STRATEGIC PLAN 2025
Table of Contents
Letter from the Head of School
Friends of Long Trail School,
In 1975, Dave and Rene Wilson envisioned a school where each student could achieve their individual best. What do you do with an idea? You work, build, implement, work, inspire, and work some more. Fifty years later, that idea has blossomed into a thriving school providing a world-class education to over 250 students from 28 towns throughout Vermont. Ideas matter.
Charged by the Board of Trustees to create a strategic plan, I assembled a working group and we plunged headfirst into the process. We reviewed historical documents, data, and gathered feedback to analyze our full program. Through our work, we quickly confirmed two truths that would guide us: Long Trail School is strong and Long Trail School knows who it is. We confidently affirmed our mission and values. This strong, clear identity is the foundation from which Long Trail School will evolve, and as we created this plan, we were careful to articulate and preserve our strengths. Our group met consistently throughout the course of a year to produce this document – not a plan to collect dust on a shelf, but an active map for the trail ahead.
All schools change, but the best schools - schools like Long Trail - evolve and grow in a clear, intentional direction guided by mission, values, and vision. This plan is built on three essential pillars: Our People, Our Program, and Our Prosperity. In each category, we articulate our strength and set objectives for the future. School and schooling can be complex, but the true north for delivering transformative education is simple: people and program determine whether a school prospers. As you will notice, we will achieve these goals, and we need your help to do so.
Like the vision that founded Long Trail in 1975, without action, objectives remain ideas. Through hard work, discipline, and collaboration, we will achieve these goals together. When we succeed, we know that 50 years from now, future Long Trail students will enjoy the strength of this tremendous community, just as we are beneficiaries of countless teachers, students, parents, and community members who have supported Long Trail School throughout our first 50 years. I hope you find our plan as inspirational and grounding as I do. Together, I look forward to pursuing and achieving these goals.
Sincerely
Colin Igoe
Strategic Plan Working Group:
Colin Igoe, Head of School
Amy Thebault, Board of Trustees
Scott Magrath, Director of College & Career Counseling
Mary Ellen Mega, Dean of Academics
Kate Pierce, History Teacher
Katie Redding, Director of Admissions & Advancement
Our PEOPLE | Our PROGRAM | Our PROSPERITY
Long Trail School creates lifelong learners who aspire to reach their individual potential in an engaging, supportive community.
OPENNESS
Engage freely in dialogue; listen, be open, speak
RESPONSIBILITY
Give back
INTEGRITY
Determine what’s right, then do it
STEWARDSHIP
Care for the school, its resources, the environment, and the community
KINDNESS
Practice empathy, compassion, respect
Our STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
OUR PEOPLE every student belongs OUR PROGRAM high expectations within a compassionate community OUR PROSPERITY ensuring our continued success
Our
PEOPLE Every student belongs.
We will meet students where they are, empower, challenge, and support them to realize their full potential.
• Challenge all students to stretch themselves academically, athletically, and artistically within a culture of well-being.
• Uphold high standards for citizenship and conduct.
• Foster student engagement in all aspects of school life.
• Celebrate growth and success in student endeavors.
• Affirm and maintain a culture of kindness, openness, and belonging, which fosters personal growth and well-being.
We will prioritize excellence in teaching. We commit to maintaining a compassionate professional environment where all adults strive for excellence.
• Retain, support, and attract the most talented, qualified faculty & staff.
• Strengthen the professional growth and evaluation process, which articulates and assesses the qualities of an excellent educator at Long Trail School.
• Provide intentional, robust professional development opportunities informed by the growth and evaluation process.
• Offer salaries and benefits competitive with peer independent schools.
Our PROGRAM
High expectations within a compassionate community.
We will create lifelong learners who aspire to reach their individual potential in an engaging, supportive community.
• Ensure robust, consistent co-curricular programming in athletics, arts, and clubs.
• Create an advisory program that fosters holistic development.
• Commit to remaining responsive to the demands of an ever-changing world.
• Redesign our daily schedule to include new strategic priorities and maximize the full LTS experience.
We will expand and deepen experiential learning for all students.
• Utilize the natural resources at and near Long Trail School to enhance the educational experience.
• Partner with Merck Forest & Farmland to deliver experiential learning throughout the 6-12 curriculum.
• Partner with Tufts University to offer Long Trail students immersive pre-college and career programs on Tufts Boston-area campus.
• Develop perennial travel opportunities for grades 6-12 that broaden student perspectives and align with the LTS curriculum.
We will structure the student experience in grades 6-12 to align academic and co-curricular programming.
• ○Infuse the IB philosophy throughout the curriculum and provide IB training for all faculty.
• ○Define and build consistent, shared community and grade-level experiences and traditions.
• Encourage and foster collaboration across disciplines.
We will design and implement a Civic Engagement program incorporating community service, leadership, and civil discourse inside and outside the classroom.
• ○Provide all students with opportunities to demonstrate leadership by engaging, serving, and coordinating.
• Commit to open dialogue and the exchange of ideas. Provide opportunities for civil discourse throughout the curriculum both on campus and beyond the walls of LTS.
• Create a service requirement for all students focused on our local community.
Our PROSPERITY Ensuring our continued success.
We will build new facilities and modernize current facilities that meet the needs of our people and program.
• ○Construct facilities that match the world-class educational experience and maximize the natural environment.
• ○Prioritize building a new arts center, science labs, and library.
We will increase community engagement because Long Trail School is a shared resource in our community.
• Provide consistent opportunities for parent, alumni, and community engagement in the Long Trail School program.
• Inspire all constituents to engage in a lifelong relationship with Long Trail School.
• Commit to exploring additional partnerships that further the Long Trail School mission & values.
• Remain dedicated to preserving opportunities for local students to access an independent school education.
To achieve these priorities we will: Organize, launch, and complete a Comprehensive Campaign focused on building facilities that meet the needs of our program, sustained funding for new educational initiatives, and increasing endowment.
