Building a Better Future by Jana F. Brown
In an interview with Head of School Jim Hamilton, Berwick’s aspirational leader talks about the goals of the new strategic plan.
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ince arriving at Berwick Academy in the summer of 2018, Jim Hamilton has made it his mission for the School to be increasingly intentional about all it does — from teaching, to learning, to financial planning, to everything in between. It was with that mindset that Hamilton and the members of the Board of Trustees, supported by the full Berwick community, entered into the strategic planning process. The result is a plan built on six goals: growing environmental commitment; refining Berwick’s academic systems; continuing to focus on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; developing strategic partnerships; enhancing financial durability; and bolstering auxiliary programming. “I think what most excites me,” Hamilton says, “is envisioning the confidence and pride we will feel, as a community, when we successfully achieve these goals. To me, this is about strengthening and enhancing our foundation in a way that will allow us to be continuously bold going forward.”
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1 GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT In talking about each of the goals, Hamilton is both specific and general in outlining what success might look like in the respective areas. To begin, the School is steadfast in its desire to grow its commitment to the environment. In addition to recently hiring Sarah Jeanne Shimer as Berwick’s first sustainability coordinator, environmental stewardship will find its way into the classroom across all three divisions. Younger students will learn about what it means to be aware of their natural surroundings early in their Berwick careers through a planned outdoor education program. “We think a lot about our responsibility as an institution and how sustainability comes into our decision-making process,” Hamilton says. “We want to create a culture of environmental sustainability, which will empower community members to be stewards of the environment.”
2 REFINING BERWICK’S ACADEMIC SYSTEMS While Curriculum 2020, a key component of the previous strategic plan, focused on what Berwick needed to do to enhance the preparation of its students for a world beyond the School, the plan for the next five years will address the how. Hamilton explains that the School is evaluating how departments are structured, how chairs are selected, how long they serve, and how to offer the best professional growth opportunities for faculty.
