Strategic Plan 2011 – 2016
La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 2
La Salle College High School, a Catholic independent, college preparatory school for young men of varied backgrounds, is conducted in the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle. Through a broad and balanced, human and Christian education, La Salle College High School guides each student in the development of his unique God-given talents and fosters a commitment to academic excellence, service, and leadership. Mission Statement Adopted by the Board of Trustees March 2006
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Dear Friend of La Salle,
“Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.” Those six simple words lay the foundation
for what goes on at La Salle College High School. Each young man arrives blessed with his own talents, interests, and a curiosity for learning. Over the course of four years, La Salle enables the student to learn about himself and to become his most talented, spiritual, and compassionate self. When that student graduates, he is ready to take the person he has made and the truths he has learned about himself and use them to lead and serve others.
Those six words above also present La Salle with the challenge of being relevant, effective, and vibrant in the lives of the students who come here. La Salle is built upon the teachings of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and the legacy and guidance of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. This legacy and charism influences the faculty and the lay associates who are part of La Salle. Around the world, that influence and continued presence is the compass that guides a La Salle graduate. Everything at La Salle – curriculum, activities, campus ministry, facilities – exists to empower the student in his journey of self-discovery. While we are immensely proud of our rich heritage, we are looking to the future to ensure that student growth remains at the center of what we do, and to put the pieces in place to support and sustain the ministries to carry out that mission. We continue the cyclical process of re-evaluation and planning so that La Salle can continue to fulfill the implied promise it makes to each student who enters here. Two years ago the Board of Trustees and Administration initiated the process of planning for the future and plotting the path that will allow La Salle to flourish and evolve. Six committees representing all constituencies worked for over a year to determine what La Salle needs to do over the next five years to maintain its vitality and to advance its mission for the future. Their findings and recommendations were then reviewed with the constituents, and a group of administrators, faculty, and trustees synthesized them into this Strategic Vision and Plan. As in all things, we are driven by our Mission Statement. The Strategic Vision Statement that anchors this document represents our image of La Salle, and the goals presented set forth the opportunities and challenges that the school community must embrace to keep La Salle at the vanguard of Catholic independent education in the Delaware Valley. These goals are not only the blueprint to building our success, but the milestones that we will achieve to tell us that we have succeeded on our journey. Sincerely yours,
Benjamin J Ventresca, Jr, ‘70 Chairman, Board of Trustees
Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ‘60 President
La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 2
VISION As a Ministry of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with a rich legacy and an even greater future, we are dedicated to perpetuating the Mission that is so integral to every aspect of our existence. As such, we present this Vision Statement that builds on our Mission and provides the goals to which our Strategic Plan is focused. This Vision defines what La Salle College High School will embody in 2011 at the same time that it anticipates what we will be in 2016. La Salle will continue to be a place where young men of varied backgrounds enter to learn. This process of learning will be steeped in the charism of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and honed with the challenges of Christian leadership and the rigors of demanding academics. In the best traditions of La Salle, this learning will go beyond the classrooms and laboratories and be experienced in the forums of intellectual exchange, on the fields of competition, and on the stages of artistic performance. The hallmarks of our students will continue to be intellect and accomplishment, faith and compassion, service and justice, and integrity and respect. The educational experience will help young men find God in their daily lives and come to the realization of the individual potential that they possess. And in the process, they will learn the responsibilities of the gifts they have received and leave this place to lead and serve.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 4
Goal One
Adhere to Our Mission and Perpetuate Our Catholic Lasallian Identity La Salle College High School predicates its mission upon the core belief that God has created each student as a unique person blessed with talents and interests. Young men come to La Salle so that they can develop those gifts and passions and sculpt themselves via spiritual exploration, intellectual discovery, hands-on service, creative endeavors, athletic challenges, and leadership opportunities. To accomplish this mission, La Salle immerses its students in an environment based on the teachings of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The student-centered approach, the commitment to the poor, and the teacher-mentor model are intrinsic to the identity of La Salle and to the experiences of the students. In an effort to continue to make this philosophy vibrant in the 21st century, La Salle is recommitting itself to making the school a living example of the Founder’s teachings. Directly, La Salle will teach and show the students what it means to be Lasallian. Indirectly, the school will extend Lasallian formation programs to a broader range of constituents to enable the students to receive reinforcement of Lasallian concepts beyond the school day. In school, La Salle will utilize curricular programs and administrative initiatives to teach and show the students what it means to be Lasallian. Additionally, the school will extend Lasallian formation programs to a broader range of constituents, such as parents, alumni, and trustees, so that those members of the school community can reinforce Lasallian concepts in the lives of our students beyond the physical boundaries of La Salle.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 6
Goal One Adhere to Our Mission and Perpetuate Our Catholic Lasallian Identity
ACTION STEPS
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• Support existing Lasallian formation
• Encourage student and faculty
programs for administration, faculty,
participation in service programs
staff and students
and liturgies
• Consider new formation programs for parents, alumni, and trustees • Seek curricular enhancements to promote understanding of the Lasallian Mission • Consider the appointment of a Coordinator for Mission and Ministry who will be charged with overseeing the formation
• Broaden awareness of social justice issues across the curriculum and through faith and formation experiences • Investigate the feasibility of a coordinated speaker series or symposium on social justice themes and take action • Track and respond to data
programs and activities as well as helping
gathered from the AFG student
to initiate new ones
performance goal: Assessment of
• Examine school retreat programs, placing an emphasis on improving underclass retreats
Catechesis Religious Education, Senior Lasallian Assessment, Volunteer service, Honor Code, and discipline
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Goal Two Be a Leader Among Independent College Preparatory Schools
While emphasizing the grace of personal and institutional humility, La Salle celebrates the myriad accomplishments of its students. National Merit finalists, state champion athletes, and nationallyrecognized debaters walk side-by-side with award-winning musicians, Kairos retreat leaders, and various service project volunteers. This variety of excellence and achievement empowers the students as they support and motivate each other to become their best selves. Even with its many successes, however, La Salle is not complacent. The students of today and tomorrow deserve our concentrated efforts to move continually forward and to enable each student to mold himself into his best person. We exist in a region that is filled with excellent educational institutions, and we recognize that we have the unique opportunity and responsibility to build on our Lasallian legacy to lead and serve as an independent college prep school. To that end, La Salle will focus on recruiting students who support, complement, and motivate each other as they move forward on their respective journeys; on delivering students the services needed to help them as they navigate adolescence; on hiring and developing faculty and staff that best meet the various needs of the students; and on providing the physical facilities, especially in areas such as science and technology, campus ministry, athletics, and the arts, that allow the students to grow intellectually, spiritually, socially, and physically.
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Goal Two Be a Leader Among Independent College Preparatory Schools
ACTION STEPS
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• Develop recruiting strategies to increase a suitable application pool in light of our Mission and secure our enrollment base • Conduct a review of peer schools to gauge our successes and needs, and to search for best practices • Design a coordinated approach to
for extraordinary excellence through a structured comprehensive review program • Research “best practices” in independent schools by visiting and collaborating with them • Promote additional faculty development to enhance the faculty/staff’s
cultivating the leadership abilities of our
understanding of the Lasallian Mission
young men
and social justice issues and to advance
• Monitor the student performance objectives in the AFG strategic plan which address academic performance/initiative and communication/critical thinking skills • Promote experiential learning opportunities • Conduct a thorough review of the student services and programs (e.g. counseling, spiritual formation, social development, and discipline, and make necessary adjustments) • Complete the faculty/staff compensation modeling prior to developing the Budget for Fiscal 2015 • Investigate a voluntary retirement incentive that is mutually beneficial to the potential retiree and La Salle • Explore a way to reward faculty/staff
the skills needed to be the most effective teachers of tomorrow’s students • Review the prioritized needs for maintenance of existing facilities and capital projects • Monitor and adapt the Technology Plan to provide “cutting edge” initiatives and “state-of-the-art” infrastructure
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Goal Three Increase Global Awareness and Diversity
La Salle exists in a dynamic and diverse world that is becoming more interconnected with each passing day. In keeping with the needs of the students and with the core philosophy of the international body of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, La Salle is working to diversify its student body and to support the various needs of that student body. A diverse student body mirrors the world that our students inhabit, and it benefits all of our students that they reflect the world beyond campus. La Salle also seeks to provide the students with first-hand experiences to comprehend and appreciate the world’s diversity and unity. Creating compassionate, globalized men who are ready to be leaders in their chosen fields, in their various communities, and in service to others is a priority as we move deeper into the new millennium.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 14
Goal Three Increase Global Awareness and Diversity
ACTION STEPS
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• Implement the newly created Diversity Action Plan • Conduct a comprehensive review of our student recruitment process with an aim to increase diversity • Support all students who may be experiencing social, academic, or financial difficulties • Foster relationships with Lasallian schools and ministries locally, regionally and globally
• Promote the inclusion of international students and opportunities for international exchange • Provide non-traditional learning experiences to broaden our students’ perspectives • Increase school-wide awareness of global issues
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Goal Four Communicate Our Value to all Constituents
La Salle strives to remain humble, but it must balance that goal with the need to communicate more effectively what we do and who we are with our various constituencies and with prospective students. Our current and future students will benefit from a greater internal and external awareness of La Salle’s essence and its accomplishments. These fundamental qualities, which speak very clearly to who we are and what we value, present our students with an array of opportunities for growth. Academic excellence, which receives frequent local, regional, and national recognition, occurs on daily basis at La Salle. La Salle’s dedicated and highly accomplished faculty shares its talents and experiences with the students in a variety of settings in and out of school. The wide range of extracurricular opportunities gives our students a chance to find their personal niche, and the quality of the various programs allows them to compete at the highest levels. The first-rate facilities, especially in the areas of science, technology, the arts, and athletics, allow students to learn, grow, and compete in a manner that is most beneficial to their overall personal development. From the daily service opportunities during the school year to the abundant summer service programs, La Salle is truly committed to giving the students the opportunity to serve others. Lastly, La Salle cares about its students. From the first day a student arrives to learn to the last day when he leaves to serve, and long beyond that, that student is a valued member of the La Salle community. La Salle also has the blessing of very active and supportive alumni and parents. Our alumni are men of accomplishment, and a substantial number of them regularly contribute their talents, expertise and contacts in broadening our students’ horizons and opportunities. Our parents dedicate themselves to enhancing La Salle for their sons today and for the students of tomorrow.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 18
Goal Four Communicate Our Value to all Constituents
ACTION STEPS
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• Implement the “branding initiative” • Keep current on peer school websites and written communications • Provide training to enable all constituents to articulate our mission and promote our school • Make greater use of internally-derived and externally-benchmarked market research
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Goal Five Ensure Robust Financial Stability
The business of independent education is an ever-increasing challenge to administrators and trustees and now more than ever, to continue its mission, La Salle needs to be financially sound. Saint John Baptist de La Salle broke education barriers by setting the promise to educate the whole student. In our time, his focus on serving the underprivileged translates to our commitment to ensure that a La Salle education remains financially accessible to qualified students. Dynamic and challenging programming, state-of-the-art facilities, and top-of-the-field educators and coaches are the hallmarks of La Salle’s educational offering, and maintaining their proper balance in the coming years will be the key to our success and growth. Recognizing the financial sacrifice that all our constituents make to be part of and to support the La Salle community, La Salle will conduct itself in a fiscally responsible manner. This fiscal responsibility will be evident in our decisions on fundraising, endowment growth, asset management, debt load, capital improvements, operations, and tuition management. The realization of this goal will insure the future of La Salle College High School.
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Goal Five Ensure Robust Financial Stability
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• Be prudent about funding of future capital improvements • Plan judiciously for reduction of existing debt • Adhere to the Facilities Plan • Increase the number of donors, total donations, planned gifts, diversity scholarship funding, and philanthropic revenue streams • Implement and adapt the Institutional Advancement Strategic Plan
• Increase endowment, as well as need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarships • Improve communication to all constituents about the full cost of educating one student • Examine ways to restructure operations to maximize available financial and human resources • Explore and develop alternative revenue streams
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History Established in 1858, La Salle College High School began at Saint Michael Parish at Second and Jefferson Streets in Philadelphia. Initially known as the “Select School,” it eventually took the name “Christian Brothers Academy.” In 1863, the school became the college preparatory division of La Salle College. In 1867, La Salle moved to Juniper and Filbert Streets. In 1882, the Christian Brothers acquired the mansion of Michael Bouvier – a prominent Philadelphia banker – located on Broad Street near Girard Avenue. In 1929, La Salle opened a new campus in Belfield in the Wister Woods section of Philadelphia. Up until 1960, La Salle College and
In 1992, the school opened Saint Michael hall, a five-story addition that featured a new library information center (the McShain Library), technology center, media broadcast center, faculty work center and lounge, instructional classrooms, lecture hall, and an art studio. In 2002, the West Wing opened, providing much needed space for athletics and music.
In 2006, the school acquired 34 acres of adjoining land along Route 309 and Paper Mill Road, which increased the size of the campus to 84 acres. In 2008, in conjunction with the start of the 150th school year, a new four-level, 40,000 square foot academic wing opened, which featured twelve SMART La Salle College High School shared the same classrooms, two state-of-the-art science laboratories, a second technology center, a campus. In 1960, the high school separated chapel and campus ministry area, a study from the college and moved to its present commons, a counseling center, and several site on Cheltenham Avenue in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, which was the meeting rooms. The expansion project increased the school’s instructional area to former Belcroft estate of Clarence Brown. fifty-four SMART classrooms and five science laboratories. McLean Hall, the original academic wing, was sequentially renovated prior to the start of the 2009-2010 academic year. The renovations included new windows, air conditioning, and utilities (electrical, plumbing, cable/fiber optics, etc.).
The Institute originated by Saint John Baptist de La Salle has followed the footsteps of its founder and is now established throughout the world. The Brothers of the Christian Schools give themselves to the education of children, young people, and mature students. They are present in eighty-two countries and have more than 1,000 teaching establishments where over one million students are educated. Associated with the 6,000 Christian Brothers in schools, colleges, and educational centers are 100,000 lay colleagues, whose aim is to help students achieve a full education as persons, citizens of their country, and believers. The De La Salle Christian Brothers give special attention to missionary countries where young churches exist, particularly in Africa and Asia.
Twenty-three men who gave their lives to the Brother’s vocation as Christian educators have been named as Saints or Blessed and the cause of more than 150 others has been introduced for Beatification. Today, fourteen Christian Brothers are in residence at La Salle College High School and the La Salle community is blessed to have these men as mentors for the students and lay faculty.
La Salle College High School 8605 Cheltenham Avenue Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038 215 402 4800 phone 215 233 0284 fax admissions@lschs.org www.lschs.org