competition for domestic boarding students—a core segment of Cardigan’s student body—so we must successfully attract these students even in the face of greater competition. The strength and uniqueness of Cardigan’s program and staff have enabled us to do just that.

Our recognition of the increased competitive intensity in our marketplace has focused our attention on the need to distinguish Cardigan among middle schools focused on boys. As illustrated in the following charts, there are important distinctions to consider regarding how Cardigan compares to competitor schools.

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Through this important work, we have come to understand the need to stay committed to what we have identified as the characteristics that make Cardigan distinctive among its peer schools. We provide a one-of-a-kind education and transformative experience for our students, based on the following characteristics.

• Cardigan has made a total commitment to an allboys education.

• Cardigan has reaffirmed its commitment to middlelevel education, grades 6-9.

• Cardigan believes that our residential format best delivers our education.

• Strong and healthy relationships among all members of our community serve as the foundation of the Cardigan experience, which drives Cardigan’s commitment to an appropriately sized school.

In a market that has been shrinking and that remains under financial pressure, it is more important than ever for us to preserve and enhance the distinguishing qualities of a Cardigan education.

Junior Boarding Schools Association (JBSA) Enrollment Data: 2012–2013 Total Enroll.

BOARDING

DAY

Faculty

INTN’L

Intn’l as %

DOMESTIC

SCHOOL

Details

2012–2013

Enrollment

% Boarding

Enrollment

Children

BOARDING

of Boarding

BOARDING

Domestic Boarding

Cardigan

NH 6-9 (Boys)

215

189

87.9

16

10

79

41.8

110

51.2

Eaglebrook

MA 6-9 (Boys+)

252

194

77

53

5

92

47.4

103

40.9

Fay

MA PK-9 (Coed)

472

120

25.4

327

25

65

54.1

55

11.7

Fessenden

MA K-9 (Boys)

492

99

20.1

369

24

44

44.4

55

11.2

Hillside

MA 5-9 (Boys)

120

90

75

30

0

38

42.2

52

43.3

Indian Mtnn

CT PK-9 (Coed)

251

78

31

153

20

47

60.3

31

12.4

Rectory

CT K-9 (Coed)

253

147

57.8

90

16

88

61.4

58

23.1

Rumsey Hall

CT K-9 (Coed)

333

138

41.4

168

27

65

47.1

73

22

TOTAL

2388

1055

44.2%

1206

127

518

49.3%

537

as % of Total

22.5%

43

Fessenden

>250 Fay

Total Enrollment

Total Enrollment

JBSA Positioning Analysis

Fessenden

>250

Indian Mountain

Eaglebrook

<250

Cardigan

Fay

Indian Mountain Rectory

Rectory

<250

Hillside

6–9

Cardigan

Hillside

K–9 Grade-Level Focus

• Cardigan’s focus rests solely on middle school boys, unlike the K–9 school environments of all but two of our competitor schools (Eaglebrook and Hillside). This focus allows us to dedicate our program to the unique developmental needs of this specific population of boys, during their formative years.

44

Eaglebrook

Less than 50%

Greater than 50%

Boarding Percentage of Student Population • Cardigan operates a “predominantly boarding” model and has the lowest day-student population amongst peer schools, creating a more stable and consistent environment for boarding boys.

• Cardigan has one of the smallest total enrollments, allowing it to focus tightly on the unique developmental and individual needs of our boys.

Boarding Enrollment

JBSA Demographic Analysis

Cardigan

>150

Eaglebrook

Rectory* Fay

<150

Hillside

Indian Mountain*

Fessenden

Cardigan Mountain School affirms its commitment to: • An all-boys education.

• Middle-level education, grades 6-9.

Less than 50%

Greater than 50%

International Percentage of Boarding Population *Includes Girl Boarders

• A residential format in which to best deliver our education.

• Cardigan has as many boarding students as any of its peer schools. While our closest peer school, Eaglebrook, has approximately the same number of boarding students, it counts nearly one-fourth of its total population as day students.

• School size that allows for strong and healthy relationships among all members of our community.

45

From left: Head of School Dave McCusker ’80, P’09,’10, trustee and facilitator Burt McGillivray P’07,’09,’09, and trustee Robert Chartener ’73, during a brainstorming activity at the strategic planning retreat in June 2012.

Strategic Planning Team Executive Leadership Cardigan Mountain School Board of Trustees

Strategic Planning Work Groups 2011–2013 Program

Leaders

Members

Leslie Williamson Ryan Feeley P’15

Dan DeMars P’11 Ed Krayer ’82 Tim Newbold Michael Fitzgerald Ann Hamel Haver Markham Sarah Young

Leaders

Members

Robert Chartener ’73 Ryan Feeley P’15

Jeremy Crigler ’79 Carla Powers P’10 Rick DellaRusso ’82 Lindsay Antolino David Auerbach P’11 Alex Gray P’14,’16 Austen Hannis

Leaders

Members

Phil Harrison P’10 Joe McHugh

Barbara O’Connell P’03 Michael Garrison ’67, P’94,’96 Tim Jennings Ryan Frost Sarah Graves Allan Kreuzburg P’14 Corey Lawson

Leaders

Members

Britt Flanagan Chip Audett P’16

David Martinelli P’13 Chris Welles P’08 Rich MacDonald Jarrod Caprow Andrew Cook Rick Exton P’11 Matt Rinkin Ryan Sinclair

F. Corning (Kim) Kenly III ’68 Chair Hank Holland P’12,’15 Vice Chair

Faculty/Staff/ Admin

Diane G. Wallach P’06 Vice Chair Christopher S. Welles P’08 Vice Chair Larry W. Prescott P’88 Secretary

Facilities

Michael B. Garrison ’67, P’94,’96 Treasurer David J. McCusker, Jr.’80, P’09,’10 Ex Officio, Head of School Burton E. McGillivray P’07,’09,’09 Chair, Strategic Planning Committee

Student Body

David McCusker ’80, P’09,’10 Kim Kenly ’68 Burt McGillivray P’07,’09.’09 Joy Michelson David Perfield

David McCusker ’80, P’09,’10 Kim Kenly ’68 Burt McGillivray P’07,’09,’09 Joy Michelson David Perfield

David McCusker ’80, P’09,’10 Kim Kenly ’68 Burt McGillivray P’07,’09,’09 Joy Michelson David Perfield

David McCusker ’80, P’09,’10 Kim Kenly ’68 Burt McGillivray P’07,’09,’09 Joy Michelson David Perfield

47

Financial Sustainability Task Force 2011–2012 Burt McGillivray P’07,’09,’09, Captain Dan DeMars P’11, Summer Programming Chair

Staff Liaisons

Board Committee Members

David McCusker ’80, P’09,’10 Joe McHugh Joy Michelson

Robert Chartener ’73 Rick DellaRusso ’82 Britt Flanagan John Hays Hank Holland P’11,’15 Kim Kenly ’68 Ed Krayer ’82 Larry Prescott P’88 Diane Wallach P’06 Chris Welles P’08

Market, Position, and Enrollment Research and Analysis (MPERA) Committees 2010–2011 Meg Moulton, Chair

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Staff Liaisons

Board Committee Members

Chip Audett P’16 Brian Beale John D’Entremont ’94 Ryan Feeley P’15 Jamie Funnell P’07,’09 David McCusker ’80, P’09,’10 Marty Wennik P’15,’16

Britt Flanagan Chip Haskell ’80 Carla Powers Herron P’10 Kim Kenly ’68 Larry Prescott P’88 Leslie Williamson

the Strategic Plan for

Cardigan 2020 A Vision of Excellence in the Education of Middle School Boys

2013 Edition Approved February 2013