Think of a successful team you have admired. What was the team and its characteristics? This was the question that I posed to employees at the start of the school year. One example of a successful team is the 2004 Red Sox who won their first World Series in 86 years. I then prompted faculty and staff to think of a successful team where they worked towards a common goal.
I chose the focus of collaboration and teamwork this year as we welcomed a larger group of new faculty, staff and administrators. This year we have been intentional about how we are establishing “new teams” rather than asking a new member to join an “existing team.” Working with educational consultants Gene Thompson-Grove and Elisa MacDonald, grade level teams, departments and administrative teams worked together to build trust, articulate norms and implement structures that would assist in good communication and collaboration throughout this year. The senior administrative team, with two new members, is working monthly with a consultant to help build structures that support a highly effective team.
All of this work at the adult level creates a stronger professional culture and models a healthy culture for our students. Each year we spend time with our students to create class contracts and team building activities. The purpose of these conversations is to empower students to reflect on the type of learning environment and community where they will feel physically and emotionally safe to take risks or make mistakes while they learn and play. As we launched our strategic plan this year, we continued our collaborative work with deep reflection and critical thinking led by faculty and administrators in strategic working groups. I am so grateful to be a part of a community that prioritizes teamwork, leadership development and wellness, and takes the time to foster trusting professional relationships.
CREATING A STRATEGIC PLAN ROADMAP
Last year, a steering committee of Board members, faculty, administration, alumni and parents led an engagement process with all constituents to hear their thoughts on Shady Hill’s priorities for the next three to five years. The following priorities were the result of that process.
Priority One: Strengthen the Academic Program
We will reinvest in our overall academic program to adapt to the changing needs of today’s world. We will continue to maintain our unique campus in order to enhance learning.
Priority Two: Reimagine the Employee Journey
The heart of Shady Hill is it’s faculty and staff who need to be fully supported and fairly compensated. We will focust on strengthening our culture to attract and retain the most talented faculty and staff so they may thrive professionally and personally.
Priority Three: Reinvigorate the Community
The power of the Shady Hill Community has allowed us to exist for over 100 years. We will rebuild connections, engage in innovative strategies, while ensureing access and belonging for all members of our community.
The next phase, which began in September, was to create seven strategic planning working groups composed of faculty and staff to explore the key questions in each priority area and establish a plan for moving forward. The groups will meet monthly throughout the school year and present recommendations to the leadership team in June 2024.
WELCOMING NEW EMPLOYEES
This school year we welcomed two leaders to our administrative team. Chia-Chee Chiu and Dr. Leesa Mercedes joined the administrative leadership of Shady Hill as Middle School Head and Interim Lower School Head respectively.
Chia-Chee Chiu has an extensive background as an educator and leader. With more than 20 years of experience, she came to Shady Hill from St. John’s School in Houston where she served as Middle School Head. One of her main areas of focus is the importance of supporting students’ social emotional learning.
Dr. Leesa Mercedes served as the Lower School Psychologist at Shady Hill before being named Interim Lower School Head in July. Previously she worked in the Cambridge Public Schools for 10 years as Psychologist and Special Education Team Chair. She also served as Psychologist at Belmont Day School for 8 years where she co-chaired the DEIB committee, and co-facilitated student, teacher and parent affinity groups.
We also welcomed Lyndsey Starks as the Human Resources Director. Prior to Shady Hill, Lyndsey worked in Human Resources for a local bank for almost nine years. Cory Grant joined us as Director of Student Life. He has been an educator in both private and public schools for 12 years.
PLAYGROUND DEDICATION
TOUCHES THE COMMUNITY
The outpouring of love and support was palpable when faculty, staff and playground donors gathered to honor the memory of Biko Mangcu ’30 (2017-2022) on October 11. Head of School Mark Stanek set the stage for the outdoor dedication with opening remarks that evoked Biko’s effervescent personality. Biko’s mother Sipho followed with a heartfelt message culminating in the performance of an original song composedand performed by Music Teacher Kabir Sen ‘92.
CAMPUS SAFETY AT SHS
Schools nationwide are making a renewed effort to focus on safety and security. Our school is no different. Hired in 2022, Director of Campus Safety and Transportation Coordinator, Andre Watson, brings 15 years of public safety experience to help review campus safety procedures. A significant part of Andre’s work has focused on ensuring an appropriate balance between campus safety and maintaining the values of the Shady Hill Community.
The much needed playground redesign was funded by a community-wide campaign which yielded more than $1M in tribute to Biko’s “play great!” spirit, which will continue to be a source of ongoing joy for the Shady Hill
Faculty are being provided additional training in topics ranging from fire safety, advanced first aid, and Active Assailant response. This training is intended to help faculty identify and respond to potentially dangerous situations on campus. Additionally, we’re upgrading our buildings and grounds to help improve safety.
Our primary focus is ensuring that our students, faculty, and staff are safe on campus. The new safety measures and training we are implementing will help us meet this goal.
TEACHER TRAINING CENTER
Q&A WITH MATH SPECIALIST
The Lower School has adopted a new math curriculum this school year. We are implementing Illustrative Math in Grades K-IV and Lower School Math Curriculum and Instruction Specialist Steven Goldman talks about the program.
How did this change come about?
We are in the third year of a very thoughtful process that has involved faculty from every grade level on what would help us build on our strengths and allow us to grow in new ways.
What do you love about the curriculum?
It fits in well with who we are. It is a problem based curriculum that presents math in context and gives kids something really deep to work on, and thoughtful to be engaged in.
How do I support my child in math at home?
Students take their cues about math from you. If you are open and curious about it, they are more willing to share it. Play games and build puzzles with them to show them you are engaged.
What are good questions to ask your children?
For beginners and kindergarteners, a great question is do we have enough of something (i.e. cups at the table)? Anytime we can ask an authentic question; something that connects the math to something we are seeing or doing, we are showing that math is a way to make sense of the world.
The TTC is thriving while we reimagine our role in teacher education post-COVID. The TTC Class of ‘24 is wrapping up their pre-practicum and preparing to transition to a second placement at SHS. This apprentice class is a tight-knit group that has supported our children by planning and teaching, subbing, supervising study hall, cofacilitating student affinity groups, and participating in conversations with colleagues in SEED.
The TTC’s Katharine Taylor Fellow, Earl Simons, is building new bridges between SHS and Lesley University as a student representative in Lesley’s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice. Given the national teacher shortage and the Supreme Court’s decision to prohibit race-based admission in higher education, and the national shortage of teachers, our goal this year is to strengthen our partnerships to attract and support underrepresented persons in education.
What do you want parents to know about this curriculum that they may not see?
With this program we are asking students to model ideas, and connect the visual models with numbers and equations using sophisticated reasoning that provides evidence based thinking. This curriculum helps students make connections and build a complex understanding of the underlying mathematics.
FINANCIAL HEALTH
Shady Hill is, as ever, in excellent shape financially. We are careful stewards of every dollar, whether it comes in as tuition, as a gift to the Shady Hill Fund or another fundraising initiative, or is generated as earnings on the School’s endowment. Last fiscal year, we set a goal of $2M for the Shady Hill Fund – the first time $2M had ever been budgeted. We are thrilled to report that the community’s extraordinary generosity carried the Shady Hill Fund over that ambitious goal by nearly $150,000! By policy, this “surplus” went straight into the Financial Aid Reserve Fund, where it helps support our ongoing commitment to socioeconomic diversity.
Shady Hill also received over $1M in donations for the Lower School Playground Renovation project. Donors flocked to this project memorializing Biko Mangcu, who tragically drowned in May 2022 during his Beginner year. The outpouring of support was tremendous, and we dedicated the B-K section of the new playground to Biko in October, in a deeply moving ceremony.
Employee salaries were a significant focus last year. In the face of steep inflation, we examined the pay scale and made a midyear adjustment to ensure livable, competitive compensation for those who are on the faculty step scale and those staff members at the lower end of salaries. The FY24 overall salary increase was larger than in previous years so that we ensure we attract and retain the best employees.
A very significant gift arrived last year – the largest gift in Shady Hill’s entire history: $3.5M from the late Anne Thompson Vaughan ‘57. Anne, who never had children and who outlived her cherished husband of 49 years, commented to her caregivers during her final illness that Shady Hill had been an oasis of exciting learning and stability at a time when her home life was rocky. She remained forever grateful to the school, ultimately naming Shady Hill as sole beneficiary of her estate. The bequest is still making its way to Shady Hill. The Board voted to place the initial funds into Shady Hill’s unrestricted endowment, where it will help sustain the more robust financial aid formula and the more generous employee salaries authorized by the Board over the past two fiscal years.
BREAKDOWN OF FY 2024 BUDGETED REVENUE ($28.2M)
BREAKDOWN OF FY 2024 BUDGETED EXPENSES ($28.2M)
OUR EQUITY OFFICE HOSTS DEI CONFERENCE
Last Spring, in addition to the continued development and implementation of the School’s social justice curriculum aligned with our mission to “honor difference, challenge prejudice, and strive for racial and social justice,” Shady Hill hosted the annual Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Conference for Middle School Students, welcoming over 400 attendees from more than 35 schools. The conference focused on racial equity and identity development and featured a spoken word performance by Dariana Guerrero that energized everyone with messages of antiracism, body positivity, and activism. Dr. Laniesha Gray, Director of Equity and Inclusion, then moderated a conversation between Shady Hill students and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of America’s leading historians helping to guide America toward becoming antiracist. Our student panelists asked Dr. Kendi a wide range of questions, learning about what he was like as a middle school student, what keeps him inspired in his own research and writing process, and his fear of sharks. The audience was engaged throughout the conversation, enjoying the intellectual depth of the questions our students posed, as well as the levity that came with the “would you rather” questions the students sprinkled throughout their conversation.
Following the morning keynotes, students attended workshops facilitated by Shady Hill faculty and other area educators, participated in affinity groups, and attended social justice spotlight sessions. The day concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Liza Talusan, speaker and facilitator, encouraging participants to take meaningful action in their own school communities. Shady Hill remains committed to promoting social justice through our curriculum and events like the MS AISNE DEI conference.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Betsy Ginsberg, Moriah Giovannucci, Steven Goldman, Dr. Laniesha Gray, Desiree Ivey, Maureen Nunez, Michele Snyder, Mark Stanek, Andre Watson, and Dr. Daryl Wright for their contributions.
