Raising the Bar: Pacific Ridge School Strategic Plan 2019-2024

RAISING THE BAR

2019 - 2024

STRATEGIC PLAN

RAISING THE BAR

Welcome In a community that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility and global engagement, Pacific Ridge School prepares students for college and a purposeful life.

In 2007, Pacific Ridge School opened its doors with a compelling mission statement and a powerful vision: to inspire young people to dream big, contribute to a global society and live purposefully. We developed a teaching philosophy around the mission statement and built a community of students, teachers and parents who were drawn to it. However, we did not seek to start just another independent school in North County San Diego. We set out to raise the bar for independent school education in San Diego County. And, in many ways, we have done just that.

Within a few years of bringing Harkness teaching to Southern California, a number of our peer schools started to adjust their teaching philosophies. After multiple years of sending 90-95% of the Pacific Ridge student body out in the world on travel education programs, more schools have added to their travel offerings. After ten years of running a weekly schedule that allows for clubs, service learning, extra help from teachers and a balanced pace of life on campus, our schedule was lauded by a national educational agency as one that other independent schools should emulate. These programs were physical manifestations of the mission we created, and they remain so today.

As we all know, the world has evolved rapidly since 2007. So has Pacific Ridge School. Our enrollment is robust, our exceptional facilities are growing, and we continue to attract passionate and talented faculty. Our students are bright, ambitious and determined to take on the challenges faced by their generation. At Pacific Ridge, we continually call upon ourselves to grow and provide the most relevant education possible. This is why we launched an intensive, community-wide planning process last year to guide us to the future - a future based on the strong foundation we have already built.

The initiatives in this plan, designed to serve the school from 2019 to 2024, ask Pacific Ridge School to reimagine our signature educational programs, to invest in our community and to commit to our future. The initiatives that our community developed tell us to, once again, raise the bar for independent school education in San Diego. We did it in 2007, and that’s what we intend to do again.

Go Firebirds!

Dr. Bob Ogle Head of School

Background and Context Background and Context

During the 2018-19 academic year, Pacific Ridge School launched a comprehensive strategic planning process. The strategic plan was developed to provide a long-range view of future school priorities created through a highly inclusive and participatory process.

In order to build a solid base of information and to guide the planning process, the school During the 2018-19 academic year, Pacific Ridge School launched a comprehensive strategic engaged a veteran educational strategy firm that has served over 500 private schools, colleges, planning process. The strategic plan was developed to provide a long-range view of future universities and nonprofits. A strategic planning steering committee and several working groups school priorities created through a highly inclusive and participatory process. A steering were formed to focus on research, environmental scans, a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, committee was formed and focused on research, environmental scans, SWOT analysis, opportunities and threats) analysis and trends in the independent school and education sectors. committee exercises, and trends in the independent school and the education sector. The school The school community, including parents, faculty, staff, students and alumni, were surveyed about community, including parents, faculty, and staff, and students were surveyed about their thoughts their thoughts on priorities for the future at the outset of the process. on priorities for the future at the outset of the process.

The steering committee worked collaboratively through a series of exercises designed to In order to build a base of sound information and to guide the planning process, the school establish priorities based upon the findings of the research. As these priorities were developed, enlisted the assistance of a research and planning firm, Ian Symmonds & Associates. A the working groups expanded upon them to outline specific initiatives. This process culminated comprehensive research effort was completed, including stakeholder surveys, competitive and in the spring of 2019. educational landscape analysis, market segmentation, and demographic trends. This information laid the foundation for sound assumptions about theand future.

Internal planning groups composed of faculty, staff parents have since been formed to develop action plans for each initiative. These groups will clarify additional implementation The strategic planning steering committee worked collaboratively through a series of exercises details to be utilized as the school moves forward with the execution of the strategic plan. designed to establish priorities based upon the findings of the research. This process culminated in the spring 2019, has withbeen the steering committee developing a small set strategic of priorities forisfuture Pacific Ridge of School built by our community and, above all, the plan a focus.

As strategic priorities were developed, the steering committee expanded upon them to community endeavor. Our community developed this plan and our community will help execute outline specific initiatives, action plans, and a series of sequenced priorities.

The following white it. We are immensely grateful for the ongoing dedication and support of our parents, students, paper outlines thesefaculty, initiatives alumni,draft Board members, staffand andassociated friends. action plans.

Each of these strategic goals contains several strategic initiatives and numerous action plans. The strategic initiatives and action plans benefit from having additional implementation details, such as estimated costs and metrics of success, to be further developed in the planning process and will be utilized as the school moves forward on the execution of the strategic plan.

RAISING THE BAR

WHY A STRATEGIC PLAN? To ensure the school’s mission and programs are still relevant and highly valuable to our community.

To engage the community in developing strategic priorities for the next 5 years of development.

12 WEEKS OF DATA

WHO WAS INVOLVED?

COLLECTION & ANALYSIS

458 Parents 266 Students

S U RV E Y E D COMMUNIT Y MEMBERS

108 Alumni

89 Faculty/Staff 23 Extended Community 18 Administration 18 Board of Trustees

A N A LY Z E D EDUCATIONAL TRENDS

CONDUCTED SWOT ANALYSIS

FORMED 6 WORKING GROUPS OF

67 COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Educational Leadership

Inclusivity & Cultural Competence

Strategic Alignment

Community Asset

Community Experience

Sustainability & Accessibility

18

17

WEEKS WORKING TOGETHER

INITIATIVES GENERATED

17 INITIATIVES ALIGN UNDER 3 GOALS Reimagine Our Signature Education

Invest in Our Community

Commit to Our Future

S T R AT E G I C P L A N

Estimated completion of work

INITIATIVE TIMELINE The initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan will be implemented over a five-year period, through June of 2024. Estimated completion dates for each initiative are included below.

Descriptions of each initiative are on the pages that follow.

STRATEGIC GOALS:

Reimagine our signature education

1

Invest in our community

2

3

Output for these initiatives will range from completed work to structures and processes established for future or ongoing work.

SUMMER 2022

Global Travel

FALL 2021 WINTER 2021

Innovation Center & Library* FALL 2020

Commit to our future

School Spirit

Future of AP Courses

Harkness at Pacific Ridge

Optimal Student Schedule

Diverse & Inclusive Community

Wellness SUMMER 2021

Parental Engagement

2020

Important Community Asset

Service Learning

202 1 *Pending successful completion of the Power of Us Campaign

202 2

SUMMER 2023

SPRING 2024

Curiosity & Risk Taking

Sustainable Business Model

FALL 2022

FALL 2023

SUMMER 2024

Mission-Driven Curriculum

Philanthropy

Citizen Leadership

Endowment

202 3

2024

S T R AT E G I C P L A N

GOAL 1

REIMAGINE OUR SIGNATURE EDUCATION Combining a dynamic, mission-inspired curriculum with meaningful co-curricular programming yields a uniquely powerful educational experience. Reimagining this educational program means recommitting to its core tenets, while exploring ways to strengthen and refine them. In this work, we will constantly look forward so we can meet our students’ needs as the world changes.

I N I T I AT I V E S HARKNESS AT PACIFIC RIDGE Articulate and refine our Harkness learning approach as a distinct learning philosophy in the San Diego region.

GLOBAL TRAVEL Continue to refine our Global travel program and integrate it more intentionally into our curriculum.

SERVICE LEARNING Evaluate and strengthen our service learning program.

FUTURE OF AP COURSES Determine the appropriate role of AP courses within our signature educational program.

MISSION-DRIVEN CURRICULUM Recommit to a mission-driven curriculum, with a clearly articulated scope and sequence, that is centered around students and empowers them to become agile thinkers in a rapidly changing world.

OPTIMAL STUDENT SCHEDULE Assess and redesign our schedule in creative ways that will enhance student learning and opportunities.

CITIZEN LEADERSHIP Develop citizen leaders who demonstrate empathy and understanding of people with different perspectives through truthful, productive, respectful civil discourse.

RAISING THE BAR

At the Harkness table, throughout campus and all over the world, we ask our students to be bold thinkers who make connections across borders. This plan provides an exciting opportunity for us to re-invest in and refine the aspects of our educational program that set us apart. – John Comforto, Dean of Studies & Student Life

S T R AT E G I C P L A N

GOAL 2

INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY The Pacific Ridge community created the school we enjoy today and is the foundation upon which our educational and institutional value is built.

We are committed to supporting an environment in which all members of our community - students, faculty and families - belong, feel valued, grow and thrive.

I N I T I AT I V E S PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT Strengthen and inspire parental engagement in our community through relevant programs and services.

SCHOOL SPIRIT Cultivate a sense of school pride, spirit and belonging to the school.

DIVERSE & INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY Cultivate a diverse, empathetic and inclusive community of learners by fostering a safe environment where all members feel a sense of value and belonging.

WELLNESS Promote mental wellness, mindfulness and stress management throughout our community.

CURIOSITY & RISK TAKING Develop a learning environment that promotes curiosity and risk taking to help students thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

RAISING THE BAR

At PRS, we have close relationships with our teachers.

At bigger schools that’s difficult, but the faculty here always try to have personal connections with us and it really makes a difference.

– Sofia Hart ‘20

S T R AT E G I C P L A N

GOAL 3

COMMIT TO OUR FUTURE Pacific Ridge’s quick rise as a valued educational resource in San Diego has been remarkable. Our position is strong. The strategic plan commits us to creating an equally strong map for the future, one that will allow us to remain at the forefront of secondary education, operate sustainably and increase our value to the larger community.

I N I T I AT I V E S INNOVATION CENTER & LIBRARY Build the Innovation Center & Library as a permanent “incubator” on our campus.

IMPORTANT COMMUNITY ASSET Become indispensable to our North County community by establishing Pacific Ridge School as a recognized contributor to local nonprofits, a vital and consistent voice in community affairs, an industry resource for the community and a world-class educational opportunity for industry employee families.

PHILANTHROPY Inspire a culture of philanthropy among all stakeholders throughout our school community.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL Articulate and execute our sustainable, long-term, fundable business model.

ENDOWMENT Build the first Pacific Ridge School endowment.

RAISING THE BAR

One of the Board’s most important responsibilities is to ensure Pacific Ridge’s long-term financial health.

This includes sustainable business practices for today and building an endowment for the future.

– Stefan Karnavas P’22, Trustee

THANK YOU

RAISING THE BAR

We offer our sincere thanks to the following individuals who contributed their valuable time and insights to the strategic planning process.

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

INCLUSIVITY & CULTURAL

SUSTAINABILITY &

Wyatt Elsner ‘21

COMPETENCE

ACCESSIBILITY

Eliana Essman ‘21

Rio Dickens-Celestin

Christine DeHaven

Helen Fields

Tori Farris ‘21

Laura Dicovitsky

Andrea Juskaitis

Kristin French

Stefan Karnavas

Luke Michel

Felicia Hinrichs

Steven Poovey

Scott Silk

Alfie Hobbs

Aaron Sager

Jennifer Spengler

Julian Stern ‘21

Lin Shaw

Chris Webber

Susan Woods

Becca Shields ‘19 Brit Stickney

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

Carson Wright ‘19

Riley Clotfelter ‘20 Ellen Cothran Mark Elmore

COMMUNITY ASSET

STEERING COMMITTEE

Sofia Hart ‘20

Jake Arft-Guatelli ‘20

Tim Betzala

Alfie Hobbs

Don Collins

Bob Buscher

Allegra Molineaux

Julie Gunther

John Comforto

Dan Santiago

Kirk Malloy

Tracy DeLange

Darin Marlow ‘20

Derek Footer

Justin McCabe

Fredreka Irvine

John Sanford

Andy Laats

Richard Shen

Jason Kelly

Kara Sterner

Scott Kerslake

COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE Ceci Enge Laura Jones ‘20 Andrea Kharrazian Mia McCarthy ‘20

Bob Ogle

Sarah Peeden

Brent Rivard

Rajan Phadnis ‘20

Michele Saunders

Tom Powell

Linnea Searle

Laing Rikkers

Amy Wasserman

Jed Stotsenberg Michelle Twardowski

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6269 El Fuerte Street Carlsbad, CA 92009