3 minute read
Strategic Priorities for St. Anne’s-Belfield School
By Dr. Autumn A. Graves
Our founding headmistress, Mary Hyde DuVal, expressed a wish for our students to “become strong in body, broad of mind, tender of heart, responsive in soul.” For more than 100 years, we have made it our mission to fulfill that wish. In 2017, we added a core purpose that is still relevant today:
Our strategic priorities are directly tied to this mission and core purpose. I’m going to organize them around three P’s that were previously shared during my installation in October, 2021: People, Program, and Place. These priorities do not encompass everything that occurs in a PS – 12 school, including the numerous efforts my colleagues undertake each day on behalf of our students. And, as stated in my opening letter, some other priorities will be created alongside you in the upcoming months. However, below are a few priorities that have already been identified.
People — Build on our commitment to academic excellence by fostering an even more diverse, inclusive, and equitable community.
It is important to us that our students feel like they experience well-being at school. Among the many tools and structures we have in place to ensure this occurs is the SAIS Motivation & Engagement study, developed in part by alumnus Dr. Damian Kavanagh ’93, now the president and CEO of MISBO. Read more about this year’s results in "Three Measures of Student Wellness."
Our commitment to excellence extends beyond our students’ years at our school. In "NYC Alumni Practice the Art of Giving and Receiving Advice," learn about a pilot event designed to add value to our alumni, both those navigating their careers, and those who have achieved a level of success and are ready to give back to the next generation.
Program — Educate the whole child: body, heart, mind, and soul.
While Mary Hyde DuVal could not have imagined that educating the whole child would one day require teaching children to be exemplary citizens in the digital sphere, we would be remiss as a school not to address digital citizenship. To address our immediate needs, the Academic Team and Curriculum Committee will write an Innovation in Teaching statement. Within that statement, we will share expectations and practices around artificial intelligence (AI), which will be reviewed regularly as this technology evolves. Simultaneously, the whole community will be invited to engage in broader discussions around digital citizenship (see invitation in the "Upcoming Events" section).
With our resilient, growth mindset culture and a whole-child focus written into our founding, imagine the possibilities we can make reality as we inspire students to navigate and lead in a sometimes unpredictable and ever-evolving future. This fall, I will spearhead a collective process to define whole-child wellness as a strategic priority. It will involve all constituencies: alumni, parents/guardians, students, faculty and staff, and experts. More will be coming in the following months.
Place — Fully embrace our civic leadership role in Charlottesville and grow our School’s engagement in our community.
To positively impact our students and our local community, I am thrilled to announce that we are launching a Civic Engagement Initiative. Made possible by generous donors and under the direction of longtime teacher Dr. Bob Troy, please read more about the initiative in "One School, One Community, One World."
