The Harker School Strategic Plan

THE HARKER SCHOOL’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2020-2025 Realizing World-Class Education

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125th Gift Initiative 2018 - 2023 As we celebrated Harker’s 125th anniversary during the 2018-19 school year, we concurrently completed our accreditation review process with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). The confluence of these two milestones allowed us to simultaneously celebrate the school’s journey to this point and contemplate our next steps. The strategic plan presented here captures the key components of both processes and provides a blueprint for our areas of emphasis in the coming five years.

Our look ahead builds upon those successes and on what has steered us to this point: our mission and core values. As we contemplated the things upon which we should focus our coming efforts, we constantly asked how we could best meet our mission’s call to “educate our students for success at college and beyond,” and also prepare them “to take their place as global citizens.” In looking back, it seems we have done both of these things well, partially evidenced by the successes of our alumni and the impact they have had in the world around us. We approached our planning process from this position of strength, with the intention not only to honor and maintain the culture and programs in place, but to include the evolutionary steps needed for Harker to continue being one of the finest schools in the country.

In exploring initiatives of interest for the future, many ideas and possibilities emerged. As we began to organize this plan, our overarching goals and various initiatives fell into the four themes which frame this document. In creating this plan, we sought input from our community through surveys, conversations, discussions, exercises and focus groups. We are very grateful to all who participated for their valuable input.

Many of the initiatives identified in this plan have benefited already from the philanthropy of community members who have supported the early stages of our efforts. Throughout the school’s history, the students and staff at Harker have been able to succeed because of the commitment and generosity of members of our community. We simply would not be the school we are today without the incredible support of generations past, and this tradition continues with more strength than ever today. Thanks to our passionate supporters, our future path is already well-paved, and we look forward to working together to make this plan a reality.

Sincerely,

Brian Yager Head of School

The Core Values in Our Mission

“The investment our community makes in our strategic plan ensures that the world-class education we provide our students will continue for years to come.”

– Albert “Chip” Zecher ’79, board of trustees chair

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FOSTER

Foster kindness, respect and integrity

DEVELOP

Develop intellectual curiosity, personal accountability and love of learning

HONOR

Honor individuality

EMBRACE

Embrace diversity

PROMOTE

Promote leadership and service

MAKE

Make a difference

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“I’m grateful for the opportunity I had at Harker to explore different disciplines like art history and economics; participate in activities like volleyball and the musical; and pursue advanced computer science courses that influenced my professional ambitions.”

– Andy Fang ’10, co-founder, DoorDash

Harker’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025 to realize our vision of a world-class education is built upon Harker’s mission and core values, and the experience gained from educating students for success in life – and beyond – for just over 125 years.

Our recent accreditation certification from the California Association of Independent Schools included an unprecedented 37 commendations. Based upon their findings, and the yearlong self-study that our school community submitted, we created this strategic plan to ensure we realize our vision.

Key indicators of success from implementing the strategic plan include: 1) developing 100 percent of our students to be lifelong learners who are prepared to accomplish their academic, personal and professional goals through their passion for learning, their sense of global responsibility, and their connection to Harker’s core values, so that they make an impact on their wider communities; 2) transitioning our middle school students to the newly constructed Union Ave. campus by fall 2021, creating an inviting, supportive The Four Themes of Our Strategic Plan and safe place that promotes indepth learning and enhances our students’ physical and emotional 1 Ensuring ongoing programmatic excellence well-being; 3) inspiring members of our community to participate in the 125th Anniversary Gift Initiative 2 Prioritizing our safe, nurturing and inspiring environment and help us reach our goal of $50 million to fund this strategic plan, 3 Relocating and building our middle school campus which includes building Harker’s endowment by $10 million to support the school’s mission in 4 Inspiring philanthropy perpetuity.

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Ongoing Programmatic Excellence • Inspiring teachers and coaches • Motivating students • Providing outstanding curriculum and programs • Utilizing high-quality facilities and equipment

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As we pursue new and exciting opportunities in both programs and processes, we want to make sure that we recognize the value and importance of what we already have in place. Our existing programs, faculty, coaches and staff have created a superb learning environment.

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Upper School Courses Offered

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Specific Initiatives

Annual Performances

Inspiring Teachers and Coaches •

Dedicating resources to attract and retain high-quality instructors

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Funding professional development

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Supporting faculty with our learning, innovation and design program

Motivating Students •

Maintaining small class sizes

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Customizing courses and schedules

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Offering comprehensive support

Providing Outstanding Curriculum and Programs •

Ensuring continued breadth and depth of programs, including courses and clubs

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Teaching classes using a variety of pedagogical approaches and techniques

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Integrating technology in meaningful ways to enhance learning

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Providing leadership and creative opportunities in courses, programs, clubs and activities

Utilizing High-Quality Facilities and Equipment •

Providing state-of-the-art equipment and resources to enhance learning

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Constructing/remodeling inspiring and functional facilities/ spaces for student growth

“Indeed Harker, with all the excellent teachers and the amazing 1-1 relation they share with each student thanks to their approachability and dedication, is a place that fosters a natural love for learning, exploration, work ethic and resourcefulness.”

– Gayatri Bhimaraju, parent

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Safe, Nurturing and Inspiring Environment • Focusing on health and safety - physical, emotional and cognitive - is among our highest priorities.

• Enhancing life skills helps students thrive and sets them up for success in college and beyond.

• Inspiring teachers, programs and spaces help make this environment possible.

Our students and alumni consistently state that their favorite part of Harker is the faculty. Our

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Total Sports Teams Fielded

teachers care deeply for the students, and that in turn inspires the students, giving them a safe and nurturing space to spread their wings, experiment, learn and grow.

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Student Council Wellness Service Programs

Physical Fitness

Character Programs and Honor Code

Multicultural and Diversity Committees

Parent Volunteering Spirit Campus Beautification

Campus Cleaning and Disinfection

Counseling

We continually strive to create and enhance programs that contribute to a safe, nurturing and inspiring environment.

Environmental and Sustainability Initiatives

School Nurses

Lunch and Nutrition Team

Security Team

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School Assemblies and Speakers

Link Crew

Parent Education Programs Buddy Program

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Relocating and Building Our New Middle School Campus • Promoting greater collaboration, creativity and exploration • Enabling social interaction and promoting social growth • Uplifting spirits with an aesthetically pleasing environment

One of our most important strategic initiatives is to enhance the middle school experience. Relocating our middle school students to a state-of-the-art campus will help that community establish a unique sense of identity and increase its school spirit and sense of pride – all of which will help our middle school students to thrive.

Owning this middle school campus, rather than leasing, is the culminating step in our expansion plan, and allows us the control to create the best and most customized spaces for our students.

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New Campus Features: • Two-story classroom building with 39,000 square feet of flexible learning space and 37 classrooms • 9,000-square-foot multipurpose room/theater complex • 11,200-square-foot gymnasium and locker room complex • Large central sports field for sports and open gathering space • Centralized multiuse spaces designed specifically for middle school-aged students • Learning, innovation & design center with robotics lab • Student activity and counseling center

“For our daughter to attend the new middle school is the sweetest homecoming I could wish for her. And to be buoyed by such a remarkable community is a blessing and an opportunity for which we are forever grateful. The new campus reflects the spirit, innovation, creativity and grace of the Harker family.”

–Julie (Ratner) Sachse ’88, parent —8—

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Acres of Middle School Awesomeness

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Inspiring Philanthropy A Case for Increasing Endowment At the time we launched this strategic plan, Harker’s endowment was just under $3 million - far below that of the other best schools in the country. Since the inception of the upper school, we have had to raise funds to purchase campuses and expand our facilities as we grew. Having a healthy endowment will be critical for the long-term success of our school.

Endowment funds are invested, and a portion of the interest earned each year is available to support essential needs such as program excellence, teacher compensation and student scholarships. Having this permanent source of funding will take pressure off the annual operation budget and help ensure long-term financial stability.

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Near/Mitra Endowment Grants Awarded (since 2009)

“We need to be thoughtful about funding and growing an endowment that gives the school the flexibility it needs not just to maintain, but expand on the world-class experience that it is providing.”

–Louise and Fouad ElNaggar, parents

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Funding the Strategic Plan • Critical to the success of the implementation of this strategic plan will be inspiring our community to support this plan philanthropically and fund its initiatives. Therefore, we have launched a comprehensive appeal called the 125th Anniversary Gift Initiative to acknowledge and recognize all gifts and pledges made over the five-year period 20182023, regardless of which fund or funds a gift is given to support.

• The Strategic Plan 2020-2025 is comprehensive in nature and includes initiatives that are funded by the annual fund, the capital fund and the endowment fund. Therefore, any gift given to any of the funds will count toward the 125th Anniversary Gift Initiative. This way, families and alumni can support the part of the strategic plan for which they are most passionate and be recognized for their overall contributions during this period.

• Families can make their 125th Anniversary Gift Initiative gift by signing a letter of intent indicating the amount of support they are planning to give to Harker – and to which fund or funds – over a period up to five years.

Thank you for your part in securing Harker’s place as a world-class school for generations of future students.

Contact advancement@harker.org.

Annual Gifts

1,400+

from Our Generous Donors

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“All of us together, we are Harker.

Harker is a place … but it’s also a community.

No matter where you go, you are a part of it.”

- Tanya Schmidt ’08 (address to graduates, 2018)

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