An Extraordinary Vision

ROWLAND HALL UNVEILS FOUR NEW STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Our world has become more interconnected— and its problems greater and more complex. As the world changes and evolves, so too must the strategic direction of Rowland Hall.

In March 2022, the school launched a bold new vision statement—Developing People the World Needs—and four strategic priorities designed to enhance and build on our legacy of teaching and learning excellence. This strategic guidance will ensure we give students the skills and confidence necessary to be the adaptable and creative problem solvers the world needs

1: CULTIVATE A COMMUNITY WHERE EACH MEMBER THRIVES

2: DESIGN AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN WHICH STUDENTS HAVE AGENCY AND PURPOSE

3: REIMAGINE CURRICULUM TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD

4: PROVIDE AN EXTRAORDINARY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT PROMOTES INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION

The Process

In the summer of 2021, a group of eight trustees and administrators began thinking about the school’s next set of strategic priorities. Rowland Hall was one of three schools invited to participate in the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) inaugural Vision and Strategy Lab, which challenged schools to be more nimble in their approach to strategic thinking, using Jim Collins’ BE 2.0 as a guidebook. At the end of the summer, this working group shifted to engage teachers and staff in all four divisions, as well as added in trustee and administrative representation. The committee of 12 faculty, staff, trustees, and administrators began working on the school’s new priorities and vision statement, with a goal to present a draft to the Board of Trustees in January 2022. Over the course of seven months, and with the creative and energetic facilitation of trustee Sarah Lehman, the committee created an ambitious set of strategic priorities.

As the committee was meeting, parents and caregivers were invited to join Head of School Mick Gee at several forums at which they gave input on the future of education. They were asked to think about what the world will look like when current kindergartners are 30 years old and starting to make their marks on the world. By imagining the world those students will enter, the groups started to identify both skills Rowland Hall needs to continue to teach as well as skills and knowledge we need to grow. This same question was asked of faculty, and the collective feedback informed and reinforced the committee’s thinking.

In March 2022, the committee shared the new strategic priorities with all faculty and staff, and then with the wider Rowland Hall community, and in April 2022, Tim Fish, NAIS chief innovation officer and one of the leaders of the summer strategy lab, came to Rowland Hall to work with faculty and staff. As someone who visits over 150 schools a year, Tim was an excellent resource for how we might approach our priorities in both large and small steps. After he spoke, teachers moved into smaller subject-specific areas to begin to identify changes they could make to their teaching, in terms of how to teach and what to teach, as early as spring 2022. In addition, there’s a growing interest among faculty to create or deepen partnerships with state and higher education organizations, including the University of Utah and Westminster College, as well as nonprofits and startups.

Next Steps

Rowland Hall faculty and staff have formed strategic priority subcommittees, each dedicated to one priority and tasked with determining next steps as well as resources needed, to ensure successful implementation over the next three to five years. The implementation of these priorities will rely on the continued commitment of our faculty and staff, and our entire community. We look forward to sharing more in the months to come.

Thank You

Thank you to the members of the Strategic Priorities Committee who guided the first steps of this work. We are grateful for their leadership and vision. Trustees: Christina Lau Billings ’98, Melissa Filippone, Adam Himoff, Sarah Lehman, Christopher Von Maack ’97, Jeanne Zeigler Faculty and Staff: Isabelle Buhler, Beginning School; Matthew Collins, Lower School; Chelsea Vasquez, Middle School; Michelle Rasich, Upper School Administrators: Jennifer Blake, Mick Gee, Ingrid Gustavson, Wendell Thomas, Emma Wellman Additional Reviewers: Ryan Hoglund, Stephanie Orfanakis, Dr. Chandani Patel Outside Input: Tim Fish, Chief Innovation Officer, NAIS

For more information, visit rowlandhall.org/ strategicpriorities.