Why Are We Here? A Matter of Mission

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

The mission is like the North Star that guides us in our work each day. Our teaching is intentional, with respect to the values that make up our mission, including “Joyful, active learning, kindness to ourselves and others, and celebrating differences.” Reflecting upon what makes Shady Hill special helped me keep things in perspective and stay positive during the challenges of teaching during the pandemic.

Sarina Tcherepnin ’83, P’12 ’14, Faculty ”

committee’s work. While testing new approaches and concepts, it was important to recognize the difference between why we matter, what we do and how we do it. The result was a two-part document that underscores the interdependence of the mission and its accompanying belief statement.

With new bones in place, the committee passed a draft to a smaller writing group that refined the language before soliciting feedback from several internal focus groups. “The mission and its statement belong to all of us,” said Head of School Mark Stanek. “They must represent us as a whole, and we must all buy into it.” A fundamental characteristic of the Shady Hill community is the process-oriented focus that invites multiple perspectives to the table. The School is a safe place for individuals to share differences of opinions honestly and respectfully, a place where all points of view are heard and valued, and where the good of the whole is prioritized over a single voice. As such, when the new mission statement was vetted by different members of the school community, the draft went back to committee several times for additional revisions. Persistence made it stronger, more complete, more Shady Hill. The Shady Hill Board of Trustees proudly adopted the new mission statement in May 2021. Members of the task force, the drafting committee, faculty, and staff all thought deeply about Shady Hill’s true essence and lent their essential perspectives. The process was as much a demonstration of the School’s defining characteristics as is the final document, which will boldly pilot the School’s path going forward.