Dear SCH Families,
While we have closed out the school year and turned our heads toward summer recess, I am pleased to share with you my final update for 2023-2024. As I write this report, I am feeling heartened by the amazing school year we have had. I have had umpteen opportunities this past month to enjoy a vibrant parade of events heading into summer. These events occasioned pride and connection, no doubt trimming the spring with cheer. Topped off by tournaments and triumphs, performances and shows, field trips and field days, dances and the prom, exams and final projects, and move-up ceremonies and commencement, the year reminded me of the magic of our school. What brings me joy, in a word, is seeing everyone else’s! Thanks to our world-class staff and faculty who have been the architects of myriad experiences, giving every measure of themselves day in and day out for our school.
As you know from previous updates, this past school year we took a disciplined and sustained approach to considering the school’s future. We underwent a strategy development process to help our school envision its aspirations and press its advantages, with the goal of strengthening our ability to deliver our mission and positioning it for success in the long run.
Modeling our mission and buttressed by our core values, we asked big questions and listened carefully to discover what truly matters to our community. The process included constituent surveys, a town hall/world cafe experience for employees, market research, meetings with individuals, and a series of small group conversations we’ve called SCHarrettes. This multi-tendril effort demanded looking inward, outward, and forward. Involving over 1,800 voices, the process not only energized and piqued the curiosity of the school community, but produced important insights that will help us pave a surer path for our school.
The senior leadership team worked in March to analyze and synthesize the data. They and members of the Board convened in April, tasked with developing a strategic framework with clearly defined priorities that are both anchored to our mission and values and propelled by an ambition to deliver an extraordinary educational experience. The strategic framework, then, is the outcome of a year-long process that engaged the entire SCH community to affirm who we are and aspire to be. It represents statements of strategy, not operational plans.
With great intention, the strategic framework is anchored in our mission and values. The work product draws out a set of broad strategic priorities central to realizing our future:
- Vigorous Academics, Teaching, and Learning
- Intentionally Embedded Innovation
- An Engaged Community Committed to Belonging
- Sharing the SCH Experience
- Expanding Our Ability to Invest in Our Future
These priorities and their associated commitments and initiatives can be traced back to insights gleaned from the data we collected. They serve as a guiding light and enduring points of focus as we anticipate the demands of tomorrow while delivering the most impact today. They represent the right choices, the right things to do, not all things.
Unlike a plan, which mimics a to-do list, the framework is a tool to align critical decisions about our future with the institution’s mission and values, strategic priorities, commitments, and initiatives. As the pace of change in the world has accelerated, strategy is less about planning and more about positioning and persistent execution against seen and unforeseen circumstances. Think compass, not map: What are those things we need to do now to move in the right direction and toward “future us”? Thus, the strategic framework is a living document designed to be agile, aspirational, and responsive as needs arise and conditions change. Societal shifts, the changing landscape of education, and new thinking from leadership, faculty, and staff may inspire updates over time. Thus, we will continuously evaluate and refine our strategic commitments and initiatives.
I am excited to be leading the school in the launch of the strategic framework, building upon over 300 combined years of educational excellence and upon a shared vision and continuous-learning mindset, to help us effect positive change for our school.
With that, I thank you for entrusting your children to our care and for your enduring support and encouragement. I wish your family a happy and healthy summer!
Warmly,
Delvin Dinkins
Head of School