The Steward School Strategic Plan 2025-26 Progress Report
C O M P A S S 2 0 2 8
THE STEWARD SCHOOL
STRATEGIC PLAN
2025-26
PROGRESS REPOR T
THE STEWARD SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN
2025-26 PROGRESS REPORT
Area 1
INNOVATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
Milestone
INNOVATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
Offer new ways for students to develop, demonstrate, and be assessed on their learning
• We are offering two honors-level, graded courses this summer for Upper School students that can be included on their transcripts for college: “Professional and Personal Writing in the 21st Century” and “The Study of Sports in Society.”
• We redesigned the senior project with a modern approach designed to boost engagement and adapt to an evolving academic landscape.
Milestone
Expand our Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Service Learning Programs
• The Upper School Entrepreneurship Program was very lively this year, hosting three pitch events and five visiting speakers. Fifty-nine students participated in at least one event, and five seniors will graduate with diploma endorsements.
• The JK-12 Service Learning program implemented several focused initiatives, including soil health (Grade 3), food access (Grade 7), and poverty (Grade 9). Each established at least one community partnership.
INNOVATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
The Leadership Program continued its robust work in the Upper School, with 67 students in grades 9-11 currently participating and 15 seniors who completed the program, representing about 30% of the Upper School. The program deepened its partnerships with both Virginia Tech and the University of Richmond. Twenty-four students from the second-year cohort activated group service projects inspired by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and seventeen third-year students successfully completed an independent capstone project.
Milestone
• The BIL team guided our schoolwide theme for the year: Nature
Expand the Bryan Innovation Lab program and impact students, faculty, and parents.
• The BIL hosted two nature-themed, nationallevel Visiting Innovators this year: Jennifer Pharr Davis and Richard James McCowan, who shared their expertise and experiences with
• Angela Hanscom, founder of TimberNook and author of “Barefoot & Balanced,” spent a day with us, including talks for parents and Richmond-area teachers, as well as guided play sessions with students and faculty.
INNOVATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
All Lower School students engaged in Nature Play at least once per octo; the public program continued every Thursday afternoon.
We expanded our composting program by offering it in both the Dining Commons and at large-scale school events. Additionally, the third grade has completed a “backyard composting project” using food scraps from the Dining Commons at the BIL.
We piloted an Innovator in Residence program, hosting Matthew E. White of the famed local music recording studio Spacebomb Studios to
record and produce a full-length album. Students in all divisions participated in creating the album, which launched in April.
Milestone
Leveraging technology: augmented reality/virtual reality, artificial intelligence, media literacy, and computer science and published a white paper to support faculty learning and implementation.
• SAIL (Steward AI Leaders), which includes faculty members from all divisions, is identifying and streamlining the way AI is used, monitored, and evaluated in classrooms.
• SAILors provided a research clearinghouse
• Shahwar Qureshi, director of technology, presented at a conference about navigating the complexities of AI in a school environment.
OPTIMIZING HOLISTIC, WHOLE-PERSON EXPERIENCES Area 2
Milestone
OPTIMIZING HOLISTIC, WHOLE-PERSON EXPERIENCES
Ensure our campus aligns with and enhances our mission and values
• We completed our campus-wide “time audit,” which resulted in a full report summarizing our approach to time and offering recommendations for the future. It also included a detailed decision-making matrix for evaluating new and existing programming.
Milestone
Leveraging our humanity — The Center for Civil Discourse
• Forty faculty and staff completed a two-day Crucial Conversations training. They are implementing the strategies they learned in their work with children and adults.
• The Crucial Conversations faculty committee provided a resource guide to their colleagues and has plans in place for deeper curricular integration through the Center for
Engagement in 2026-27.
Milestone
OPTIMIZING HOLISTIC, WHOLE-PERSON EXPERIENCES
Care and Balance: Health and Well-being
• Approximately 75 faculty and staff have been trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid, which teaches adults how to assist and support students who are experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge.
• The entire sophomore class completed Teen Mental Health First Aid training, a version of the program designed for peer-to-peer support.
BUILDING AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY Area 3
Milestone
BUILDING AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY
Core Values: Define, integrate, and measure those values that matter most to the Steward community
• “I Am a Spartan,” Steward’s version of a Portrait of a Graduate, was shared schoolwide in August.
• This school year, a faculty and staff committee created divisional versions of “I Am a Spartan,” which include examples of prosocial behaviors and obstacles. These will be shared with the community at the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Milestone
Stakeholder partnerships and participation volunteers, the Future Me Fair went beyond a traditional career fair.
• The time audit included a study of our campus events, and the decision-making matrix offers methodology for future evaluation.
Throughout the year, Lower School families have led cultural lessons about traditions and holidays.
• With more than 20 parent and alumni
• Students explored a wide range of careers, connected with professionals, and engaged in experiential activities designed to inspire goal-setting, motivation, and self-discovery.
BUILDING AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY
Forty-one alumni, parents, alumni parents, and grandparents supported our students through the Upper School career fair, Alumni Inspiration Day, an art show, and speaker panels.
• Twelve formal volunteer groups, consisting of boards, committees, and associations, offered hundreds of hours to support our community.
• Grads from every decade participated in nine alumni events throughout the year.
• The alumni podcast, now 17 episodes strong, is popular with the entire Steward community and boasts more than 1,400 listens.
Milestone
BUILDING AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY
Ecosystem of partnership: Opportunities with and for the external community
• In January, we offered the fourth-annual Beloved Community RVA, a half-day conference open to the community. This year’s conference celebrated our shared environment, in keeping with our schoolwide theme of Nature.
• In April, a trio of Upper School students hosted the second-annual Women’s Empowerment Conference.
• Minimester, during which Upper School students complete internships and community service, created further community connections.
• School-wide initiatives like the Warm Wishes Drive and Rise Against Hunger offered oncampus service opportunities.
• Middle Schoolers do community service during community weeks and advisory.
