Faculty Committees Consider Ways to Make Priory Even Better

By Dr. Jared Rashford, Associate Headmaster

Results from a number of recent constituent surveys affirm Saint Louis Priory School’s mission of providing a college preparatory education of the highest excellence. Parents, alumni, and current students recognize the value of a comprehensive, liberal arts program of study informed by the teachings of the Catholic Church and the charisma of the Benedictine order. Everything that we aspire to do at Priory on behalf of our students is realized only through the dedication and ongoing work of our faculty and staff. The teachers, coaches, advisors, and support staff that engage with our young men daily are integral to the lived experience of our students at Priory.

In an effort to engage faculty and staff in critical discussions and decision-making related to overall school operations, we implemented a Faculty Committee program for the 2019-2020 academic year. The function of the committees was, in part, to address and respond to a number of recommendations from last year’s accreditation report as well as to align the work of faculty and staff with the school’s annual priorities. To that end, we selected the following four topic areas for this year’s committee work: Student Formation and Leadership, The Junior School Experience, Equity and Inclusion, and Technology Integration.

All faculty and staff participated in an ‘unconference’ session of their choice during one of the August professional days before the start of classes. Administrators followed up with brief conversations with individuals interested in continuing to work with a respective committee throughout the year. The resulting membership in the four committees consisted of teaching faculty from all five academic departments and a number of faculty and staff from various administrative offices including admissions, athletics, college counseling, and technology. The groups meet monthly, gather and discuss information pertaining to their area of focus, report out to the larger faculty and staff community, and make recommendations to the school’s leadership team regarding developments or enhancements to our program. In this issue of Priory Magazine, we’re excited to share with the broader community the important work that our inaugural Faculty Committees have undertaken over the last few months.

Technology Committee

By Ann Schaefer, Department of Visual and Performing Arts

Members from all academic departments comprise the faculty technology committee, which has met throughout the year to review ISACS recommendations, determine the data needed to provide informed responses, solicit that data, and report our findings to the faculty and administration. ISACS recommendations cover issues related to hardware, software, facilities, technology use in the classroom, and long-term planning. In addition to ISACS recommendations, the committee aims to understand how our community uses technology now, and how technology might further support our mission in the future. Faculty participated in a survey on their use of Learning Management Systems, i.e. Google Classroom; how and with what frequency they use technology in the classroom; and how this varies with the grade and subject they are teaching. Faculty were also invited to offer feedback on what supports and impedes their use of technology. Following on ISACS and faculty interest in an additional lab, the committee discovered multiple factors—other than lab availability—contribute to a teacher’s use of computers in class. Investigation of options for supporting faculty choice regarding the use of technology in their teaching continues.

Looking ahead, a five-year technology plan and a network traffic analysis are in the works. Upon completion, they will be sent to the administration for their input, and then shared with the faculty. Other discussion topics in the coming months include how to integrate classroom technology use with ongoing professional development, and the pros and cons of 1-to-1 learning environments.

At the beginning of the summer, we cleaned house in the Junior School. We took a hard look at how we were using our space and thought about how we might adapt or revamp so as to reflect and cultivate the interests of 7th and 8th grade boys. The results? A basketball court behind the school, a display of calligraphy projects, a library in the former loft area, an outdoor classroom, and a display in the Commons that features our Benedictine values. Beyond the experiential enhancements, the growth of clubs and activities has been exciting this year. These clubs are specific to this age group, ranging from silly Minute-to-Win-It challenges on Halloween and our Rock/Paper/Scissors duels to our newly developed Honor Court and Outdoors Club. These activities serve to build community and to strengthen our already robust programming for the Junior School students, especially our attention to their formation through our Tutoria and Advisory programs. Moving forward, we hope to create additional formative clubs that will prepare our students for leadership positions in the High School. For instance, currently Mr. Bander, as moderator of STUCO, assists the boys in developing public speaking and organizational skills. We hope to expand that programming so that it might include a Junior School Pro-Life Club, Scholar Bowl, and Diversity Club. We, in the Junior School, are on the move as we elevate the Junior School Experience.

The Faculty Equity and Inclusion Committee hosted a lunch-andlearn event with UMSL Professor Dr. Terry Jones. The topic was, “Racial Disparity in St. Louis: Why It Persists and Why It Matters.”

Equity and Inclusion Committee

By Jon-Pierre Mitchom, MAC, L.P.C., Director of Equity and Inclusion

In addition to the Parent Equity and Inclusion Committee (PEIC), we also have a revamped, re-energized Faculty Equity and Inclusion Committee whose mission is similar to the PEIC charter except from an internal-facing school perspective. Though separate entities, there are opportunities for overlap and collaboration between the faculty committee and the PEIC. A project of note for the Faculty Equity and Inclusion Committee centers around designing meaningful learning experiences for faculty and staff related to equity and inclusion issues. To this end, we’ve been fortunate to invite to our campus three prominent university professors speaking on a range of topics from the importance of Catholic education amidst the shifting landscape of public and private school education to the racial disparities that exist and persist in our region. These type of experiences have been enriching to our entire community and will continue as both committees engage in ongoing planning of future experiences with varied formats and topics.

Student Formation and Leadership Committee

By Mike Nickolai ’03, High School Director

The faculty committee on student formation and leadership has met throughout the year to take a close look at how Priory forms students and fosters young leaders.

An immediate area of focus for this committee was reimagining the Student Honor Court. In previous years, the Student Honor Court was an elected body that only convened in a judicial role for a disciplinary hearing. This year the faculty committee created an application process for the Student Honor Court and then did a committee review of each application before determining the membership of the Student Honor Court. Once the membership was determined, the faculty committee met with the Student Honor Court on several occasions for formative meetings. The purpose of these meetings was to not only train the students for hearings, but to also have broader conversations about the Honor Code and how to promote it more actively on campus.

The committee also helped coordinate some new leadership development programming. In October, we hosted a leadership retreat for a group of student leaders that included the Student Council, sports captains, club leaders, and more. It was a powerful day in which students came together to discuss leadership and envision an ideal Priory

The Servant Leadership Institute sponsored by the Mothers’ Club had its first speaker event in the High School. Ron Huelsmann, father of Jeremy ’94 and Joel ’94, gave a talk, “A Life of Servant Leadership.”

campus and community. The committee has also worked to launch the Servant Leadership Institute, which is being funded by the Mothers’ Club. The goal of this institute is to develop servant leaders through a program of monthly guest speakers and service opportunities. This institute will allow for our students to gain wisdom, serve others, and develop practical leadership skills.

The ongoing work of this faculty committee will be to come to a better understanding of what formation means at Priory. We are working to create a comprehensive profile of a Priory student and Priory graduate. What type of young men do we hope to graduate after six years of formation in this community? The answer to that question will help guide us as we work to develop formation initiatives in the coming years.