Why Are We Here? A Matter of Mission
More than an existential dilemma, the question of ‘why Shady Hill is here’ is a matter of mission. Our mission’s job is to answer that question—to articulate clearly what our place is in the world. It should tell us and others why we matter and give everyone in our community a guidepost for how we live. Our mission should seat us securely and authentically in the present while also inspiring us to heed its call. Prior to 2021, Shady Hill’s Board last penned the School mission statement in 2009. It was a source of great pride for the 10+ years it served the School well—enumerating the ways in which Shady Hill provides a singular educational experience. Best practices suggest that a school mission be reviewed annually and scrutinized at least every five years—to ensure that a school does what it says it does. So, it wasn’t a surprise that, when the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE) reviewed Shady Hill’s reaccreditation self-study in 2019, one of the primary recommendations was to conduct a critical review of the mission statement. The School was praised for the ways in which it enlivened its program and the mission itself was validated. Shady Hill knows who it is, who it serves, and how to deliver as promised. It was the statement that needed repair in order to better express its intent. Subsequently, a task force that included board members, parents, alumni, and faculty/staff, was created to consider how a newly drafted statement could both affirm and redefine Shady Hill’s purpose. Questions around what language to preserve (“joyful, active learning”), what might be added (an intentional focus on social justice), and how to organize content for clarity framed the
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SHADY HILL SCHOOL
THE 2021-2022 IS SUE
