FROM VISION TO ACTION STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2021
WE’VE BEEN LISTENING
Over the past several years, St. David’s leadership has employed a number of different methods to invite all members of our community to share feedback of their experience at the school, and to reflect upon the ways they see the mission of St. David’s School being lived out. These methods included: • An alumni questionnaire, hosted by Connor Associates, a national school marketing firm, that invited more than 220 alumni to share their St. David’s experience (spring 2019). • An image audit conducted through phone interviews with various constituent groups by Connor Associates to gather insights about perceptions of St. David’s School (spring 2019). • An online survey about programs and performance hosted by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and shared with all current families, employees and students (winter 2020). • Focus groups with current parents, students, staff and faculty conducted by John Littleford and Associates, a management consulting firm specializing in independent schools (fall 2020). • Phone interviews with 25 school leaders conducted by John Littleford Associates, 1:1 (fall 2020). • A focus group specifically looking at eighth to ninth grade retention (on-going). • General feedback gathered by way of committee work and additional means from 2018-2020. Having reviewed all the data and research gathered, the board of trustees and St. David’s leadership team held a two-day retreat in November 2020 to evaluate and prioritize—based on the mission and vision of St. David’s School—the strategic goals and initiatives for the continued growth and success of our school. The following pages lay out the results of these efforts and provide a roadmap to move from vision to action. Above all, we remain committed to our mission. These mission-centered priorities will help guide our decisions to ensure we continue delivering the best possible St. David’s experience for our students, employees, families and the broader St. David’s community. I have been encouraged throughout this process to see and hear what a strong place St. David’s School holds in the hearts and minds of our community, and I am excited to see where the future will lead us. With gratitude, Matt Hillegass, Head of School
MISSION & COMMITMENTS St. David’s is an independent school in the Episcopal school tradition that prepares young men and women for college and life by challenging them to excel in the vital areas of faith, virtue and knowledge.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge.
2 PETER 1: 5 • There is no substitute in first-rate education for the relationships that are fostered between a student and teachers, coaches and advisors. These relationships have always been at the heart of all our work with students at St. David’s. • The full St. David’s School experience combines the right mix of challenging academics, Christian faith formation, character and leadership development opportunities, competitive athletics and a second-to-none fine arts program that come together, over the pre-K through 12th grade journey, to awaken wonder in students, to give them every opportunity to try new things and to expand their imagination for the next leg of their journey, confident that they will be well-prepared in faith, virtue and knowledge, wherever their journey takes them. • We know that each student is a unified combination of heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27) and we remain committed to educating the whole child.
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.”
L UKE 10: 27
OUR MISSION-CENTERED PRIORITIES Informed by the data collected, and rooted in our mission and core commitments, we have identified and formalized our strategic priorities as a school.
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
STRATEGIC ALLY ADVANCING THESE PRIORITIES
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.
STRATEGIC ALLY ADVANCING THESE PRIORITIES
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.
Board of Trustees Joe Knott, Chairman Mike Smith, Vice-Chairman Cliff Benson III Neal Coker Paul Conway Anne Fletcher John Luckett Donna McClatchey Ven Poole Jule Smith Phil York
Leadership Team Matt Hillegass Miriam Leshnock Ryan Messmore LeeAnne Whitworth Jason Redmond Justin Carreker Krissie Barr Leigh Stallings Virginia Matthews Emily Nelson Mary Allison Raper Anne Sena Ricardo Viera
S T . D AV I D ' S S CH OOL