DE LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL CONCORD CA LES HOMMES DE FOI
PRESIDENT FOR JULY
2021
Table of Contents The School .......................................................2 The Mission......................................................2 De La Salle Christian Brothers.........................4 Living the Mission ............................................5 Boys’ Environment ...........................................6 Governance .....................................................7 Numbers ..........................................................7 The Future .......................................................8 Qualities Sought.............................................10 Search Process ..............................................11
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY--WHY LEAD DE LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL? The next President of De La Salle High School will lead a school firmly grounded in its Lasallian identity, mission and core values seeking to provide a transformative experience for young men. Given this foundation of strength, the new President will lead the school to its next level of academic achievement and financial strength through strategic vision, inclusive leadership and a lived commitment to De La Salle’s Lasallian charism, mission and core values. In essence, De La Salle features: • A school community fully committed to its Lasallian Catholic identity • A commitment to the education of young men--providing for a transformative experience • A lived mission, guided by the Five Core Principles of Lasallian Education • A commitment to excellence and providing the programs to best meet the various needs of young men • Strong governance as well as a professional and dedicated leadership team, faculty and staff who fully embrace their roles as Lasallian educators
Enter to Learn Leave to Serve
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The School De La Salle High School is a private Catholic high school for young men founded in 1965 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers of the District of San Francisco. Located 30 miles east of San Francisco and primarily serving students of Contra Costa County, the 20-acre campus is characterized by openness and beauty and can accommodate 1,050 students. Facilities include the 400-seat Br. Constantine Cormier, FSC Theater, the Joan M. Buhlman Library, a large music facility, a gymnasium, the Br. Jerome West, FSC Pool and Rick E. Koch ‘73 athletic field complex, a computer center, a multi-media design studio, the Ken Hofmann Student Center, the Steven M. ‘83 and Kellie Abreu STREAM (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering and Math) Center, a Learning Center and the Bob Ladouceur Athletic Performance Center. De La Salle belongs to one of the largest educational networks in the world--Lasallian schools educate over 1,000,000 students in more than 80 different countries. The school is accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is affiliated with the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the California Scholarship Federation, the National Honor Society and the Christian Brothers Conference.
De La Salle High School’s mission states: De La Salle High School is a Roman Catholic educational community where students are loved, instructed, and guided according to the traditions of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the charism of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Founder of the Brothers and Patron of Teachers. De La Salle High School provides a Catholic Lasallian education rooted in a liberal arts tradition which prepares young people for life and college. The school seeks to educate students spiritually, academically, physically and socially through the promotion of a vital faith life, sponsorship of strong academic programs, a wide range of student activities, and the witness of a concerned and dedicated faculty, administration and staff. De La Salle High School recognizes and promotes the dignity of each student by providing an environment that is moral, caring and joyful. Within such a setting, the school seeks to challenge its students to serve others, especially the poor, and to deepen a sense of responsibility for humanity's future.
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De La Salle High School seeks to serve and embrace students with varied academic needs and diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds, and does so in partnership with families and all those who are committed to living the Lasallian heritage. De La Salle High School puts flesh on these words, that students are loved, then instructed and guided to become moral, caring and joyful human beings. There is a student-centeredness to the school in how to best serve their young men, and students know and feel that through their lived experience. They are part of the brotherhood, something which is truly lived and which, for them, is exemplified by pride in their school and the inclusivity and support that they feel. They become men prepared to face the world as human beings. The student population reflects the diversity found in the ethnic, cultural and economic realities of the county and the school encourages this diversity in the composition of its student body. The school seeks to attract students of varying academic abilities from diverse backgrounds. Affinity groups such as Black Student Union (BSU), Hermanos Unidos, Asian/Pacific Islander Club, HORIZON (LGBTQ+ and allies) serve as support, advocacy and educational groups on campus. De La Salle promotes positive expectations in a supportive environment for students who can benefit from the Lasallian educational philosophy. In response to the Lasallian mission to serve students from families with limited financial means, De La Salle provides financial assistance to approximately one-third of the student body, 5% of whom receive substantial financial support. The school has a deeply-lived charism and a strong sense of purpose that contributes to the mission and permeates throughout the campus. Faculty and staff exhibit the genuine climate of care and sense of love that filters down to the students. Teachers are attentive and available to students and express their care in words. Being a Lasallian educator means truly cherishing students. Eighty-five talented and dedicated professionals comprise De La Salle’s administration and faculty. Five members have earned Doctoral degrees, and 48 members have earned Master’s degrees in their related fields of administration, teaching, counseling, or library services. De La Salle High School is served by the President who is hired by and is accountable to the school’s Board of Trustees which, in turn, is responsible to the Lasallian Education Corporation, the governance for the De La Salle Christian Brothers of the District of San Francisco New Orleans. The President offers a school-wide vision and an enabling structure to accomplish the mission of the school, working in collaboration with and providing direction for the school’s leadership team. The Vice Presidents for Academic Life, Athletics, Advancement, Finance and Senior Staff for the Office of the President constitute the President’s Cabinet. Supported by a strong administrative leadership team, the President works closely with them and the rest of the team in the support of Board initiatives.
De La Salle Christian Brothers De La Salle High School is sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and is one of 1,600 Lasallian educational institutions located in over 80 countries worldwide. The Christian Brothers were founded in 1682 by St. John Baptist De La Salle. Proclaimed Patron Saint of Teachers by the Catholic Church in 1950, many characteristics of modern education that we take for granted first appeared in De La Salle's schools. However, what truly made De La Salle the pioneer and educational innovator was his key tenet, that true teaching is rooted in an authentic love of students and that a truly effective teacher-student relationship must be based on practical affection and mutual respect. This core philosophy remains the foundation of De La Salle's many contributions to education and is a unifying characteristic of Lasallian schools worldwide. De La Salle inspired the teachers with the following principle: “You should therefore have a great tenderness towards them and supply their spiritual needs to the best of your ability, looking upon these children as members of Jesus Christ and as his much loved ones” (Meditation for the feast of St. Nicholas). Lasallian spirituality is rooted in De La Salle’s “double contemplation” of our aspiration to be with God for eternity and the challenge faced by the poor and marginalized to achieve that end. Thus, Lasallian spirituality is rooted in the school as an instrument of Divine Grace, focused on the relationship between the teacher and the student and inspired by the salvific potential of a human and Christian education. In harmony with Lasallian Spirituality, three essential characteristics form the core of the Lasallian School: • Teaching viewed as a ministry of grace; • Association, that is, the achievement of the school’s goals through the collaborative efforts of teachers sharing the same vision and values of the gospel; and • The effective management of the schools so as to achieve the intellectual, cultural, religious, and vocational formation of the students through a curriculum suited to their needs and based on Christian values. Click here for further information about the Christian Brothers and the Lasallian District of San Francisco New Orleans.
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Living the Mission De La Salle’s program and community are informed by and aligned with the five core principles of Lasallian education. There is a community-wide feeling of excellence and the school is grounded in relationships, from the student to the faculty and staff, to the families and the Trustees. There is a strong commitment to educating the whole person. A student’s education at De La Salle is exceptional because of the remarkably talented and devoted faculty who have a genuine love and respect for their students. There are strong, close-knit relationships between students and their teachers. De La Salle “creates a community that is always supportive of each other, pushes each other, challenges each other, trying to get the best out of every individual.” Teachers have high expectations of themselves and for their students and serve as mentors and advocates. Faculty members are a combination of seasoned De La Salle educators as well as those who are newer members of the school community. Some are alums and have children who attend or have attended De La Salle. The faculty often puts in many extra hours of time in their work for the school. Faculty, staff and administration feel that De La Salle High School is a community of faith and that it embraces its Lasallian legacy. Strong academics, athletics, the arts, campus ministry and service are at the core of the quality college preparatory education at De La Salle. The curriculum presents students with a variety of offerings at all levels of skills and ability, a variety of subjects in departments and between departments and a continual expansion of options and courses. Required courses stress content, skills mastery and learning strategies in core academic disciplines. Elective courses enrich students’ special interests, needs and abilities. (Academics). Faculty are encouraged to innovate and are supported through innovation grants which reinforce their commitment to excellence. Athletics includes 15 distinct sports at varsity, junior varsity and frosh levels (Athletics). Visual and performing arts include the Fabrication Room, a collaborative space for those interested in fabrication, woodworking, metal working and electronics. This department also gives opportunities for the young men to work with students from Carondelet High School, the all-girls’ high school which is close by (Arts). All students are encouraged and take part in the variety of activities at the school.
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Boys’ Environment As an all-boys’ school, De La Salle High School is intentional about instructing and informing the young men who will be navigating today’s world, educating them to manage emotions and what it means to be a male in today’s society. To that end, the school has instituted a curriculum of respectful masculinity. Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) is a program for students to begin discussions around the issues of gender-based harassment and violence. It is peer-led, with older students selected and trained in the model to walk through various scenarios and to facilitate discussion with younger students. The focus is on issues of recognizing and interrupting patterns of harassment/violence directed towards people of color, LGBTQ+ allies, women/girls and other men/ boys. This program is grounded in the bystander approach, that bystanders can be a factor in changing culture. In addition, Student Coalition for Respectful Education (SCORE), in freshman Religion classes, focuses on peer-led conversations around race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and socio-economic differences that exist among the student body; raising awareness and talking about the concept of privilege, discrimination, and behaviors/actions that are contrary to our principle of Respect for All Persons.
Bishop John S. Cummins Scholarship Program In addition to the general financial aid program, De La Salle has established a “comprehensive program to ensure that students from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds have the opportunity to experience educational excellence. This program is known as The Bishop John S. Cummins Scholarship Program, named in honor of Bishop John S. Cummins, former Bishop of the Oakland Diocese, who has always actively promoted and enthusiastically supported Catholic education, especially for the poor and marginalized. Through his 26 years of service, he worked tirelessly to establish programs for the poor and at-risk students. As an affiliated member of the Christian Brothers, Bishop Cummins shares fully in the mission and traditions of a Lasallian education.” The Bishop John S. Cummins Scholarship Program “provides significant tuition assistance, additional financial support for many incidentals, and a challenging and supportive learning environment. Bishop John S. Cummins scholars are offered the opportunity to succeed and taught the skills and habits that make academic success possible.” Money is specifically raised to fund the Bishop John S. Cummins Program.
Service Service learning is an integral part of the student experience and De La Salle offers a variety of service-oriented activities that enrich the students’ educational experience while meeting real needs in the community. Service learning projects are designed to develop students’ sense of social and personal responsibility, increase their understanding of the conditions that warrant service, and challenge them to recognize their potential as agents of social change. (Service Learning)
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Governance The 13-member Board of Trustees is composed of alumni, alumni parents, Christian Brothers and members of the greater community. They demonstrate a tremendous loyalty and dedication to the mission of De La Salle High School and its continued strategic growth and development. The Board of Trustees governs on behalf of the school's sponsor, De La Salle Christian Brothers. “The Boards of Trustees that operate within the structure of the Lasallian Education Corporation (LEC) utilize Policy Governance as Board operational procedure. It involves a mission-centered, integrated and complete yet concise framework for governance, which involves providing accountability for the Lasallian Educational Mission.” The Board's purpose is to preserve and advance the mission of the school by developing Board directives through which the President works to meet determined goals. The Board is strategic in its work and uses a system of checks and balances to ensure accountability.
Finance and Development The school is financially stable and has an overall annual budget of approximately $21 million. Tuition, which comprises the majority of the school’s revenue, is set at $20,250 for the 2020-21 academic year. Financial aid and scholarships totaled approximately $4 million for the 2020-21 school year. De La Salle recently completed a $50 million campaign for both capital improvements and endowment. The Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees monitors the finances and supports the school’s efforts to maintain excellence while controlling costs. Total annual fundraising exceeds $1.7 million.
De La Salle High School by the numbers Grades 9-12 Enrollment 2020-21: Total 1041 Grade 9: 271 Grade 10: 263 Grade 11: 248 Grade 12: 259 Percentage of students who are Catholic: 74.4% Percentage of diversity students: approximately 49.4% Administration: 6 Full-time Faculty: 74 Part-time Faculty: 5 Full-time Staff: 39 Part-time Staff: 4 Tuition for 2020-21: $20,250 Percentage of students receiving financial aid: 36%
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The Future The President, as steward of De La Salle, must ensure that the school continues to provide outstanding curricular and cocurricular programs as well as continue the commitment to spirituality, community and service so that it can successfully shape leaders for the local and global communities. To promote the school’s characteristics, the President must actively connect with students, faculty, staff, families, alumni as well as the broader community. De La Salle operates from a place of strength and is well positioned to continue to build upon a strong foundation given the commitment of the Board, faculty, staff and administration. It is critical that the new President work in collaboration with the Board and the school’s leadership team to ensure that De La Salle will continue to provide an outstanding program grounded in its Lasallian identity and the school’s mission and philosophy. The Board of Trustees, the Brothers and the De La Salle community have great optimism for the future of the school. The incoming President, in collaboration with the Board of Trustees, will utilize De La Salle’s strengths to look to the future while honoring its mission and transformative impact on students’ lives. The key areas of focus for the new President will be:
Lasallian Catholic Identity: The commitment of the school community to its Lasallian Catholic identity is vital to its future. The President will be entrusted to maintaining the Lasallian Catholic identity, mission, charism and legacy of the Christian Brothers who are still living. This is particularly critical as there are no longer Brothers present on campus. The new President must ensure that these foundational elements shape all that is done at De La Salle High School.
Institutional Advancement: The President will articulate De La Salle’s vision of faith and academic excellence within the context of a Lasallian Catholic community dedicated to scholarship, faith and service. As a Christian Brothers school, De La Salle is committed to not only keeping the school affordable but also to ensuring that it has the resources to provide a quality education to all. As the Brothers’ Rule states, the Mission of the Institute is “to provide a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, according to the ministry entrusted to them by the church.” De La Salle High School has been successful in its fundraising efforts, having recently completed a capital campaign. Nevertheless, given its commitment to ensuring that a De La
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Salle education is affordable and accessible to all those who desire it, the President will continue to provide leadership to ensure that De La Salle has the resources to meet this commitment and to continue to cultivate a sense of community among all stakeholders by building on donor relations to ensure a strong donor community. While De La Salle enjoys a solid reputation and enrollment, it must continue to actively market the school appropriately, especially in today’s world, so that all understand the distinctive value of De La Salle High School, its Lasallian Catholic identity, the outstanding academic and co-curricular programs and the wonderful community, all of which are the hallmarks of the school. Overall, the new President will continue to ensure that De La Salle has a comprehensive advancement program so that the school can fulfill its vision and mission to be successful, both on an annual as well as long term basis, and maintain its strong position in the community.
Faculty: De La Salle has a committed, dedicated, professional faculty. A key strategic issue for the next President and the Board is to make sure that De La Salle continues to retain and attract quality faculty —those who are not only outstanding in their teaching but who also fully embrace, model and live out the mission and core values of the Lasallian charism so that the distinctive characteristics of the school’s culture are maintained. To that end, the President and the Board will focus on providing the necessary resources to allow the school to retain and attract an outstanding faculty.
Students: Teenagers of today face a variety of challenges and much is expected of the young men. Overall, De La Salle High School has done an excellent job seeking to create an environment that promotes healthy masculinity and handle issues pertaining to diversity and student well-being. Nevertheless, given the climate in which schools must operate, the President, in collaboration with administration and faculty, must continue to meet the needs of the young men, provide the necessary resources to create a healthy environment - one that models its Lasallian ethos, fosters respect of self and others and helps the young men to embrace their social and personal responsibilities.
Future of Education: Recognizing that education is at a critical juncture, the President will work closely with the academic administration and faculty to ensure that the program De La Salle is providing continues to be relevant, innovative, competitive and rigorous, yet remains true to the school’s core values. In other words, the next President will need to collaboratively advance an exceptional educational program so that it provides students with “what the world needs,” is relevant for the future and truly integrates best practices, especially for educating young men. This will require having creative and advanced approaches to the needs of the changing educational environment and how to balance faith, academics and community.
Carondelet High School: De La Salle has a unique partnership with Carondelet High School, an all-girls’ Catholic high school sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. While each school is separately governed and has its own administration, the two schools are connected in many ways. They are seen as brother/ sister schools, often with members of the same family attending each school respectively. In addition, the schedules are aligned so there are shared upper division classes (effectively making them coeducational) as well as some shared co-curriculars (theatre, robotics, affinity groups, etc.). This relationship is important for both schools and it is incumbent upon the new President to work with the administration of Carondelet to continue to cultivate the connection to ensure a strong bridge between the two schools. 9
Qualities Sought The Board of Trustees and the De La Salle community are interested in all candidates who are student-centered and can embrace, articulate and promote the school’s vision of educating young men and who will inspire a commitment to excellence throughout the entire school community. The school seeks a visionary, innovative, strategic and faith-filled leader who will honor what De La Salle High School is while helping guide the school to new levels of excellence. In addition to being a relationship-builder and skillful manager, successful candidates will have the background, skills and qualities that include most or all of the following: • Be a practicing Catholic with an understanding of the Lasallian charism and the Core Principles (Faith in the Presence of God; Respect for All Persons; Inclusive Community; Concern for the Poor and Social Justice; and Quality Education) and/or a desire for further formation to develop an understanding and appreciation of the Lasallian charism and how it informs the life of De La Salle High School. • Have a knowledge of Catholic teaching as well as a current understanding of directions and issues in the Catholic Church, including pastoral, social and moral dimensions of church life and the role of Catholic education within the Church. • Be able to establish a clear, well-articulated vision for De La Salle and have the demonstrated ability to be forward-thinking and innovative while valuing De La Salle’s foundational values and history. • Able to model the culture of De La Salle by being present, known and connected to the “heartbeat of the school.” • Have a knowledge and understanding of an effective external affairs program, which includes fundraising and broader community involvement. The successful candidate must be comfortable asking for financial support and must have a commitment to developing a culture of philanthropy. • Be an inspirational creative individual who is able to build trust and communicate effectively, with a commitment to transparency that genuinely invites and respects the perspectives and views of others and is decisive when required. • Be humble, quick to comprehend and able to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity, especially in today’s environment, and manage change effectively. • Have an entrepreneurial spirit and demonstrated experience in an educational setting.
Search Process De La Salle High School has engaged the national executive search firm, Educational Directions, to assist with the search. Candidates should submit all information as soon as possible, but not before first speaking with one of the search consultants: Mathew Heersche, Ed.D.
mheersche@edu-directions.com
Risa Oganesoff Heersche
rheersche@edu-directions.com
Electronic submission of materials is required. Please send materials in a consolidated pdf format. Reference letters should be submitted separately. Candidates should submit the following documents. • Cover letter explaining their interest and qualifications for the President position at De La Salle High School • Brief personal statement that includes the candidate’s plans and vision on leading De La Salle High School • Current resume • Names, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers of five to seven references • One or two written letters of reference
All inquiries will be presumed confidential.
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