STATEMENT FROM LEADERSHIP

A STATEMENT FROM LEADERSHIP

To Our Wonderful St. Agnes Academy Community, We are pleased and humbled to introduce our 2020+ Strategic Plan for St. Agnes Academy. Every day, you entrust us with the privilege of educating the minds, hearts, and souls of young women so that they can reach their fullest potential. To meet this responsibility, we must have a clear mission and vision, sound goals, and credible actions to ensure our success. Our 2020+ Strategic Plan, like prior plans, provides these elements. It affirms our mission and vision, clearly states our future goals, and describes the actions that will move us forward into the next decade. This plan is anchored in our timeless values and prepares us for a changing world that will demand bold leadership from our Academy women. The 2020+ Strategic Plan was developed during a period of immense change in the world of Catholic and independent school education and the world at large. This strategic plan recognizes that Catholic and independent schools must strive mightily to stay competitive and relevant. It also recognizes that we can’t fully prepare young women for the future with a “one size fits all” approach to learning, rigid enforcement of ideas or isolating our students from the issues of the day. Ensuring it will be ready for future challenges and opportunities, this strategic plan guides us in sustaining a Catholic, Dominican educational environment grounded in faith that fosters individualized learning, physical and emotional well-being, and the formation of conscience through exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences. We ask Academy women to live “Veritas” in words and actions. We ask them to work at their highest and best standards. We ask them to champion the marginalized among us. These are not trivial asks, but neither is our ambition to inspire young women to make a difference in their world. Our four Dominican pillars – prayer, study, community, and preaching – establish the foundation of our educational approach. The single-gender setting provides a safe learning environment where our young women can be challenged but also nurtured. This combination facilitates our ability to cultivate competent and confident women who are equipped to find personal and professional fulfillment in whatever role they want for themselves or wherever they choose to go. By living “Veritas,” our students learn to seek truth throughout their lives. By the time our young women graduate from St. Agnes Academy, they have been introduced to a wide range of future possibilities, and they are grounded in the Dominican Sisters of Houston’s traditions and values. They are ready to do good and be good for the world. Our entire community plays a vital role in our past, present and future success. We are blessed with a dynamic faculty and staff. We are blessed with committed parents, donors, alumnae, parents of alumnae, grandparents, friends, and volunteers. Our entire community enhances the Academy experience through shared success. We are grateful for all you do and thank you in advance for your grace and prayers as we implement this strategic plan. Finally, the 2020+ Strategic Plan is a living document that will be called upon regularly to guide our future as a premier Catholic high school for young women. This strategic plan protects and preserves the foundation of our unique institution but also anticipates a changing world. This plan allows for us to adapt, as needed, to ensure we have strong governance, a rich student/community experience, and a sustainable future for all Academy women who bless our halls. Yours in faith,