Rockhurst High School Vision Document 2023

TOWARD A HOPE-FILLED FUTURE

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INTRODUCTION

Founded in 1910, Rockhurst has been an apostolic work of the Society of Jesus calling young men to find God in all things through a rigorous program of faith and academic study, co-curricular activities, and social formation. This work is critically important, and our vision deepens our commitment to the students and families of the Greater Kansas City area.

The Society of Jesus published its Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAP) in February of 2019. They guide our vision. As an apostolic work of the Society of Jesus, Rockhurst embraces and promotes these four Universal Apostolic Preferences:

Showing the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment

Walking with the Excluded: the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice

Journeying with Youth: accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future

Caring for our Common Home: collaborating, with Gospel depth, for the protection and renewal of God's creation

These preferences require our discernment of God’s presence in our planning at Rockhurst. The UAP are foundational in our planning discernment, that we will:

Build upon our Jesuit tradition in classical humanities-based education.

Build upon our recent STEAM initiatives, which include project-based learning curricular initiatives. We seek alumni for enhanced formation resources.

Seek Co-curricular activities elected by students. Their integration into our vision is required.

Promote Faith formation in all we do. Formation and integration is a priority for our mission.

Responding to the UAP that strengthen our commitment to our shared mission, Rockhurst High School has resolutely emphasized the Strategic Priorities you will find in this document.

DEAR ROCKHURST COMMUNITY,

Greetings from State Line Road!

I invite you to read through this Vision Document for Rockhurst High School. It shares our priorities, as well as the Strategic Pillars that guide the next chapter of our school. From our Strategic Pillars, working groups will emerge later this year. These groups will begin looking at all the elements that make up Rockhurst, to outline a Strategic Plan for our future.

Pillar One, given the great strength of our recent decades of history, prioritizes the human component of Rockhurst—our mission and identity, our affordability, and our retention of tremendous faculty.

Along with all other Pillars, we will build upon our foundation Toward a Hope-Filled Future.

Since the founding of the Society of Jesus and for 500 years since, structured innovation has been the history of the development of the Jesuits. And, that same structured innovation has been evident in the 110year history of Rockhurst High School, the Jesuit High School of Kansas City.

The history of structured innovation at Rockhurst has many chapters.

For example:

• We celebrate the 60th year on the Greenlease Memorial Campus this year; earlier we were in a different location.

• Students here used to be required to take Latin; now they can take Mandarin if they chose.

• Formation programs including required retreats and community service haven’t always been a part of what’s expected of a Rockhurst man. Even a great tradition like Senior Service Projects has existed for only about half of our history.

• The addition of academic departments in STEAM like Computers, Robotics, and Engineering, or the amazing growth of a Choral Department – these are all examples of how Rockhurst has taken a plateau of excellence, and aspired to do even greater things for God and our students.

In fact, when one reviews the past 25-year history at Rockhurst, there’s a pretty terrific story of momemtum which includes:

• New curriculum – department additions in Computer Science, Robotics, Engineering, and Ignatian Service.

• Many amazing new facilities, including: The Hawklets Center, the Dining Commons, the Barry

Commons, The Learning Commons, The Goppert Rock Plex, Active Learning classrooms, Robotics Lab, Maker Spaces, Pesci Atrium and offices, and the Jack Nestor ̓34 Outdoor Lab & Classroom.

• Tremendous growth in the Fine and Performing Arts.

• The establishment of the Hurtado Scholars Program and its partnership with Bright Futures Schools of the Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph.

• A STEAM curriculum which established Rockhurst as the first STEAM accredited school in Kansas or Missouri, among the first 100 in the United States and the first west of the Mississippi River.

and working through our Board of Trustees, and an ad hoc President’s Advisory Committee, we have engaged in conversations that are meaningful for advancing structured innovation in our time. These conversations have been rooted in the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus. They are grounded in the priorities of the United Central and Southern Province in which Rockhurst serves.

• What have I done for Christ?

• What am I doing for Christ?

• What ought I do for Christ?

What I’ve listed above is only a fraction of the continuous structured innovation that has taken place makes Rockhurst a leader in education in the greater Kansas City community.

Even as we were working our way through the pandemic, our faculty, staff, administration, Board, and interested community members have been engaging in conversations that consider that third question: What (more) ought we do for Christ?

Beginning with our faculty engaging in conversations in the Fall of 2021,

Toward the end of this academic year, I will be communicating with you about the progress Rockhurst toward these aspirations for our future, and I’ll also be sharing with you some specific working groups that are being established in order to look comprehensively at our school for the consideration of our structured innovation for our next chapter.

I’m grateful for the great variety of input that has helped us to shape our Vision, and I look forward to keeping our community informed as we work to develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for our future.

St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us.

God bless,

David J. Laughlin President, Rockhurst High School

The Magis. That’s the Jesuit buzzword. For St. Ignatius, reflection comes down to three questions:

We invite you to read, reflect upon, pray about, and share in this vision for Rockhurst’s future.

Rockhurst High School has been a vessel for good in the Kansas City community for more than 100 years. By becoming more intentional about the key strategic priorities facing the school and developing a long-term plan to live them out in a deeper way, there is an enormous opportunity to improve the school’s impact. Still, it’s going to take the help of the entire community to succeed. The time is now.

— Mike Trigg ’96 Laguna Beach, CA Board of Trustees, President's Advisory Committee

Board of Trustees

Mr. Frank C. Allen ’05

Mr. Gregory J. Fendler ’94

Mr. Michael L. Garrett

Mrs. Amy D. Holewinski

Rev. Jeffrey C. Johnson, SJ

Mr. Gerald A. Kelly, Jr. ’73

Mr. Gregory M. Kratofil, Jr. ’92

Mrs. Shannon M. Lillis

Mr. David J. Laughlin

Rev. Gerard E. Menard, SJ

Dr. Gregory F. Muehlebach ’80

Mr. Ivan L. Nugent ’99

Rev. Ronald R. O’Dwyer, SJ

Mrs. Courtney A. O’Farrell

Mrs. Anita P. Paredes

Mr. Stephen D. Penn, Treasurer

Mrs. Anne P. Riggs

Mr. Jeffrey J. Simon

Mr. Michael B. Trigg ’96

Rev. Derrick Weingartner, SJ (ex officio)

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Dear Rockhurst Community,

For 112 years, Rockhurst High School has served the greater Kansas City community as the all-boys Jesuit school of Kansas City. Part of a national and international network of schools, our heritage from the Society of Jesus has been an integral heritage to helping shape the Kansas City community and beyond for generations.

The school may have existed in different locations and with developing curriculum, but the core of our mission in the formation of the young men we serve, helping them develop as Men for Others, and shaping their competence to serve in every sector of society has been a constant.

As a Board of Trustees, we have spent the better parts of the last two years working with our President, David Laughlin, to consider our future. David has shared with us various points of input from our employees as well as a President’s Advisory Committee which has helped provide valuable input as we dedicate ourselves to the mission of our school in our time.

There has been remarkable agreement on the human priorities of Rockhurst High School: our students and prospective students and the faculty and staff who accompany these young men in the mission of Rockhurst.

Today, we share with you a broad reaching vision statement for our future: Toward a Hope-Filled Future

The Pillars of this vision will guide the detailed aspects of the strategic planning to take place in our near future.

We invite you to read through this vision statement for Rockhurst and to reflect upon these Pillars as we move forward. In the months ahead, you will learn about greater details in planning for our future based upon these Pillars:

I. Jesuit Catholic Identity

II. Formation of the Whole Person

III. Excellence and Innovation

IV. Community Engagement

As we care for present-day Rockhurst, and look toward a future vision, we remain indebted with gratitude to all those families, benefactors, educators, Trustees, and community partners, and most especially, the Society of Jesus, for providing our school such a strong platform to reach and do even greater things in our future.

In hope and gratitude,

Owen M. Zidar ’75 Board Chairman

David M. Staker ’88 Board Vice Chairman

On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees.

For me, the impact of Rockhurst has been a family and community experience of good. The love and respect I have for my father Gerald (’48) and my son Scott (’06) and the many life-long friends, good men, that I met at Rockhurst. I’d like to think we were and are all men who at least strive to GOOD. And I really believe that Rockhurst, with its seemingly momentary four-year influence, had a significant role in the formation of each of us. And I hope ‘men for others’ continues to be aspirational!

— Jerry Kelly ’73 Kiawah Island, SC

Board of Trustees, President's Advisory Committee

STRATEGIC PILLARS

JESUIT, CATHOLIC IDENTITY

Be unapologetic in the promotion of our Jesuit, Catholic Identity. Our Catholic identity and Jesuit history call us to foster in all members of the school community an understanding that “All the created things of this world are created to help us develop as loving persons.”

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FORMATION OF THE

WHOLE PERSON

II

A Jesuit education is not about intellectual formation alone; it must be dedicated to cultivating all the gifts and talents bestowed by God. Students are challenged to become loving, resilient, moral, and faith-filled leaders.

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EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

I III IV

Be unwavering in our pursuit of superior academic opportunities that promote Excellence and Innovation. Our mission demands a rigorous curriculum. This requires a dedicated, mission-driven faculty, and clear, measurable outcomes for success in preparing students to be critical thinkers who promote the Common Good.

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Welcoming a greater level of collaboration, support, and input from various community members—Board, Parents, Alumni, Jesuits, Friends—we seek deeper formation for our students. Rockhurst will provide members opportunities for formation in our Jesuit tradition to further enhance their contribution and engagement.

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I

JESUIT, CATHOLIC IDENTITY

We are unapologetic in the promotion of our Jesuit, Catholic Identity. Our Catholic Faith and Jesuit history call us to foster in all members of the school community an understanding of the Ignatian charism in our spiritual tradition. Therefore, every activity of the school should closely align itself with our ultimate purpose.

To continue to develop young men of character rooted in this identity, Rockhurst High School must continue to focus efforts in the following areas:

• The recruitment of young men from across our metropolitan area who are capable of high academic achievement and who represent broad socio-economic, racial, and geographic demographics.

• Recruiting and developing a faculty, staff, and student body prepared to embrace the Jesuit mission of the school.

• Providing spiritual formation programs for students and faculty, as well as parents and alumni.

• Providing ongoing support for Pastoral Ministry and Ignatian Service reflecting the dynamism and growth of these programs.

• Intentional engagement with the Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas for the support of the local Church.

• Engagement with the Society of Jesus locally, as well as at the Province, national, and international level.

To achieve these objectives, Rockhurst High School will take the following actions:

• Develop a financial plan and funding strategy to begin meeting 100% of exhibited financial need as soon as possible – welcoming young men based upon their ability to succeed at Rockhurst High School and not their family’s economic circumstance.

• Continue to maximize Sacramental opportunities for our community.

• Review and enhance the integration of the Spiritual Exercises into formation programs (retreats, service trips, pilgrimages, co-curriculars).

• Actively recruit Jesuits and lay leaders with a commitment to Catholic faith and spiritual formation.

• Alignment of curriculum with Jesuit mission, including deepening connections to international ministries of the Society of Jesus.

• Expand faith and spiritual formation programs for Board, parents, and alumni.

It has been said that without continual growth and progress, such words as ̔improvement̓, ̔achievement̓, and ̔success̓ have no meaning. I believe this vision for the future will help ensure that Rockhurst continues to give meaning to those words, as a leader in shaping the lives of its students, alumni, faculty and staff, and the Kansas City community as a whole.

— Matt Smith ’00 Kansas City, MO President's Advisory Committee

FORMATION OF THE WHOLE PERSON

We must be dedicated to the formation of the whole person. A Jesuit education is not about academics alone, it must be about cultivating all the gifts and talents bestowed by God. Students must be challenged to become loving, empathetic, resilient, and faith-filled leaders.

To continue to develop well-formed men who are “open to growth” and effective leaders “engaged in the world”, Rockhurst High School will focus efforts in the following areas:

• Faculty recruitment and formation. Seek faculty with particular academic expertise who facilitate healthy adolescent development in the context of contemporary times and our mission.

• Enrollment that better reflects the diversity of our greater Kansas City community.

● Broaden non-academic programming and opportunities for students including healthy social events, service, immersion, and prayer.

• Build upon programs that care for the social, emotional, and mental health well-being of our students.

• Assist students in the discovery of their life’s vocation, as accompanied by Jesus, and reflective of the talents bestowed upon them.

To achieve these objectives, Rockhurst High School will take the following actions:

• Hire, develop, evaluate, and retain faculty, both full-time and part-time, to assist in the total formation of the students both in and outside of the classroom.

• Develop programs and provide resources to ensure the sustainability of meeting 100% of exhibited financial need and retention of students capable of succeeding at Rockhurst.

• Increase programs for leadership and personal development including local and global service and experiential learning opportunities.

• Seek intentional engagement with our alumni community for personal and vocational development opportunities for our students.

• Develop programs that support adolescents’ positive mental health during these formative years, including partnering with professional resources.

Rockhurst’s Jesuit liberal education imbues its students with what John Henry Newman called a ‘philosophic habit of mind’, the importance of learning to think how each learning opportunity and life experience, in and beyond the classroom, prepares them for a worthwhile, serviceoriented and fulfilling life. It is impossible to exaggerate our need for future leaders, so educated, in modern society.

— Ken Felter ’68 Boston, MA President's Advisory Committee

EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION

We must be unwavering in our pursuit to provide superior academic opportunities that promote Excellence and Innovation. Our mission demands a rigorous curriculum that prepares students to be critical thinkers.

To continue to provide the highest quality academic program and ensure students matriculate into fine post-secondary institutions and programs, well prepared for their future, we must focus efforts in the following areas:

• Continuous improvement in curriculum, pedagogy, and student experience of academic formation.

• Targeted recruitment, formation, development, evaluation, and retention of faculty and staff who are highly effective in promoting our mission.

• Enhanced mastery of technology for educational purposes, with healthy moderation to protect human and spiritual growth.

• Develop the experiential component of formation, which includes strategic engagement of alumni, parents, and community partners.

• Metrics for success.

To achieve these objectives, Rockhurst High School will take the following actions:

• Institute a focused program for faculty recruitment and retention, implementing an enhanced compensation and benefits structure.

• Strengthen and expand year-round professional development opportunities and expectations.

• Provide students practical skills for success beyond the classroom, including vocational awareness through alumni programs and ageappropriate internship opportunities.

• Engage students to become proficient in written and verbal expression of ideas, questions, and gratitude.

• Program development for the effective, ethical, and responsible use of technology.

• Identify and develop next steps in STEAM curriculum development.

• Enhancement of our long-standing tradition in the Fine and Performing Arts, with special emphasis on crosscurricular and multi-programmatic implementation.

• Emphasize student formation through their choices of engagement in co-curriculars and athletics.

Vision – ‘the ability to think about or plan for the future with imagination or wisdom.’ For us, that sums it up as it pertains to Rockhurst and its Vision. Rockhurst has been so formative and important to our families in the past. We want it to continue to constantly improve and be able to share it with others in the future: a rigorous Catholic formation and education for great young men!

— Barbara & David Dehaemers ’78 Leawood, KS

President's Advisory Committee, Former Trustee

IV

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

We must ensure comprehensive student formation through Community Engagement by involving the Jesuits, Board, parents, alumni, community partners, and friends. This requires new ways of proceeding and creativity to maximize engagement in the service of our students.

To continue to provide the highest quality formation for students, we must focus efforts in the following areas:

• Review of overall school communications, partnerships, and collaborations with adults whose influence shapes or could shape our students’ lives.

• Target recruitment, development, and retention of faculty and staff who see engagement with other adult constituents as essential to forming the student.

• Enhance and broaden curricular and co-curricular offerings to include thoughtful and effective engagement in communication and programming.

• Improve campus facilities, technology, and competencies to capitalize on the potential for learning and forming through remote resources.

To achieve these objectives, Rockhurst High School will take the following actions:

• Review societal influences and social context in the lives of our students to assist in our understanding and achieving our mission of forming "men for others."

• Intentionally construct programming for effective collaboration to enhance student formation.

• Consider staffing or resource implications for enhanced engagement effectiveness.

• Create more effective parent engagement partnerships.

• Create more robust alumni engagement for institutional support (financial or otherwise), continuing formation, and student formational experiences.

• Consider community partners, both in and out of Kansas City, that improve our education and formation for students.

• With greater economic diversity in our student population, consider programs of mutual support and engagement for the effective experience of all students attending Rockhurst High.

Ensuring

— Tom McDonnell ’62 Kansas City, MO President's Advisory Committee

As a native and current resident of Kansas City, I see the values learned and the commitment of others being played out by RHS alums in our hometown.

that current and future generations of young men will go into society guided by the values learned at RHS is the reason I am supportive and committed.