The Strategic Plan for Saint Mary's Hall

2023 - 2028

It is not for school, but for life we learn.

From the desk of the first Headmistress of Saint Mary’s Hall, Philippa Stevenson

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STRATEGIC PLAN

D

uring the 2022-2023 academic year, Saint Mary’s Hall launched a comprehensive strategic planning initiative with the aim of developing a guiding document to provide a long-range view of the School’s future. To ensure success, the process was highly inclusive and participatory, incorporating the perspectives and insights of faculty, staff, parents, trustees, and students. Guided by a Steering Committee and three Design Teams, the process also integrated pedagogical research, environmental scans, analysis of strengths and opportunities, and trends in the independent school and university sectors.

From its inception, the objective has been to remain ambitious, seeking ways to enhance student success while recognizing the strong foundation established by previous generations of Barons. The Plan is anchored in our culture of students being known, a focus on global dexterity and the breadth and rigor of academics and extracurricular programming that define excellence at SMH, where students are guided to become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers poised to make a broader impact on the world. The mission to prepare students to find fulfillment throughout their lives acted as a north star as opportunities for growth were considered.

Through the planning process, key priorities emerged to form three foundational pillars of the strategic plan: (1) Enhance and Innovate, (2) Belong and Unite, and (3) Advance and Sustain. Within these overarching pillars, strategic goals have been identified to provide focus as we continue to define future progress.

The Saint Mary’s Hall Strategic Plan was adopted by the Board of Trustees in the Spring of 2023, and embodies the collective vision and aspiration of the SMH community. As this strategic plan guides the growth of our programs and informs our institutional investments, it becomes the responsibility of the entire community to work together to ensure our continual improvement and steadfast commitment to our mission to prepare our students for success in college and fulfillment in life.

MISSION

The mission of Saint Mary’s Hall is to prepare our students for success in college and fulfillment in life.

VISION

To know and be known.

CORE VALUES

Saint Mary’s Hall Core Values are at the foundation of who we are.

COURAGE • INTEGRITY • RESPECT • RESPONSIBILITY SPIRITUALITY • TOLERANCE • TRADITION

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STRATEGIC PLAN

ENHANCE & INNOVATE Enhance academic excellence through innovative collaborations with global, local, and on-campus communities.

Create a K-12 experiential and global leadership program that prepares students to engage diverse perspectives and act upon the world with compassion and responsibility.

Invest in professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff to develop and support our expert educators.

Enhance curriculum with interdisciplinary teaching and learning to inspire curiosity and creative problem-solving.

Enhance our athletic and fine arts facilities and programs to benefit programming for all students.

Create an academic STEAM building to integrate a hands-on approach to learning and teaching that transfers knowledge and promotes engagement.

Strengthen our community connections and collaborations within San Antonio universities, business, tech, and creative industries to provide experiential learning opportunities.

Investigate the development of a new program incubator to expand student learning in emerging technologies like robotics, computing, artificial intelligence, engineering, and virtual reality.

What made SMH special were the teachers and the limitless possibilities to discover oneself to the fullest. From the many athletic teams to the countless student-led clubs, SMH offers every means for students to be successful and fulfilled.

Caroline Largoza ’20

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STRATEGIC PLAN

BELONG & UNITE Create a culture of belonging at Saint Mary’s Hall that brings together our community for greater good and common purpose.

Perpetuate an environment in which all students, families, faculty, staff, board members, and alumni feel seen, heard, healthy, and valued in order to promote a sense of affirmation and belonging.

Strengthen and enhance our existing wellness programming to support the growing needs of students, faculty, and staff and the broader School culture.

Expand our engagement in the broader community to ensure cultural competence and the development of servant leadership skills.

Study and maximize formal and informal opportunities for connecting and engaging students, families, faculty, and staff across all divisions to cultivate a campus-wide community and ensure the benefit of everyone.

Recruit, attract, retain, and develop high-quality faculty and staff, including those from underrepresented ethnicities, cultures, traditions, and backgrounds, providing a variety of windows and mirrors to enhance the SMH culture and experience.

Explore the School’s religious and spiritual history and current practices to define and articulate the spiritual identity of SMH. Attract and retain students from various ethnicities, cultures, traditions, and backgrounds, including underrepresented backgrounds, to enhance the SMH culture and experience.

Identify, study, and review customs and traditions within the SMH community to ensure that every member of the community feels positively connected to the School’s legacy.

Being a Baron means being part of a community where there’s kindness, friendliness, and everyone is amazing and different. It means a lot to be a Baron.

Abigail Conlee ’29

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STRATEGIC PLAN

ADVANCE & SUSTAIN Build a sustainable ecosystem of enrollment, philanthropy, programs, revenue, physical plant, and human resources to promote a culture of mutual support and alignment of purpose toward a common goal.

Create and maintain state-of-the-art facilities that support innovative programming and student success.

Achieve optimal enrollment to support the ideal student experience.

Achieve financial stability and resiliency to ensure the sustainability of the School.

Assess, develop, and grow sustainable practices, reducing the effects of campus operations on the environment.

Inspire the community to build authentic connections to SMH to maximize community impact on the mission of SMH.

Saint Mary’s Hall constantly affords me the opportunity to continue learning and growing as a professional.

Tracy Baker Sims

LEADERSHIP The Saint Mary’s Hall Strategic Plan was developed through the voice of our community and guided by countless hours of volunteer work from our Board of Trustees and Faculty and Staff. We are grateful to the members of the SMH community who guided this important process.

STEERING COMMITTEE Adrian Viccellio Carla Brozovich ’01 Emily Jones Fredricc Brock

Jennifer Cordova Karen Lee Zachry Kristen Polito Len Miller

Rachel Moczygemba Ricardo Reyna Ruth Agather ’79 Valerie Lohr

DESIGN TEAMS Enhance & Innovate Jennifer Cordova Adrian Viccellio Khristi Bates Murali Beeram Bethany Bohall Paige Cheatham ’14 Ellen Deitrich Yashika Dooley Melissa Garcia Jason Glast Mike Harriman Liz Stockdale Ben Tubb Sarah Visagie

Belong & Unite Fredricc Brock Rachel Moczygemba Josh Baker Nikisha Baker Melissa Baumholtz Elise Boyan Carla Brozovich ’01 Katy David ’96 Claudia Kypuros Sandra Lopez-Morales Soad Michelsen Tunette Powell Angela Rabke

Advance & Sustain Emily Jones Kristen Polito Ruth Agather ’79 Vicky Bates Kenneth Bethune ’01 A.B. Cruz Houston Frost ’99 Jim Greenwood Chris Harriman Julie Hellmund Fabiola Kaase Emilie Petty ’01 Dom Smith Jim Bob Womack

2022-23 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Nikisha Baker Murali Beeram Kenneth Bethune ’01 Elise Boyan, Vice Chair Carla Brozovich ’01 Paige Cheatham ’14 A.B. Cruz Katy David ’96 Yashika Dooley

Houston Frost ’99 Melissa Garcia Jason Glast Jim Greenwood, Treasurer Emily Jones Fabiola Kaase Claudia Kypuros Soad Michelsen Emilie Petty ’01

Ricardo Reyna, Chair Ben Tubb Karen Lee Zachry, Secretary Edward Austin, Emeriti Ronald Herrmann, Emeriti Connie McCombs McNab, Emeriti

Teach us delight in simple things.

Every day, I’m inspired by the kinds of students who come to Saint Mary’s Hall, who chose to be artists, scholars, and athletes.

Logan Blanco Upper School Art Teacher

Visit

www.smhall.org/StrategicPlan to learn more

9401 Starcrest Drive | San Antonio, TX 78217

www.smhall.org