STRATEGIC PLAN 2023-2028
LIGHT theWAY
Our Mission
The Academy of the Holy Names is a Catholic, independent school founded and guided by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. In a faith community of exceptional love, the Academy empowers students to be authentic individuals who, in pursuing their highest academic potential, engage in critical thinking, are inspired by creativity, and lead culturally aware, spiritually rich lives.
Our SNJM Core Values
Full Development of the Human Person
Cultivating and respecting the talents, abilities, and potential of each person, contributing to the development of all aspects of a person’s life
Education in the Faith
Creating an atmosphere which invites people to live, develop, and express their faith
Hospitality
Being a gracious, accepting, and welcoming presence for each person
Dedication to Women and Children
Seeing, understanding, and responding to the needs of women and children
Dedication to Justice
Committing time, energy, and resources to the pursuit of right relationships of equality, justice, and solidarity
Service to People Who are Poor or Marginalized
Reaching out and responding to people who are impoverished, abandoned, or living at the fringes of society
Commitment to Liberating Action
Seeking with others the freedom needed to live life fully without oppression
Love for the Names of Jesus and Mary
Embracing as guide, inspiration, and strength the persons and names of Jesus and Mary
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KEVIN P. WHITNEY PRESIDENT
Letter from the President
Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends of the Academy,
I am honored to present Light the Way 2023-2028, the next Strategic Plan for the Academy of the Holy Names. Our vision for the near and long-term future has been prayerfully and thoughtfully contemplated. The result is a five-year plan that preserves and builds on our legacy of excellence in education and our distinctive SNJM Catholic mission, while also presenting a comprehensive and bold vision for a future filled with great opportunity and promise.
This 12-month endeavor was led by board chair Mrs. Daphne McConnie, trustee Mrs. Paola Schifino, and me, along with the Strategic Planning Steering Committee comprised of SNJM sisters, trustees, administrators, parents, and alumni. Through much research and dialogue—and the leadership, wisdom, and creativity of so many within our AHN community— we have moved significantly forward in identifying the goals and objectives included in the plan that will best meet the needs of our students and school community today and in the future.
The name of the plan, Light the Way, is much more than a title; it is symbolic of the major themes woven throughout the plan. Blessed Marie Rose, a woman whose heart was on fire with God’s love, inspires us all to walk in the light of our Catholic faith, which anchors many of the goals and objectives listed herein. As a faith community, we are called to be a light for others, where the themes of service, partnership, growth, and the development and support for our students and teachers also prevail. Simply, the plan invites a joyful hope for the future as our community unites in solidarity of purpose and direction, lighting the way as we confidently explore opportunities to enhance the student experience and place our mission at the forefront of all we do.
The Academy of the Holy Names continues to be blessed by so many who give generously of themselves for the betterment of our community. It is my sincere hope that as you read Light the Way, you will identify areas where you might partner with us to help achieve each objective. Some initiatives are big, and some are small, but all will impact the education, formation, and experience of our students.
As our faculty, staff, and administration work over the next five years to implement this plan, let us continue to pray for one another and all those within our AHN community whose efforts enable the Academy’s light to shine brighter than ever, for today’s students and the many generations to follow.
With gratitude,
Kevin P. Whitney President
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THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
The highly inclusive and collaborative process that included all Academy constituent groups helped determine our direction to ensure that high quality and faith-filled education, for which the Academy is known, is maintained for generations to come. In addition to analyzing facts and figures, dialogue was key to providing the steering committee with knowledge, insight, and understanding — a fundamental ingredient to sustainability, growth, and change. The result is a bold plan that defines strategic goals and objectives for seven pillars that will inform the next chapter in the Academy’s history.
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Months and hundreds of hours invested into the planning process
2,500+
Comments, suggestions, and open-ended feedback from multiple in-depth surveys
Interviews and roundtable discussions with parents, students, alumni, faculty, administrators, and clergy
100+ 36 42
1,450+
Survey responses from every Academy constituency
Steering committee members and staff liaisons digging deep into school data and analyzing survey and interview results
Two-day retreat participants representing all constituent groups working to define future priorities
faculty and staff liaisons helping lead research
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1
EMBRACING OUR SNJM VISION, VALUES & CATHOLIC FAITH
2 3
ENHANCING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
4
STRENGTHENING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
5 6 7
EMBODYING PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE & INNOVATION
CULTIVATING A VIBRANT, ENGAGED & UNIFIED SCHOOL COMMUNITY
ENSURING INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
OPTIMIZING FACILITIES & TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE
KEY AREAS OF FOCUS
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EMBRACING OUR SNJM VISION, VALUES & CATHOLIC FAITH
STRATEGIC GOAL
Proclaim the Catholic faith and love for the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary through the lens of our SNJM vision and values, so that the entire community will experience a culture where the primacy of the love of God is at the forefront of everything done at the Academy.
THE OBJECTIVES
1 2 3 4 5
Inspire the entire AHN community toward a deeper relationship with God expressed through an active love of God and neighbor, strengthened by enhanced liturgical experiences and transformational faith formation opportunities that will enable a confidence in witnessing and living out core Catholic doctrine and values.
Re-energize religion class instruction and curriculum considering religious learning outcomes for our students, inviting and engaging students in Catholic life and empowering them to appropriate the faith into their lives.
The Catholic Church calls on us to promote the respect and human dignity of all people. Similarly, our SNJM founders call on us to seek justice or rightrelationships, by serving one another, especially the poor and marginalized. Therefore, as we work to help our students better understand and serve one another and all of God’s people, we will leverage Church teachings, Catholic Social Teaching, and our SNJM Values as the foundation for forming institutional goals and initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
To evaluate and redesign AHN’s Christian service-learning programs in order to strengthen a culture of faith in action and increase community members’ participation that will ultimately lead to more effective formation of intrinsically motivated servant leaders.
Develop enrichment programming and financial support that will help better diversify and increase the candidate pool of prospective students.
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ENHANCING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
STRATEGIC GOAL
Evolve a leading, innovative, and student-centered academic program that embodies our Catholic mission and SNJM values and serves to further strengthen educational outcomes to the highest standards of excellence.
THE OBJECTIVES
1 2 3 4 5
Re-evaluate and develop a distinct vision of learning outcomes for each respective division.
Enhance programmatic innovation and faculty development aimed at raising student achievement, particularly in STEM subject areas (Science Technology Engineering and Math).
Create the infrastructure to systematically evaluate and align the vertical curriculum to maximize the value added for a student attending elementary through high school graduation.
We believe that the arts contribute to a person’s full development. The Academy will build a leading music and instrumental program to complement its outstanding visual and dramatic arts programs.
As faculty and staff aim to continue to strengthen how we enable our students to analyze complex issues and develop critical thinking skills, we must establish a framework that ensures that curriculum and instruction on socio-political topics maintain alignment with the mission, are age-appropriate, enable multiple perspectives, and are devoid of political and/or personal advocacy.
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STRENGTHENING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
STRATEGIC GOAL
Strengthen its focus on developing the whole child by ensuring that character education, extra-curricular offerings, community involvement, and the celebration of student achievements enhance our ability to hone faith-filled, responsible, and resilient leaders.
THE OBJECTIVES
1 2 3 4 5
Evaluate the current disciplinary system and character education program to implement changes where necessary that ensure that they reflect best practices and are consistent and transparent, meeting the developmental needs of each student.
Increase awareness and develop policies, programs, and/or practices that support students’ social, emotional, and psychological health and well-being.
Create new opportunities to promote school spirit and enhance a sense of community.
Review and revise current extra-curricular offerings to ensure organizational structures exist, and that they promote meaningful mission-aligned programming that meets the needs and interests of students.
Foster and explore partnerships with key local partner schools in order to create new and fresh opportunities for social, service, and faith interactions.
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“FOCUS ON DEVELOPING THE WHOLE CHILD”
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EMBODYING PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE & INNOVATION
STRATEGIC GOAL
Attract, develop, and retain exemplary teachers and staff who are highly skilled, missioncommitted and are life-long learners dedicated to continuous growth and improvement.
THE OBJECTIVES
1 2 3 4 5
Evaluate the employee experience, compensation, and benefits to ensure that they optimize employee wellness, productivity, and satisfaction, while also being competitive with like peer institutions.
Articulate an updated vision of professional excellence for all employee groups and change related feedback and evaluation mechanisms to align with those standards.
Inspired by the SNJM core value of hospitality, better define employee standards of customer service aimed at strengthening relationships between all constituent groups.
Evaluate the organizational chart and related structures to ensure that a distributed leadership model is in place and that staffing is positioned to meet the ever-changing needs and demands of all AHN constituent groups and programs.
Create intentional and systematic feedback loops that will support continual improvement in key areas of the school operation.
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CULTIVATING A VIBRANT, ENGAGED & UNIFIED SCHOOL COMMUNITY
STRATEGIC GOAL
Welcome and engage its students, parents, employees, alumni, trustees, and community partners to build affinity and strengthen a culture of trust, support, and philanthropy.
THE OBJECTIVES
1 2 3 4
Develop a more robust and thorough alumni engagement plan, including more targeted messaging strategies and inclusive programming for male alumni.
Evaluate and redefine communication protocols across the organization to strengthen brand consistency, enhance transparency around school programs and decisions, and better inform AHN constituents, where applicable.
Strengthen the parent-teacher-school partnership by creating new policies and practices that promote a culture of respectful and proactive two-way communication for the good of its students.
Add new opportunities for parent-student and parent-teacher connections that are appropriate for each division.
5
Create annual programming for parents on contemporary educational issues and societal topics facing students.
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Devise a communications schedule for AHN Trustees to update the community on strategic initiatives each year and establish a protocol to invite and recognize trustees in attendance at school events.
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ENSURING INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
STRATEGIC GOAL
Leverage a targeted marketing and enrollment strategy, sound fiscal operation, and strategic governance structure to ensure that the ongoing vitality, viability, and reputation of the Academy, and its brand promise to deliver a high-quality Catholic education, is maintained for generations to come.
THE OBJECTIVES
Marketing & Enrollment
1
Develop an annual strategic marketing plan and establish policy guidelines that clearly and effectively convey our value proposition and mission respective to the varying demographics of prospective families at each distinct entry point in the admissions funnel.
2 3
Develop an annual enrollment plan and retain a digital platform that tracks all enrollment data and key performance indicators to forecast and inform the recruitment of prospective students and families.
Develop best-in-class website and marketing materials that clearly reflect AHN’s value proposition, segmented by varying entry points.
Finance
1 2 3
Conduct a benchmarking study of faculty and staff compensation and implement appropriate changes to compensation based on performance appraisal results. Continue to develop non-financial incentives and benefits to provide to faculty and staff.
Financial Aid
• Improve communication for the financial aid process.
• Evaluate the need to increase the amount and improve the process for awarding merit-based scholarships to enhance enrollment outcomes.
• Re-evaluate the viability of the current LINK scholarship program in light of growth in the number of Step Up students.
Develop strategies to grow the endowment to better fund student financial aid, scholarships, and faculty and staff professional development.
THE OBJECTIVES
Governance
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2 3
THE OBJECTIVES
Restructure board operational standards and procedures to better support strategic oversight.
Working with the school’s institutional advancement committee, establish protocols that will assist trustees with identifying donor prospects and making connections that lead to partnerships and gifts.
Increase trustee education on contemporary issues the school is facing and strengthen faith and SNJM charism formation opportunities for trustees.
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OPTIMIZING FACILITIES & TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE
STRATEGIC GOAL
Commit to offering a top tier physical campus with technology and infrastructure to ensure market competitiveness and support the evolving faith, academic, athletic, artistic, and student life experiences for all.
THE OBJECTIVES
1 2 3 4 5
Generate a new master facility plan that will address the needs and constraints of AHN’s programs and constituents.
Upgrade athletic and recreational areas to better support new programming and be on par with competitor schools.
Examine and enhance existing worship spaces to improve the reverence, functionality, and overall religious experience.
Develop the next five-year technology plan that will provide strategic direction on data management needs of each department, student device selection and needs, and cyber security.
Examine school security operations, emergency preparedness, and crisis response for the most up-to-date practices.
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Thank You from the Committee
Thank you to everyone who made the forming of the Strategic Plan possible, including our outstanding Steering Committee made up of trustees, administrators, SNJM sisters, parents, and alumni. In addition, we want to thank each student, current parent, and faculty and staff member who took the time to participate in the process by completing a survey, engaging in roundtable discussions, or meeting one-on-one with the president.
We are grateful to you for choosing and supporting the Academy, as we work together to sustain and strengthen our school defined by faith, excellence, and love. We pray for God’s blessings and many graces as we implement this bold vision for the Academy’s present and future.
Steering Committee Chairs
DAPHNE MCCONNIE Parent of Alumni Board Chair, AHN Board of Trustees
PAOLA SCHIFINO Parent of Alumni Trustee
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KEVIN P. WHITNEY Current Parent AHN President
Domain Chairs
SNJM VISION & VALUES, CATHOLIC IDENTITY
Sister Ann Regan, SNJM
Greta Dupuy ’97, Alumna & Past Trustee
Katie Solomon Holland ’95, Alumna & Current Parent
ACADEMICS & INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Olivia Martinez ’10, Alumna
Isaac Ruiz-Carus ’94, Alumnus & Current Parent
FINANCE
Ed Bulleit, Trustee & Parent of Alumni
Kim Dingle, Trustee & Parent of Alumni
GOVERNANCE
Stephanie Crane Lieb ’99, Alumna, Past Trustee, Current Parent
Jason Woodside ’01, Alumnus & Trustee
ADVANCEMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
Doug Bogle, Current Parent
Martha Minahan, Trustee
ENROLLMENT & MARKETING
Steve Matesich, Parent of Alumni
Paola Schifino, Trustee & Parent of Alumni
FACILITIES & TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE
Ernie Garateix, Trustee & Parent of Alumni
Todd Schweitzer, Current Parent
STUDENT LIFE
Velen Diaz Thompson ’83, Alumna, Trustee, Parent of Alumni
Renee Murphy, Current Parent
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Bayshore Boulevard Tampa,
33629
3319
Florida
