HARRISBURG ACADEMY 2024 STRATEGIC PLAN
FORGING OUR FUTURE -
MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
From the Head of School & President of the Board
Dear Harrisburg Academy community,
We are excited to share with you Forging our Future - Moving Forward Together, our strategic plan that acts as a touchstone over the next several years, providing direction for the Board of Trustees, administration, and faculty and staff. Crafting a strategic plan allows a school community to reflect on the past, present, and future in a powerful comprehensive way. During the 2022-23 school year, members of our community including students, parents/guardians, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators, and trustees analyzed the school’s current situation, collected data, and assessed many of the opportunities and challenges confronting Harrisburg Academy. Capturing much of this thought and deliberation, our sincere hope is that this strategic plan will strengthen our community as we come together toward one common vision. These goals are as follows:
Embracing Community and Belonging
Advancing, Innovating, and Enhancing Teaching and Learning
Investing in our Faculty and Staff
Creating a Culture of Philanthropy
For our students to succeed in their future endeavors, we must continue to challenge them. We must expand our curriculum while retaining world-class educators. We must also enhance our facility, allowing for greater capacity for increasing student agency, innovation, and leadership. We must also nurture every Spartan, ensuring they are seen, known, and celebrated for who they are and who they will become. In addition, we must be adaptable and flexible to meet ongoing needs and challenges.
For our students to succeed in their future endeavors, we must continue to challenge them.
This plan serves as our steadfast commitment to prepare this generation to contribute to the world around them in indelible ways. As members of our leadership team continue crafting a sound implementation plan based upon the principles and goals outlined here, we invite you to share in our vision for a bold future for our beloved school. We are grateful to all members of our community who participated in interviews, surveys, and design sessions. The Board of Trustees and the leadership team look forward to working together and monitoring progress as we implement the Academy’s future. We are grateful for your continued support and belief in our mission.
In partnership,
Adrian Allan, Head of School Mark Foster, President
FORGING OUR FUTUREMOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
The future is here and we are ready to meet it.
As the 17th oldest independent school in the nation, Harrisburg Academy’s educational philosophy has always centered on developing character through academic, arts and athletic excellence. To meet the needs of today’s fast-moving world, our students proudly stand on this strong foundation to build new skills to explore bold horizonswithin the Academy, in our local community, and on the world stage.
We envision a future Harrisburg Academy, driven by our highly acclaimed International Baccalaureate Continuum Programme. Harrisburg Academy embraces a student-driven, inquiry-based experiential learning, and a holistic approach to human development, all within a diverse and inclusive community where everyone feels they belong. We imagine innovative education initiatives where students can partner with local and global organizations in service to others. We dream of creating a space for this vibrant learning and connection that will empower and inspire the students and the community.
Our Strategic Plan, entitled Forging our Future — Moving Forward
Together, presents four pillars to usher us into this new era for our treasured school. These pillars—Embracing Community and Belonging; Advancing and Innovating Teaching and Learning; Investing in our Faculty and Staff; and Creating a Culture of Philanthropy—have been identified by Harrisburg Academy’s Strategic Planning Committee through countless hours of listening to the community and exploring what the future of education requires. This group, composed of educational leaders, faculty, staff, trustees, parents/guardians, and alumni, was advised by Shu Shu Costa of Leadership+Design, a firm that partners with independent school leaders as they design the future of learning for their unique communities.
FORGING OUR FUTUREMOVING FORWARD TOGETHER
With our new vision, we believe Harrisburg Academy will forge a future as a bold, exciting, forward-thinking community of passionate, globally minded, and curious lifelong learners, ready to meet and create a world of opportunity and belonging for all.
EMBRACING COMMUNITY AND BELONGING
VISION
EMBRACING COMMUNITY AND BELONGING Goals
Partner with experts in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging field to increase our knowledge, perspectives, and skills, while assessing the needs of our programming and school culture in age-appropriate ways.
Provide regular training and continuing education for faculty, staff, and administrators on initiatives related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging and student mental health.
Goals
Reestablish and build upon Blue and Gold traditions, instilling a sense of pride and community in all facets of student life, across all grade levels and divisions.
Reach outside our walls to make connections in the local and global community for students to serve and make an impact.
ADVANCING, INNOVATING, AND ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING
VISION
ADVANCING, INNOVATING, AND ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING Goals
Build a unique curriculum and a schedule that emphasizes and bolsters the IB’s focus on experiential learning, “learning by doing,” at every age and division.
Provide additional professional development for faculty and staff in current technologies and educational skills.
Engage in new ways with existing community partners and foster new relationships in the Harrisburg community, and in the wider IB school community, to create exciting experiential learning experiences and to showcase the innovative teaching happening at the Academy.
ADVANCING, INNOVATING, AND ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING Goals
Invest in infrastructure to create inspiring spaces with the technology and resources for experiential learning and bold opportunities for collaboration with outside partners and studentdirected, real-world projects. These future-forward spaces will attract new students, families, and faculty to our community, as well as possible new financial partners.
INVESTING IN OUR FACULTY AND STAFF
VISION
INVESTING IN OUR FACULTY & STAFF Goals
Prioritize faculty and staff care, compensation, and benefits packages, gathering the best innovative ideas of the faculty, staff, and administration.
Assess faculty and staff needs around new programs and new schedules, including more time for in-house mentoring and training.
Explore creative ways to attract and retain a high quality and diverse faculty, including building connections with education departments at local universities and other IB schools.
CREATING A CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY
VISION
CREATING A CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY Goals
Tell our story in ways that highlight our future-forward, student-driven, real-world curriculum, our diversity and global learning, and our connection and commitment to the Harrisburg community.
Emphasize how philanthropy supports the innovative education at the Academy, makes it more accessible to a diverse population, and gives back to the community at large. Cultivate outside experts to help us tell our story and advise us on our philanthropic goals.
CREATING A CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY Goals
Better connect with and inspire alumni to be part of our future, asking for their talent and their treasure to support current and future students and the bold vision of the Harrisburg Academy.
Seek partnerships with friends and families, corporations, government agencies, and other organizations and donors who wish to support innovation and growth in our area.
WHAT’S NEXT?
To ensure the success of Forging our Future - Moving Forward Together, committees have been formed to create multi-year implementation plans for each of our strategic plan pillars. Comprised of trustees, administrators and faculty members, these committees have created SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goals for each pillar outlined in the strategic plan.
To ensure transparency and progress, the committees will provide regular status updates to the Board of Trustees on their progress, and gather feedback in order to refine and enhance any strategies moving forward. Updates will also be shared with the entire Harrisburg Academy community, as engaging our broader community is essential to the success of our strategic plan. We look forward to partnering with members of our community as we bring our shared vision to life.
By taking these steps, we aim to create a dynamic and responsive strategic plan that not only addresses the immediate needs of our school, but also sets a strong foundation for future growth and success. Our future demands dedication, collaboration, and creativity, and there is no time like the present.
Thank you for your continued belief in our mission and our bold vision. As we endeavor to strengthening Harrisburg Academy’s position, we look forward to Forging Our Future – Moving Forward Together.
