St. David's Magazine | Spring 2021

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge.

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 10:27

The St. David's distinctive is an education that cultivates the whole student -heart, soul, mind, strength

Honoring, inspiring and equipping the leaders who honor, inspire and equip our students

A school culture built around a vibrant and connected community

A robust St. David's academic and co-curricular journey that culminates in the Upper School experience

A financially healthy and sustainable school for generations to come

Balance the combined demands of the academic and co-curricular programs for students at every level in order to foster healthy life habits while still striving for excellence.

Continue with implementation of curricular enhancements recommended during the 2018 comprehensive curriculum review, applying on-going assessment around the impact and effectiveness of each initiative, and adjusting as needed. Also finalize unified writing curriculum that spans a student’s time at St. David’s School.

Offer a slate of merit scholarships for rising Upper School students (new and current) that bolster the composition of the student body with earnest, mission-aligned servant-leaders.

Assess our model of current Academic Support Services and consider additional programming for students with diagnosed learning differences.

Define the scope and sequence of technology education at St. David’s and continue growing our Innovation Warriors program by adding courses, optimize use of the Innovation Warriors Lab and expand opportunities for guided and independent exploration in engineering, design and robotics.

Extend the borders of campus through partnerships with businesses, institutions and organizations in the broader community that provide students with mentorship, immersive learning experiences and internships.

Adding to an already considerable range of camps and programs, host a robust line-up of St. David's faculty-taught Summer Academy courses (including core courses, enrichment courses and readiness courses).

Strategically configure the structure of the Student Affairs department to most effectively bring vitality, resources and oversight to Warrior spirit, school unity and a fun and festive campus life.

Pursue opportunities to bring additional continuity and coordination to faith formation and spiritual life on campus, across grade-levels and programs, as well as between home and school.

Expand opportunities for fostering student-to-student relationships across grade levels that enable every student to both give and receive mentorship (e.g. buddy program and sports clinics).

Grow a spirit of active service among our students and create opportunities for shared experiences in which they can learn from and with neighboring communities in Raleigh and abroad (e.g. local, national and international mission trips)

Complete the St. David’s co-curricular map diagramming the full range of opportunities in arts, athletics, leadership, service and student clubs available to students throughout their pre-K to 12 journey.

Recruit, equip and empower St. David’s parent ambassadors to help lead culture-building efforts within the community of families and to help St. David’s continue to flourish and tell its story in our areas of distinction.

Enhance care, mentoring and development at each stage of an employee's professional journey at St. David's – from onboarding to growing/leading and upon departure.

Identify avenues for rewarding faculty, staff and coaches for exemplary work and leadership in fostering a positive culture, a growth mindset and a spirit of excellence with students in the classroom, on the stage, the playing fields and across campus.

Identify and engage additional pipelines of faculty recruitment to attract highly qualified candidates devoted to a life of faith, with dual loves of teaching in their discipline and investing holistically in the lives of students both in and out of the classroom.

Continue growing as a more diverse learning community with progress, especially, toward a truly shared, hospitable environment where all St. David's students and families experience a sense of genuine belonging in the areas of curriculum, co-curricular opportunities, student life, school policy and community engagement.

Apprise the broader community of the underlying design of and rationale for curricula and programming across grade levels that aligns with current research through published articles and other coordinated communications.

Continue master planning, beginning with upgrading the playground, making optimal use of current campus space and buildings and further enhancing Upper School facilities.

Establish a family connection program for self-identified families with students of color at St. David’s by pairing families with other families so they can journey together.

Grow endowments in areas of strategic priority to support long-term delivery of our school’s mission (e.g. Student Access and Success and Master Teaching Endowment).

Explore the installation of a governance committee on the Board of Trustees that attends to the health, professional development and tenure of trustees and growth of the board over time.