Dear Friends of Falmouth Academy,
I am excited to share with you the results of Falmouth Academy’s year-long strategic planning process. Despite the onset of the global pandemic and the intensive effort that was required to pivot in March 2020 to a remote learning environment, the work of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee proceeded without interruption. At the May meeting of the Board of Trustees, Falmouth Academy’s Strategic Vision 2020—representing the collective efforts of so many—was officially and unanimously endorsed.
The process began back in May of 2019, with the selection of our lead facilitator, Ms. Jenn Desjarlais of Cambridge Hill Partners. Together we engaged faculty, former faculty, parents, alumni, community members, and most importantly our students, many of whom participated in a facilitated strategy session of their own. With both patience and persistence, Jenn helped us frame and follow a process that honored our original goals of being thorough, transparent, and inclusive.
Yes, a lot has changed in the last fifteen months! But, against the backdrop of these uncertain times, now is actually the perfect moment for this young institution to celebrate our history, affirm our values, engage our many stakeholders, and together chart a bold path forward. Now is the moment because, simply put, there’s no time to waste.
The strategic vision we share with you here is deeply rooted in our mission statement, which compels us to “embolden each student to take creative and intellectual risks to engage the challenges of our times.” Herein you will learn more about the four strategic directions we will be pursuing over the years ahead: “Distinctive Place,” “Renewed Curriculum,” “Excellence in Teaching,” and “Future Sustainability.” And you will see that embedded within and integrated across each are three clear charges: to operationalize our stated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, to build on our long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and resilience, and to evolve our program so that it is intentionally responsive to the multi-faceted role technology plays in the lives of current and future students.
Let it never be said of Falmouth Academy that we lack ambition! I am grateful for the efforts and wise counsel of all who participated in the process, and invite your wisdom and support as, together we move FA… ...Forward.
Sincerely,
Matthew Green Head of School
200volunteers
ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
FACULTY & STAFF
2 STUDENT GROUPS
2 PARENT GROUPS
ALUMNI COUNCIL
GRANDPARENTS
COMMUNITY FRIENDS
“We engaged in a number of activities and exercises designed to move us toward consensus of three to five strategic ideas in service of which a series of measurable action steps could emerge.”
The Process
Each group was asked a similar set of prompts:
What are Falmouth Academy’s key strengths and how can we build on them?
What are the primary challenges that we must be aware of or address moving forward?
Putting aside feasibility, what opportunities could strengthen the academic experience and support student engagement?
Guiding Principles
mission values
Harnessing the power of inspired learning in a world-renowned scientific and vibrant artistic community, Falmouth Academy emboldens each student to take creative and intellectual risks to confidently engage the challenges of our times.
We value… the beauty of knowledge and the joy of conversation, collaboration and generosity of spirit, the power of a culture of kindness, relationships built on trust, respect, and direct communication, the wonder of imagination, each student’s pursuit of diverse challenges and opportunities, teachers as models of confident, rich adulthood.
vision
Inspired by the teaching excellence of its faculty, the impressive professional accomplishments of its alumni, and a long-standing reputation for academic achievement, Falmouth Academy strives to be the standard for educational excellence in southern New England. We prepare our students to become lifelong learners and engaged and responsible citizens who are ready and eager to meet the challenges of the future. We connect our students to other ideas, places and cultures by creating relevant learning opportunities in and out of the classroom and cultivating in them the curiosity, creativity and capacity necessary to fully participate in a diverse society and an increasingly interconnected world.
Distinctive Place
We are fortunate to be located in a region rich with opportunities. Whether it be the world renowned scientific community all around us, the increasingly fragile ecosystem that surrounds us, a bustling year-round town just down the hill, or the natural environment just outside our classroom doors, our school is uniquely positioned to re-imagine where learning happens. We will make a meaningful difference to the distinctive place in which our school exists through initiatives that integrate sustainability into our curriculum, facilitate out-of-class experiences, create connections, and extend learning opportunities for all students, and otherwise speak to the unique challenges of this generation’s increasingly uncertain and unstable climate.
OBJECTIVES
• Establish FA as a leader in educating for resilience and adaptability in the face of accelerating change, with a particular focus on climate science education
• Maximize our impact through initiatives involving integration of sustainability into our curriculum, out-ofclassroom activities and research and scholarship
• Re-imagine and expand partnerships with local, regional, and global organizations to provide educational/ experiential opportunities across the curriculum for all students
• Expand our capacity to offer auxiliary programming to the local population during a summer session
Renewed Curriculum
We take pride in creating a rigorous and inclusive environment that inspires learning. Recent advances in brain science, a population undergoing significant demographic change, and the ever-increasing role technology plays in a world that continues to get smaller compel us to reexamine our curriculum to ensure that it is intentionally structured and fully responsive to this changing world and its many pressing “challenges of our times.”
OBJECTIVES
• Complete a comprehensive curriculum review across all grades and disciplines in conjunction with an increased focus on technology, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and community outreach and engagement
• Develop and implement a framework and process for articulating and evaluating educational outcomes for our students to include a “portrait of a graduate” statement
• Update and implement a detailed technology plan to identify and integrate the most appropriate and effective uses of technology to enhance and support curriculum and instruction
• Reform the academic schedule so that it better supports individualized, experiential and interest-based learning
• Elevate signature program offerings to include the integration of climate science across the curriculum in support of FA’s leadership in this area
