THE COMPASS THAT GUIDES US

A compass for the future, Collegiate’s 2022 Strategic Plan will envision a strategic direction for Collegiate.

When we think of the finalization of a Strategic Plan, we often look for a definitive answer within the Plan. We ask, Exactly wherewillwebegoing? Instead, like a compass that shows you cardinal directions but leaves where you place your feet up to the explorer, Creating Bridges, Collegiate’s 2022 Strategic Plan, helps the School amplify its strengths and set its feet in motion, moving towards an evolving future that will change how we learn, play, work and live together. Anticipating that future by elevating strengths of program, people and place, Collegiate will give its students the best of what they need for what is coming — wherever that may take them.

Creating Bridges, which was introduced to the School in October, is the culmination of three years of diligent collaboration between our entire Collegiate community. Throughout the development of the Plan, our dedicated Strategic Planning Committee members have maintained their commitment to openly and actively listen to all Cougars — students, faculty, staff, Trustees, alumni, parents, grandparents and friends. Our Strategic Planning Process engaged more than 1,000 people from the community in listening sessions, empathy interviews, surveys and a Community Design Day.

W“I think the important thing to know is that this whole process, more so than any other in Collegiate’s history, engaged all aspects of the community,” says Neely Markel ’96 P ’27 ’30, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the Board. “What’s come out of this Plan is the importance of being good stewards of our resources.”

The development of the Plan identified the key areas of those resources and the opportunities for the future, and it charts a course for the next generation of families who want to see their children prepared to thrive in an increasingly competitive and challenging world. Creating Bridges helps reestablish the School’s identity and recenter our focus. So, what does our compass indicate?

As one of the largest independent schools in the nation, Collegiate has an extensive network of people that can contribute to the education of its students. One of the primary focuses of the Plan will be to foster connections between community partners — whether that is parents, alumni, professionals in Richmond or people beyond Virginia — and make sure everyone feels seen and cared for.

“Community was the number one word that came up throughout the entire process,” Markel says. “And so the fundamentals of the Plan help solidify, enhance and strengthen our community. There’s really a lot that we can build upon regarding the strength of our great community and make it even stronger.”

Creating Bridges will intentionally enhance the holistic experience of its JK12 program to maximize each student’s unique learning journey. There are a number of new difficult realities that add stress to a student’s daily life, and Collegiate feels it is profoundly important to create wellness opportunities that develop the mental serenity necessary for a student to thrive in an educational environment. “I’m really excited that student wellness, from Junior Kindergarten to 12th Grade, is being made a priority, just across the board and all aspects of student wellness, with both social and emotional learning,” says

LaNessa West, Director of Lower School Admission and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. “Being more conscientious about how we take care of their well-being is going to be an important addition to Collegiate’s already strong academic principles.”

In addition to student wellness initiatives, Creating Bridges will consider events, practices and policies through the lens of equity and inclusion, with the goal of increasing a sense of belonging for all individuals. “As we continue to enroll and have more students of color, we will create a greater sense of belonging,” West says. “Having a more diverse student population will help with student wellness as well.”

Educators are the most valuable resource within any School environment. The new Strategic Plan will focus on building a support network for Collegiate’s educators to pursue their craft, using the School’s size to create opportunities for professional development and career growth. “The educators that are supporting our students are the foundation of who we are, and we would not be here without them,” Markel says. “So I’m really excited that the Plan will help our teachers’ development and career growth.”

Collegiate has connections everywhere — both in the Richmond region and with other schools around the globe. Creating Bridges will develop ways for the School to partner beyond North Mooreland Road and expand learning opportunities locally, regionally, nationally and globally and maximize students’ impact as inquisitive thinkers, responsible citizens and compassionate leaders.

Students learn even more when they are engrossed in experiences. The Strategic Plan will seek to offer different types of experiential learning opportunities, both on and off campus, with a focus on developing resilience, relationships and self-reflection.

“For students to go beyond the space of Collegiate is going to be very beneficial for them,” West says. “Learning more about the city they live in and the world they live in, and having those experiences, is going to be important, especially as they prepare themselves for the professional world. Again, it’s just as important for a student to be prepared academically as it is for them to be prepared socially.”

With the Plan complete, now comes the implementation process, which will include faculty and staff. “One of the big underlying pieces connecting all the strands of the Strategic Plan is that we just have to decide who we are,” says Laura Domalik, a Lower School math specialist involved in the implementation of the Plan who served as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. “I think that the Plan allows us to help identify ourselves and what we feel is important in education. We can only be stronger in our convictions. And I think that if we tie our approach to education back to who we are as a school, we can only get better at what we do.”

While staying true to its unique sense of community, Creating Bridges is meant to be a compass for the next few years. Its implications will be long lasting, creating a shared vision of the future of Collegiate that will allow both the School and its students to evolve over time alongside the ever-changing world. “Our students’ interest is at the forefront here, because they’re going to be the ones going out into this world that is rapidly changing, and this Plan allows us to think through the kinds of skills and tools they’ll need for that future,” Markel says. “We will bridge things together — our mentoring program, our diversity, our experiential learning — but it will be a gradual change that takes place, and it will always be forward thinking.”