Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Strategic Plan 2017 - 2022

Engage. Inspire. Empower.

Strategic Plan

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2017-2022

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We are committed to preparing our students, from the earliest age, to thrive in an increasingly complex world. Our community has come together to establish an inspiring vision for the future of NSA and our Saints.

Deborah B. Russell, Head of School

TABLE OF CONTENTS A LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES................................................................................... 3 MISSION STATEMENT..........................................................................................................................5 SAINTS VALUES..................................................................................................................................6–7 PORTRAIT OF AN NSA GRADUATE..............................................................................................8–11 VISION AND STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES...................................................................................12–25

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Dear Saints Community, Over the years, it has been exciting to watch NSA evolve and to witness the positive impact the NSA experience has had on our students and alumni. While NSA has progressed in many ways over the last 50 years, we continue to respect the traditions established years ago. The values on which NSA was founded and the Honor Code continue to be the foundation of our culture. In addition, the family atmosphere, which resonates so well with former, current and prospective families, further distinguishes NSA from many other independent schools in Hampton Roads. When new families are asked why they chose NSA, we are often told, “because NSA feels like home” or “because it feels like a family here.”

While our atmosphere is an integral part of who we are, the strength of our academic, athletic and arts programs also make NSA a preferred academic institution in Suffolk and the surrounding communities. However, we cannot be complacent.

There are substantial changes taking place in education that are transforming teaching and learning. The educational landscape has shifted to become more student-centered, where students are active participants in the discovery process.

Project-based learning is providing a real-world context for learning, and technology has enabled students and teachers to problem-solve through crowdsourcing and networking with other educators and peers. To be successful today, our students need to be equipped with these essential skills, such as collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication.

To prepare the students at NSA as well as our faculty and staff for these changes, we conducted research around industry trends, the educational landscape, changing demographics and potential economic impacts. In addition, we conducted numerous surveys and focus groups to obtain valuable input from many members of our community, including faculty and staff, students, parents, grandparents, alumni as well as current and former trustees. Using the information from our research and the feedback from the surveys and focus groups, we formalized a new strategic plan that is a shared vision for our future.

With the portrait of an NSA graduate at the forefront, the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan highlights six strategic imperatives to ensure that all aspects of the NSA experience continue to meet the current and future needs of our students. As part of this strategic plan, we have also adopted an updated vision and mission statement as well as characteristics of professional excellence and core values that we foster in the NSA community. We believe the adoption of these statements, values and guiding principles will help to perpetuate a more intentional culture within NSA, including a shared purpose and standards for all.

We are committed to creating an extraordinary educational environment for our students, faculty and staff. The 2017-2022 Strategic Plan is reflective of this priority. We hope you will join us on this new adventure as we Engage, Inspire and Empower our current and future Saints!

Sincerely,

Deborah B. Russell Head of School

G. Robert Aston, Jr. Chairman, Board of Trustees 3

AT N A N S E M O N D - S U F F O L K A C A D E M Y,

G ROW I N G

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I S A WAY O F L I F E .

M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T At Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, students are engaged in personal growth, inspired to discover their passion and empowered to make a difference in the world.

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O U R S A I N T S VA L U E S Our Saints Values exemplify the core values we foster in the NSA community.

SAINTS

CHARACTER IS OUR FOUNDATION. NSA is committed to the social, emotional and physical development of each student. We are intentional in nurturing each student to reach his or her maximum potential. Our students feel safe, respected and connected to those around them, allowing them to thrive academically, artistically, athletically and socially. Our faculty and staff embrace their responsibility as role models in setting high standards of character.

Character is our foundation for Honor Above All.

COMMUNITY IS OUR HALLMARK. NSA is a dedicated and supportive community of students joined by loyal faculty and staff, parents, alumni, trustees and friends. We are committed to one another, bound by our traditions and devoted to our belief in Honor Above All. With shared purposes and principles, we seek to improve our school, our community, our society, our environment and our world through our compassion, philanthropy and leadership.

EXCELLENCE IS OUR STANDARD. From our programs and pedagogy to our personnel and operations, NSA strives for excellence in all aspects of the Saints’ experience.

All members of the NSA family are committed to achieving their highest potential and helping students to do the same.

DISCOVERY IS OUR PASSION.

VA L U E S

NSA commits to providing our students with challenging and inspiring programs that support students in achieving their potential in college and life. Our environment fosters a love of learning and intellectual exploration, where students aren’t afraid to try new things.

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WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE PERSON YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO BE UPON GRADUATION, WHAT DO YOU ENVISION? Do you picture‌ ... a graduate who has the confidence to believe that he or she can succeed at any endeavor and recognizes failure as an opportunity? ...a lifelong learner who strives for personal excellence? ... a philanthropist who is committed to making the world a better place and empowers others to do the same?

For more than 50 years, NSA has partnered with families to prepare graduates to lead productive, informed and principled lives. Our graduates are effective communicators who think independently, globally and collaboratively to take on challenges and uncover innovative solutions. They demonstrate integrity and character, value diversity and strive to understand, cooperate and empathize with others.

NSA graduates have learned how to seek and embrace opportunities for personal as well as professional growth to lead a life of passion and purpose. The diverse career paths of our alumni show the numerous possibilities of where an NSA education can lead.

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PORTRAIT AN NSA

ANNA CAIT WADE ’11 Associate Director of Donor Relations and Special Projects, Mariposa DR Foundation

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NSA taught me the power of story, and I have been using my words to create change ever since.

OF G R A D U AT E

Anna Cait Wade ’11 has always wanted to give back what she has received – love, support and an excellent education. She is a self-proclaimed girl champion who began working with the Mariposa DR Foundation as a summer volunteer after completing her third year at the University of Virginia. Located in the Dominican Republic, the foundation is a non-governmental organization working to end generational poverty by empowering adolescent girls. After her life-changing summer, her heart never really left the Dominican Republic.

In her fourth year at UVA, she was awarded a Davis Projects for Peace Award and was able to return to the Mariposa Center in the summer of 2015 to implement a leadership and development component for the foundation’s day program for girls. Today, she is working to integrate mindfulness and socialemotional wellness programs into the curriculum, as well as building and cultivating relationships with key supporters of the foundation. Anna Cait credits her time at NSA for better preparing her for this role.

“Community, fostering important relationships and staying connected are at the center of everything NSA stands for. Learning all of the girls’ names at the Mariposa Center and knowing their mothers and fathers is important to me. I hope that wherever I find myself in life, I maintain this value for appreciating others.”

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MARY SHAFFER GILL ’04

SUDIPTA “NILA” DEVANATH ’06

Director of Marketing, CivicSolar, Inc.

Harvard Law School, J.D., 2015 University of Pittsburgh, M.D. Candidate, May 2017

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In a safe and structured environment, NSA helped me focus and better understand my potential.

NSA allowed me to find out who I was in my own way.

Mary Shaffer Gill ’04 still remembers being told in the tenth grade that success is relative. “There is no right or wrong path, no ultimate achievement. We can all contribute, make an impact and be successful.”

She credits NSA with instilling confidence in her and providing her with the opportunity to develop leadership skills through roles and responsibilities beyond the classroom. Today, she is definitely making an impact. At 26, she founded a renewable energy business in Tennessee and began advocating for favorable solar policy. The business was successfully acquired just three short years later, allowing her to explore other opportunities and markets. She is currently living in San Francisco, California, where she manages the marketing team at CivicSolar, an innovative solar distributor that provides equipment and services to meet the unique needs of solar installers and developers.

A lifelong learner, Nila Devanath believes that community and public service is the driving force in her life. After graduating from NSA in 2006, Nila earned degrees in neuroscience, psychology and sociology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was actively involved in student government and received numerous accolades and scholarships. After completing two years of medical school, she decided to pursue a law degree from Harvard University to bridge the gap between medicine, law and epidemiology. Her goal is to enhance policies to provide comprehensive medical care to low-income patients, including representation in cases where legal issues can determine medical outcomes. She is currently licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and New York and recently returned to medical school to finish her clinical years.

“NSA gave me a strong foundation to pursue entrepreneurship and opportunities outside of my comfort zone. I enjoy knowing that what I do is making a positive impact for all.”

Nila described NSA as her “second home” and said that her years here not only prepared her for the rigor of higher education, but they also gave her the confidence to lead, prepared her for the art of presentation and taught her how to think critically.

CHUCK CULPEPPER ’80 Sportswriter, The Washington Post

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My journalism teacher gave me the invaluable space and encouragement from which to evolve.

Loving, nurturing and evolving is how Chuck Culpepper ’80 would describe NSA if he was limited to only three words. The many authentic and memorable teachers that he encountered provided him with an invaluable sense of foundational support. “I have never been a person rich in confidence, yet I knew that my journalism teacher believed in me even then.”

Chuck became a member of the NSA family in the fourth grade and at the age of 10, stated in an interview for a student newsletter that he would like to become a sportswriter or announcer. While at NSA and at the University of Virginia, he walked the sidelines and wrote about sports for the student newspaper, an activity that he continues to do today as a sportswriter for The Washington Post. In the autumn months, Chuck covers college football, producing a weekly Sunday wrapup of Saturday events and also visits college campuses to profile players or coaches. In the off-season, he writes about tennis, horse racing and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, as well as various foreign projects. His work has enabled him to travel all over the world, covering events such as Wimbledon, the French Open and the 2014 Olympics in Russia, while also writing features from destinations such as Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya and Egypt. He has been nominated for numerous awards and “loves the horrible burden of choosing words.”

VISION A N D S T R AT E G I C I M P E R AT I V E S VISION Nansemond-Suffolk Academy is a community dedicated to educational excellence for future generations.

Our vision is rooted in our history. For more than 50 years, NansemondSuffolk Academy has stood for excellence in education. With an emphasis on character education and challenging, inspiring programs, NSA has many strengths to celebrate and carry into the future.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES The 2017-2022 Strategic Plan highlights six strategic imperatives to ensure that all aspects of the NSA experience continue to meet the current and future needs of our students.

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STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE Deliver a progressive curriculum and programs that provide a challenging, innovative and inspiring environment to foster a love of learning and intellectual exploration.

• Provide dynamic and progressive programs in all disciplines reflective of current research-based practices in education.

• Promote literacy in the following 21st century skills:

A global environment marked by rapid technological, economic and societal change demands an educational program that prepares students to thrive in an increasingly complex and connected world. We are committed to providing authentic learning experiences rooted in our core values that will further enhance the learning experience for all students.

~ Learning and Innovation (creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration)

~ Information, Media and Technology (information literacy – assessing and evaluating information, using and managing information; media literacy – analyzing and creating media; applying technology effectively)

~ Life and Career (flexibility and adaptability; initiative and self-direction; social and cross-cultural skills; productivity and accountability; leadership, responsibility and resiliency)

• Engage students in authentic learning tasks to develop understanding by providing opportunities to work collaboratively.

• Explore ways to differentiate instruction, student work and assessments based upon individual learner’s needs and capabilities to maximize student potential.

• Cultivate leadership opportunities and qualities among the student body to create productive and effective global citizens.

• Explore experiential learning by leveraging community-based opportunities.

• Develop and implement a plan maximizing technological resources to optimize student learning.

• Improve utilization of testing data to drive curricular decisions, enhancing student performance.

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I N N O VAT I V E

INTEGRITY

Character is the foundation of an NSA education. In our diverse and inclusive community, we celebrate students as they explore their passions and strive for personal excellence.

The NSA experience prepares students to lead healthy, productive and principled lives, so they may improve our school, our community, our society and our world through their compassion, philanthropy and leadership.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE Continue to provide a nurturing environment that fosters personal integrity, honorable achievement and social responsibility.

• Continue to develop young men and women who embody the qualities of truthfulness, kindness and empathy.

• Identify additional opportunities to recognize and reward effort, resilience and persistence as pillars of strong character.

• Promote the importance of balancing body, mind and spirit not only for academic success, but also for lifelong success (including stress management, nutrition, exercise and sleep as life skills).

• Enhance the value of inclusivity and diversity in and beyond the school community to cultivate a mature and sensitive global perspective.

• Strengthen relationships and communication among students, parents, faculty/staff, administrators and alumni, creating a sense of belonging for all.

• Continue to build on our rich traditions while creating opportunities for interaction, fostering a deeper connection with all members of our community.

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COMMITMENT

Without the passion, guidance, support and skill of our educators, we would not be able to create the transformational experience that we envision for each student. Delivering meaningful and dynamic programs requires inspired, creative teachers who model best pedagogical practices and who are encouraged to innovate.

Continuing to cultivate and celebrate a faculty culture of excellence is paramount to inspiring professional growth and to helping each student reach his or her maximum potential.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE Recognize the commitment of our educators, serving as both teachers and role models, who are passionate about their profession and growth, are committed to the principles and values of NSA, as well as dedicated to creating excellent, life-changing experiences for our students.

• Ensure a talented and diverse team of faculty and staff members are in place to effectively deliver quality programs and exceptional student experiences.

• Foster a culture of innovative and progressive teaching methods to help students achieve their individual potential.

• Provide faculty and staff with ongoing professional development opportunities to support professional growth.

• Celebrate the teacher as a mentor, guide, coach and inspirer, who embodies the spirit of an NSA education and is committed to imparting knowledge as well as building character.

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NSA fosters lifelong connections, which for generations have powered the extraordinary NSA experience.

Our close-knit community is one of our greatest strengths. We will deepen our connections with members of the NSA community and will raise our profile as a leader in educational excellence by sharing our distinctive and successful approach through various communication channels.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE Strive to further communicate and promote the NSA student experience and exceptional student outcomes to engage existing families as well as to attract students with a passion for learning.

• Continue to deepen connections with current students, alumni and their families to strengthen relationships and further develop all as ambassadors for the school.

• Prioritize collecting and communicating student outcomes to both internal and external audiences.

• Enhance and implement the means by which to solicit feedback from various constituent groups.

• Further invest in a more comprehensive communications and marketing plan that highlights the value proposition of NSA and the signature strengths of the school to all constituents.

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CONNECTED FOR LIFE

C O L L A B O R AT I O N

The Board of Trustees works in collaboration with school leadership to support the vision, mission and goals set forth in the Strategic Plan.

The Board and leadership team must be staffed, trained and engaged appropriately to guide NSA in the future.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE Continue to enhance the Board’s governance practices to guide the school in the future.

• Continue to provide Board support for the school’s development plans to raise money for current and future campaigns, the annual fund and planned giving to ensure a future in which NSA continues to thrive.

• Invite other constituents to participate on Board committees to increase involvement and to identify potential Board members.

• Develop a Board profile (to identify future trustees) exemplifying the highest ethical standards and values of NSA, understanding the needs of the strategic plan and recognizing the need to diversify the Board.

• Review all aspects of the Board by-laws and revise as necessary to continue to implement best governance practices.

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ACCESSIBILITY

A strong fiscal foundation is vital to realizing our vision, to supporting our mission and to achieving the goals set forth in the Strategic Plan.

We are at an exciting juncture in the school’s history and are well positioned to sustain our positive momentum. Our vision for the future includes a commitment to continue to deliver quality programs and financial vitality for future generations.

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE Refine our financial plans to weave affordability, accessibility and financial vitality into the tapestry of the school’s future.

• Annually review the five-year financial plan to support the delivery of NSA’s programs and determine the financial needs to carry out the strategic plan through the operating budget and other capital resources.

• Explore opportunities to attract and make an NSA education accessible to exceptional students of all backgrounds.

• Revisit the campus master plan to ensure the facilities at both campuses are maintained, meet the needs of the programs and will further enhance the student experience.

• Explore ways to better utilize our resources to provide additional sources of revenue.● • Deepen the culture of philanthropy among all NSA constituents.

• Continue to develop relationships with donors to grow the endowment.

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Main Campus 3373 Pruden Boulevard Suffolk, Virginia 23434 Harbour View Campus 6019 Harbour View Boulevard Suffolk, Virginia 23435 www.nsacademy.org ( 757) 539-8789