LEADERSHIP REIMAGINED S T R AT E G I C P L A N : 2 0 2 2
V I S I O N S TAT E M E N T
WE ENVISION A WORLD WHERE…
E D U C AT I O N IS ABOUT THE WHO M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T
SEVERN SCHOOL CHALLENGES ITS STUDENTS TO PURSUE E X C E L L E N C E I N C H A R A C T E R , C O N D U C T , A N D S C H O L A R S H I P, TO MARSHAL THE COUR AGE TO LEAD, AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE WORLD AROUND THEM. WE BELIEVE THIS IS BEST R E A L I Z E D I N A C O M M U N I T Y W H E R E A D U LT S M O D E L T H E S E Q U A L I T I E S , W H E R E A C U LT U R E O F B E L O N G I N G I S F O S T E R E D , A N D W H E R E E A C H S T U D E N T I S K N O W N A N D VA L U E D .
G R E E T I N G S S E V E R N S C H O O L C O M M U N I T Y, We are excited to share with you Leadership Reimagined; our strategic plan that will act as a compass in the coming years, provide direction for the Board, faculty and staff and bring our community together toward one common vision. While resolute in our mission to challenge our students and graduates to marshal the courage to lead, we recognize our world, our country, our communities, and even our school need something different from leaders today. We must teach and model a reframed definition of leadership. For our students to lead successfully and contribute to an ever-changing world, we must instill broad competencies and mindsets that are agile, adaptable, and applicable across a range of novel situations. They will need to possess intellectual agility for careers and lives in which uncertainty is the only certainty and possess equal parts emotional intelligence and compassion. They will need to model balanced, personal wellness and follow a broadly shared moral compass with unwavering integrity. And they must instinctively include and make space for the contribution of all voices. At Severn, we envision a world where education is about more than what you know—it’s about who you are. If the past 24 months has taught us anything, it is that structured plans will fall apart. We can only prepare for the uncertainty ahead. Our strategic plan is a promise to create a community that reframes leadership and prepares this generation and generations to come to contribute to the world around them. Sincerely, Douglas Lagarde Head of School
S E V E R N S C H O O L’ S 2 0 2 2 S T R AT E G I C P L A N C O M M I T S OUR SCHOOL TO A PROGR AM T H AT E M P O W E R S O U R G R A D U AT E S T O TA K E O N THE CHALLENGES PREVIOUS G E N E R AT I O N S H AV E L A I D AT THEIR FEET BY PR ACTICING T H E M A N Y WAY S T O L E A D . W E INVITE ALL SCHOOLS TO JOIN US IN ENVISIONING A WORLD W H E R E E D U C AT I O N I S A B O U T M O R E T H A N W H AT Y O U K N OW—IT ’ S A B O U T W H O YO U A R E—A N D WO R K TO G E T H E R T O R E F R A M E W H AT T H E WORLD NEEDS FROM FUTURE G E N E R AT I O N S .
INTELLECTUAL AGILIT Y
THE ABILIT Y TO ENGAGE IN, AND A D A P T T O , W I D E - R A N G I N G S I T U AT I O N S B Y N I M B LY A N D T H O U G H T F U L LY A C C E S S I N G F O U N D AT I O N A L K N O W L E D G E , C O N S I D E R I N G VA RY I N G PERSPECTIVES, AND QUESTIONING O U R O W N U N D E R S TA N D I N G . THE PRIORITIES: • Support every individual’s ability to make meaning out of information in reflective and intentional ways through a shared language and understanding of our “Discover What Matters” value. • Develop adaptable and applicable cognitive skills and competencies across a thorough and intentional curriculum. • Advance forward-thinking measurements of academic and social competencies through an articulated school-wide assessment and feedback philosophy. • Support the individual and collective growth of our faculty through responsive professional development that provides opportunities for curricular and cross— curricular experiences. • Encourage collaborative and flexible teaching and thinking within dynamic and multi-purpose learning spaces.
U N WAV E R I N G INTEGRITY
T H E A B I L I T Y T O U N D E R S TA N D THE ETHICAL AND MORAL COMPLEXIT Y INHERENT IN T O D AY ’ S W O R L D , A L I G N I N G OUR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS W I T H H O N E S T Y, C H A R A C T E R , AND PURPOSE. THE PRIORITIES: • Advance our collective pursuit of integrity inside and outside of school through a shared language and understanding of our “Take a Stand” value. • Model ethical citizenship through a curriculum in which the importance of a healthy and productive digital lifestyle and footprint are highlighted. • Instill a sense of responsibility for, and commitment to, being integral, active, and engaged community members through a school-wide service learning philosophy. • Leverage the power of student-adult relationships to further integrate our mission and newly articulated core values into our student leadership development program.
T H E A B I L I T Y T O U N D E R S TA N D THE FEELINGS, EMOTIONS, AND EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS AS WELL A S O U R O W N , D E V E L O P I N G H E A LT H Y C O N N E C T I O N S A N D R E L AT I O N S H I P S THROUGH SELF-REFLECTION, O U T R E A C H , A N D E M PAT H Y. THE PRIORITIES: • Support each individual’s awareness of their feelings and ability to regulate actions so that they empathize with others through a shared language and understanding of our “Build Community” value. • Prioritize the development of non-cognitive skills and competencies in all aspects of the Severn experience through continual review and refinement of our curriculum. • Enhance how we e uitably meet the social and emotional needs of our students, faculty, and staff by codifying the intention and impact of our support programs. •
uild school culture and emphasize the importance of connection and engagement by expanding opportunities for community and togetherness.
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hampion the ongoing social-emotional development of our students through robust parent and guardian education.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
PERSONAL WELLNESS
THE ABILIT Y TO FIND PHYSICAL A N D M E N TA L B A L A N C E T H R O U G H LIFE EXPERIENCES, SUCCESSES, AND DISAPPOINTMENTS, DEVELOPING S U S TA I N A B L E H A B I T S T H AT L E A D T O F U L F I L L M E N T A N D J O Y. THE PRIORITIES: • Support each individual’s ability to make choices that lead to mental and physical well-being through a shared language and understanding of our “Be Well, Live Well” value. • Integrate wellness education into all aspects of the Severn experience through an enhanced, school-wide understanding of Severn’s wellness philosophy. • Promote organization, time-management, and self-sufficiency in our students through curricular and co-curricular practices that encourage prioritization, efficiency, and purpose in all touchpoints. • Ensure the sustainable health and wellness of our students through robust parent and guardian education. • Foster the mental, social, and emotional health and well-being of our community members through programs, activities, and dynamic opportunities that maximize the use of our physical space.
THE ABILIT Y TO INCLUDE AND ENGAGE OTHER PEOPLE, PERSPECTIVES, AND EXPERIENCES WITHOUT P R O M P T, R E C O G N I Z I N G T H AT SUCH OPENNESS BROADENS KNOWLEDGE AND DEEPENS C O M M U N I T Y. THE PRIORITIES: • Strengthen our community’s commitment to anti-bias, making sure that every voice is heard, and that learning is e uitable through a shared language and understanding of our “Everyone Belongs” value. •
ultivate a diverse and thriving community by ensuring e uity in all touchpoints of the Severn experience.
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ombat bias through a course curriculum that uplifts diverse perspectives, cultures, and lived experiences and promotes genuine understanding and acceptance.
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educe financial barriers that may stand between ualified students and a Severn education by strengthening our financial access program to further meet the needs expressed in the applicant pool.
INSTINCTIVE INCLUSIVITY
NON-PROFIT ORG. U. S . POS TAGE PA ID PERMIT # 8 1 MILLERSVILLE, MD
Lower School Preschool-Grade 5 / Chesapeake Campus 1185 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Arnold, MD 21012 / 410-647-7700 Middle
pper School Grade 6-12 / Teel Campus
201 Water Street, Severna Park, MD 21146 / 410-647-7700 www severnschool com our-strategic-plan