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Guiding Groton into the Next Decade
G
roton School’s Board of Trustees has adopted a new strategic framework to guide the school and solidify its commitment to inclusion, belonging, and student well-being. The board passed the framework unanimously on November 12, during its fall meeting, culminating a process that began in 2019 and involved input from trustees, faculty, administrators, students, and alumni. “The overarching goal of this strategic framework is for Groton to be a leader among all secondary independent schools not only in scholarship, but also in the areas of inclusion, affordability, and belonging—to consolidate and advance the progress we have made as we evolve into an even more diverse, inclusive, and close-knit community.” That opening sentence summarizes the framework, which centers on five key elements: Affordability, Well-Being and Social/ Emotional Development, Inclusive Excellence in Scholarship, an Inclusive Campus, and Community Ownership of Inclusion and Belonging. “Groton is blessed with a long history of leadership in secondary school education,” said Board of Trustees President Benjamin Pyne ’77, P’12, ’15, “and this framework will
CORRECTION: Lars Fritze ’23, Rufus Knuppel ’22, Stanley Spence ’22, Sebastian El Hadj ’22, and coxswain Nicole Lee Heberling ’22 were members of the varsity crew, first boat. They were erroneously identified as JV crew members in the fall Quarterly.
allow Groton to continue its leadership well into the future and remain truly relevant to future generations of students.” In the framework, objectives under Affordability include striving to have the most affordable tuition among forty peer (ABOPS) schools; ensuring that the commitment to tuition containment, access, affordability, inclusion, and belonging are deeply embedded in Groton’s culture and financial structure; and maintaining the financial resilience needed to keep tuition increases modest. Under Well-Being and Social Emotional Development, objectives include creating an environment with interconnected health, counseling, and well-being programs that provide a safe destination for students to seek support while fostering a culture in which students are comfortable seeking it. The Inclusive Excellence in Scholarship section of the framework reemphasizes Groton’s global education as well as its belief that a sense of belonging and scholarly excellence go hand in hand. The objectives under an Inclusive Campus concentrate on creating an environment—visually and experientially—that makes all community members feel a sense of belonging. “One underlying goal of this strategic framework is aligning, guiding, engaging, and inspiring our community around Groton’s mission, one that is unique in its equal emphasis on both what we teach and the environment in which we educate,” said Board of Trustees
Vice President Gary Hill ’83. The strategic framework’s final section, Community Ownership of Inclusion and Belonging, focuses on outreach—fostering a greater sense of belonging among all constituent groups, including alumni and past and current parents, and inspiring these constituents to become involved in sustaining the strategic framework’s goals of inclusion and belonging. “This Strategic Framework has emerged from a collaborative effort of the trustees, administration, and faculty during a very difficult time,” said former Trustee Diana Chigas ’79, who managed the strategic planning process. “It is a collective commitment to consolidate Groton’s remarkable achievements over the last seven years in becoming more diverse, inclusive, and close-knit. And it is an acknowledgement that we still need to go further.” Mr. Pyne added: “At its heart, this strategic framework is a commitment to bringing the community closer and hearing each and every voice.”
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