Realizing the Promise Within – The Five-Year Strategic Plan for The Future of Friends Academy

Realizing the Promise Within

T H E F IV E -Y E A R S T R AT E G I C PL A N F O R THE FUTURE OF FRIENDS ACADEMY

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Friends Academy has always been about promise.

In 1876, Gideon Frost founded Friends Academy on the essential Quaker belief in promise:  the singular, intrinsic, and remarkable promise within each person  education’s life-defining promise, fostering students’ growth into their best and highest selves  the promise of working together to leave the world better than we found it

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October 2018 Dear Friends, In eight short years, Friends Academy will celebrate its sesquicentennial anniversary. While that’s an impressive milestone for any institution, for Friends it’s also a reminder of the abiding relevance and enduring power of our school’s founding purpose: To believe in, cultivate, and help realize the promise already within each of our students so that they graduate fully prepared for whatever is next—ready and eager to form “lives that speak” with meaning, courage, kindness, contribution, and consequence.

For almost 150 years, Friends Academy has prepared our students to make deep connections, to tread solidly into the uncomfortable and unknowable, and to recognize that achievement is hollow without humanity. While we remain true to our roots, we also recognize that much has changed in the past 150 years—and that change is accelerating at a dizzying pace. At Friends, we believe we remain truest to our roots when we continually challenge ourselves to grow, to seek new truth, to provide the most relevant and inspiring education possible, to refine our practice, and to seek out even better ways to draw forth the full promise of our mission and our students.

This is why we launched an inclusive, intensive, community-wide strategic planning process last year to help us chart the course for the future of Friends Academy. By looking back through our history and ahead to an increasingly uncertain future, within our school community and to the forces shifting the landscape around us, we’ve made an honest, considered assessment of our strengths, challenges, and opportunities. Now, after many months of reflection, discussion, creative thinking, and hard decisions, this document represents the culmination of that important work…and the beginning of the exciting work ahead.

Designed to provide school leadership with a framework to focus and guide decision making, this plan clearly outlines our institutional aspirations, lays out our bold vision for our future, and provides a blueprint for realizing our vision.

With deep appreciation for your role in bringing this plan to life, and great anticipation for this next chapter in Friends Academy’s proud history,

Andrea Kelly Head of School

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Debra Del Vecchio President, Board of Trustees

OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE

Friends Academy will authentically be—and be recognized as—the modern embodiment of the centuries-long, timelessly strong Quaker learning ethos.

We can promise an intentionally designed, fully realized, and carefully stewarded educational program that is  clear: aligned age three through grade 12 around shared Quaker principles and excellence in teaching and learning  challenging: encouraging and expecting each student to reason with discipline, draw conclusions with discernment, and demonstrate their understanding with confidence  compelling: ensuring that we provide a transformative and uniquely valuable Friends Academy experience that is well-understood and deeply valued by all school audiences

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An essential query lay at the heart of our strategic planning process:

“How can we cultivate each student’s full promise?”

This plan represents Friends Academy’s answer.

by building our program upon Quaker educational principles.

Two separate but closely related Quaker principles will guide the implementation of this plan.

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by immersing students in real-world learning.

We will realize the full promise of our school...

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by prioritizing well-being and balance. page 14

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by aligning every school experience around shared priorities. page 12

by cultivating institutional sustainability and vitality. page 16

Integrity: the belief that every decision we make should align with our stated priorities. We promise to stay true to who we are, weaving every aspect of our school—from curriculum to hiring to fundraising to scheduling to communications to classroom design—into one integrated, self-reinforcing whole.

Simplicity: the belief that every decision we make should focus on achieving our stated priorities. We promise to pursue our goals with single-minded determination, resisting the pursuit of any initiatives which don’t directly support our vision.

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STRATEGIC PRIORITY ONE

Academic Identity We realize promise by delivering a truly distinctive, life-defining education.

Quakers have always believed that an exceptional education must take a timely, modern approach to teaching timeless, essential skills. As the world shrinks and its complexities multiply, we recognize that a Friends Academy education is more relevant, meaningful, and necessary than ever.

Lighting the Way 

We will use Quaker educational principles as the lens through which we design, articulate, and embody Friends Academy’s deeply connected, strongly aligned, and student-centered academic program.

 Our Most-Valuable Resource

We will prioritize retaining, developing, and attracting new members to our outstanding, diverse team of educators and school leaders who know, support, challenge, and believe in every child.

 Speaking Our Truth

We will revise our mission statement to reflect our distinct identity and develop creative ways to communicate the true essence of a Friends Academy education.

 Time Matters

We will create a bold, cross-divisional schedule that integrates authentic learning experiences, independent pursuits, and community connections.

 Many Voices, One School

We will deeply embed equity and inclusion into our entire program, and foster a culture where individuals from all beliefs and backgrounds feel a genuine sense of belonging.

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STRATEGIC PRIORITY TWO

Real-World Learning We realize promise by bridging learning and life.

For students to be prepared for the “real world” of college, career, and life, they need early, abundant, and meaningful opportunities to apply classroom learning in authentic, real-world contexts.

 Engineering Innovation

We will create and staff a science and engineering-focused Innovation Center to serve as a hub of learning and programming from K through 12 and across campus.

 The Power of Partnership

We will provide our students with opportunities to engage in real-world problem solving by piloting, testing, and establishing long-term partnerships with outside organizations.

 Transcending Borders

We will provide ample time and opportunity for our students to engage directly with global realities through international partnerships, curricular connections, and world travel.

 Sparking Interest

We will invite professionals and experts from both inside and outside our school community to provide enriching perspectives, engaging learning demonstrations, and adult mentorship.

 With Great Distinction

We will develop signature cross-divisional educational experiences by providing faculty with the resources, training, and freedom to develop and test innovative pilot programs.

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STRATEGIC PRIORITY THREE

Intentional Connections We realize promise by connecting and aligning every aspect of our multidimensional school experience.

Schools are most effective at developing deep learning and transformative outcomes when every student experience springs from a single mission, builds toward a shared, clearly defined set of skills, knowledge, and beliefs, and blends seamlessly between classroom and class trip, study hall and stage, meeting house and fieldhouse.

 A2 Arts & Athletics

We will invest in, promote, and ensure the continuing excellence of our robust arts and athletics programs, including the creation of a formal marketing plan and an Athletics Master Plan.

 Common Threads

We will emphasize mission alignment and authentic connections between students’ core academic and co-curricular experiences in order to develop their vital, transferable skills most essential for ongoing success in college, career, and life.

 Igniting Passions

We will re-align co-curricular programming with student interests, community needs, and school priorities.

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STRATEGIC PRIORITY FOUR

Well-Being and Balance We realize promise by creating the ideal conditions for lasting student success.

Even the strongest mission, the most stellar teachers, and the highest-quality curriculum can’t realize transformative impact if students are distracted, disconnected, or stressed. But the inverse is also true. Sophisticated learning, mental acuity, deep engagement, and strong relationships flourish when we place equal emphasis on the content we teach and the context in which it’s taught, when we deeply value the acquisition of self-knowledge and world knowledge, and when spiritual grounding matters as much as college and career preparation.

 “Soft Skills” Are Hard

We will design a PreK-12 approach that emphasizes the importance of student health and integrates social-emotional skill development into all areas of school life.

 Service Learning/Learning Service

We will extend our service learning program to strengthen students’ opportunities for complex problem solving, leadership skill development, and meaningful connection with the outside world.

 Time for Space

We will create a holistic new schedule that is balanced, purposeful, and optimized for learning.

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STRATEGIC PRIORITY FIVE

Institutional Vitality We realize promise by matching our resources to our vision.

While our human resources will always matter most to Friends, our commitment to excellence and our ambitious vision for the future require that we invest in, develop, and steward our capital assets and school reputation with wisdom and strategic foresight.

 Data-Driven Decisions

We will respond to our recent studies of changing market and demographic conditions by strategically adapting enrollment targets, tuition, and Early Years programming accordingly.

 Masterful Planning

We will develop a new Campus Master Plan to ensure our physical spaces best serve our programmatic vision.

 Our Clear & Compelling Story

We will align our brand expression with the lived Friends Academy experience, building broad awareness and appreciation of our uniquely valuable approach to education.

 A Diversified Approach

We will explore potential partnerships, identify grant opportunities, grow our endowment, and launch a capital campaign in order to ensure adequate funding for our strategic priorities.

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THE ENTIRE FRIENDS AC A DEM Y COMMUNIT Y CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PL A N

EST.

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OUR PLAN WAS INSPIRED BY:

YEAR Quaker tradition

1876

st

CENTURY best practices in teaching and learning, environmental trends, developmental and brain research, and models of programmatic excellence

OUR PROCESS INCLUDED:

FA’s history

INVITING

100% 12

33

months of discovery and planning

parents

faculty & staff

in-depth interviews

students parents faculty staff alumni

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community forums

to participate in the strategic visioning process

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focus groups

one strategic visioning conference

The day will never dawn when the Board of Trustees will look at the school and say, “This is perfection.” In education there is no standing still; there is going ahead or there is going back. There is no complacent middle ground.

We owe it to our current and future students to “go ahead” together—to design, deliver, and ensure the best possible educational experience, one that reflects their time and place, and fosters the full realization of each person’s amazing promise within.

Together, we’ve articulated the unique characteristics of our school’s present and created the blueprint that will keep us moving toward our desired future. And together, we can ensure Friends Academy continues to embody the best of who we are even as we grow into the best of who we can become.

This plan belongs to all of us. Thank you for your participation and support in bringing it to life.

students

alumni

1406

survey respondents 18

of our community

As Former Friends Academy Trustee Thomas Lapham wrote in a 1960 report:

WHICH LED TO:

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strategic blueprint for the future of FA 19

Please join us in thanking these community members who worked tirelessly over the last year to bring this plan to fruition. Their collective wisdom and perspective brought thousands of data points to full-color clarity.

Strategic Core Planning Group · · · · · · · · · · ·

Andrea Kelly (Head of School) Mark Schoeffel (Upper School Principal, P’17, P’20, P’22) Jen Newitt (Assistant Upper School Principal, P’13, P’15) John Scardina (Quaker-in-Residence) Andrea Miller (Director of Communications and Marketing, P’22, P’27) Kathy Dineen (Assistant to the Head of School, P’13, P’16, P’18, P’22) Debra Del Vecchio (Board President, P’18, P’20) Robin Wachtler ‘83 (Board Vice President, P’09, P’12, P’16) Frank Ingrassia (Board Treasurer, P’01, P’03, P’12, P’14, P’16, P’19, P’21) Andy Menzin ‘81 (Board Secretary, P’13, P’16) Andy Mozenter (Consultant)

Strategic Steering Committee (Includes members of the Strategic Core Planning Group) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

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Mary Jo Allegra (Lower School teacher) Chichi Anyoku ‘10 Alex Burt (Upper School teacher) Susan Carden (Parent, P’20, P’23) Steve Collier (Parent, P’07, P’09, P’12, P’16, P’18) Isobel Coleman (Parent, P’15, P’19, P’21) Wilhelm Daal (Parent, P’19, P’21, P’22) Jeff Daniels ’90 (Trustee, P’16, P’20, P’23) Jack Davis ‘20 Nikita Desai (Lower School teacher, P’29) Ed Dugger (Director of College Counseling) Pia Fleischmann (Arts Associate) Teresa Gianotti ‘09 Kyla Graham ‘20 Glenn Lostritto ‘84 (Parent, P’13, P’15, P’20) Sharothy Mahmud ‘18 Jed Morey ‘90 (Parent, P’21, P’24) Erin Nolan (Middle School teacher, P’32) Edgar Posada (Upper School teacher, P’21, P’26) Michael Quinland (School Psychologist, P’14, P’18) Amir Solhjou (Parent, P’23, P’26) Cal Stellato ‘19 Ling Wang (Parent, P’19, P’20, P’23, P’27) Jennifer Woods ‘99 (Parent, P’28)

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FRIE NDS ACADEMY 270 Duck Pond Road Locust Valley, NY 11560 fa.org/StrategicPlan