Prepared to Thrive Spotlight 2023-2024

An exceptional education that inspires a lifelong love of learning, a strong moral compass, the commitment to serve, and the confidence to lead.

"We are

leading the next generation into the future. An exceptional education must be forward-thinking and steeped in moral principles that inspire students to thrive and make meaningful contributions to

the world."

HEAD OF SCHOOL MARY HALPIN CARTER, PH.D.

What Do Students Need to Thrive — Now & Into the Future?

This question has guided a strategic planning process that began in 2019, continued throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and culminated in the unveiling of Prepared to Thrive at St. Luke’s annual State of the School 2021.

In the Fall of 2022, St. Luke’s new Head of School, Dr. Mary Halpin Carter, led the faculty and staff in a year-long refinement of Prepared to Thrive to identify top priorities and additional opportunities.

The following pages provide an overview of several initiatives that emerged from this work. These were previewed at the State of the School 2023 and are arranged under four connected themes:

Leading with Humanity

Leading with Humanity

St. Luke’s mission inspires graduates to lead their communities forward by sharing the gifts of their exceptional education with the world. Over the years, many students have taken advantage of St. Luke’s outstanding leadership programs, but our strategic plan work revealed that many activities were concentrated in the Upper School, and almost all were optional — which means not every student benefited.

Leading with Humanity is a new leadership curriculum and mentoring program that will span grades 5-12 — ensuring every student at St. Luke’s graduates with the skills, experiences, and confidence to lead.

The following are two Leading with Humanity programs underway. SLS Leadership Skills Curriculum has launched, and Compass is in the design stage and will launch in fall 2024.

SLS Leadership Skills Curriculum

The Leadership Skills Curriculum launched this fall in grades 5 & 6. The rollout continues next fall in grades 7 & 8 and will continue to expand in the Upper School in the following years. Each student’s leadership capacity will be developed through a personalized set of transformational experiences built upon the prior year’s learning. Students will develop their moral compasses as they learn how to lead, collaborate, and follow with humanity.

In the early years of Middle School, the focus is on moral and ethical problem-solving, asking who decides what is right and wrong. We begin in 5th and 6th grade with self-reflection and knowing oneself before considering how to lead others. In SLS Leadership Skills, students explore their unique character strengths and how their individuality can shape their approach to leadership. Additionally, students examine the ways in which their backgrounds shape their perspectives. Finally, they apply their emerging leadership skills to problems within their immediate community.

This work has already begun with the 5th and 6th grade Purpose Project, which asks students to identify and consider a need within their community. Students investigate, prepare, take action, reflect, and demonstrate their findings step by step. They can build on that foundation as they move into Upper School, including influencing, motivating, and advocating for others.

Watch more about The Purpose Project & Service Leadership

Watch the State of the School SLS Leadership Skills Presentation.

BENEFIT: Every St. Luke’s graduate leaves the Hilltop with a deep foundation of leadership built and reinforced year after year until the confidence to lead with humanity is intrinsically part of who they are.

“We believe that weaving together leadership, morality, and service elevates and distinguishes St. Luke’s approach to leadership education and our Leading with Humanity program.”

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

KATIE BOORSE

Launching in the fall of 2024-2025, Compass is an innovative one-to-one coaching initiative designed to empower individual students to take the lead in their learning by aligning with their interests and strengths.

“Compass will help us help young people make intentional and informed decisions about how to spend their finite hours.”

Excerpt from a Compass map.

Starting in 8th grade, students engage in personalized coaching sessions with dedicated mentors from St. Luke’s faculty and staff. These coaches encourage introspection and nurture a self-awareness that will help each student’s interests and strengths to emerge. Together, the coaches, advisors, and students build tailored Compass “maps” that provide direction and evolve with students each year.

Compass map-building continues straight through to graduation. Throughout Upper School, advisors and mentors facilitate discussions about academic courses, co-curricular activities, and clubs tailored to the student’s evolving identity. Compass also identifies leadership experiences, summer internships, nonprofit volunteerism, global education and travel, and other enrichment opportunities. St. Luke’s diverse and widespread alumni network will play a central role in connecting current students and recent graduates to service and career opportunities by leveraging our close-knit alumni community.

The individualized Compass approach builds invaluable relationships and instills students with a sense of clarity, purpose, and ownership of their education.

BENEFIT:

Students gain confidence and joy as they experience growing agency over how they invest their time and energy throughout high school.

Learning that Lasts

The forward-thinking curriculum at St. Luke’s is designed to prepare students for an increasingly diverse, interconnected, and global future. What sets our approach apart is our emphasis on Learning that Lasts — lessons that leave a lasting impact long after graduation — and an unwavering focus on building a strong moral foundation.

Examples of Learning that Lasts abound at St. Luke’s. Take, for instance, our annual JServe where students work in groups to research, brainstorm, develop, and present solutions to challenges facing humanity. Student collaboration and design thinking also take place within our state-of-the-art designLab. From upper schoolers crafting ancient coins using 3D printers to middle schoolers immersing themselves in interactive worlds through virtual reality technology, these lessons remain etched in students’ memories.

New and expanding core curriculum—Emerging Technologies, Computer Science & Engineering.

Emerging Technologies Curriculum

Integrating technology into education is imperative in a time marked by rapid advancements and new ethical challenges. The Strategic Plan underscores the importance of enhancing every student’s understanding of technology’s power and societal impact, making it a cornerstone for their preparation to thrive.

St. Luke’s core technology curriculum will roll out in the Middle School in the fall of 2024, followed by enhancements to the already robust Upper School programming in 2025-2026.

MIDDLE SCHOOL: A FOUR-YEAR FOUNDATION

The full four-year sequence of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) courses includes:

CSE 5TH: Creative Problem Solving

CSE 6TH: Physical Design for Social Impact

CSE 7TH: Computing & AI Ethics

CSE 8TH: Electronics & Robotics

Read course descriptions and more: St. Luke’s Emerging Technologies.

Watch the State of the School Emerging Technologies Presentation

“It has never been more essential for students to consider the ethical and societal impact of emerging and existing technologies.”

ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR ACADEMICS LIZ PERRY

BENEFIT: All St Luke’s graduates leave the Hilltop as skilled, conscientious creators and users of the technologies shaping the world.

Community Well-Being

St. Luke’s has long been a trailblazer in the arena of well-being. We were ahead of the curve in taking seriously the need for student sleep and addressing it with later start times; we took action to manage homework overload and cell phone distraction; and we were among the first to leverage mindfulness for student and faculty stress.

In 2020, St. Luke’s Well-Being and Academic Support team launched the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI) RULER programming. RULER is an internationally recognized approach to Social Emotional Learning and continues to be a foundation for St. Luke’s well-being education.

In 2023, St. Luke’s announced One St. Luke’s — a distinctively St. Lukesian program designed to nurture a culture of pervasive kindness, respect, and care for one another.

One St. Luke’s — A Strong, Unified Community

One St. Luke’s is about creating a joyful school experience. From the moment a family is accepted, straight through to graduation and life as an alumni, we want them to feel they belong, they are enough, and they are an essential part of our community.

Picture a school where individuality is respected and differences celebrated. Where no team, club, or activity is more important than another. Entire athletics teams show up at the school play, and actors, artists, and performers of all kinds show up for the Scholar’s Symposium. And the debate team shows up to support service activities, and so on.

It’s important to note that One St. Luke’s extends well beyond school spirit and unifies us behind the Honor Code and institutional goals such as the Vision for Inclusive Excellence

The Vision calls on all of us to ensure every individual in our community belongs, is valued, and has a stake in the ongoing life and purpose at St. Luke’s. It prioritizes relationships and celebrates varying interests, abilities, experiences, and backgrounds.

“We represent many individuals and perspectives, but we are always One St. Luke’s.”

DIRECTOR OF EQUITY & INCLUSION JACQUELINE

NELSON

The following programs help lay the foundation for a strong, unified One St. Luke’s community:

FOR STUDENTS:

angle-right OPENING ASSEMBLIES: Head of School Mary Halpin Carter kicks off the school year with a vision for One St. Luke’s.

angle-right STORM GEAR FRIDAY: A new tradition celebrating that we are all on the same home team.

angle-right FOUNDERS’ CUP: An old tradition brought back to life and expanded into the Middle School this fall.

angle-right HEADS HOLIDAY: If/and when it happens (Dr. Carter likes to keep everyone guessing), Heads Holiday is a joyous day of community building.

angle-right TOWN MEETINGS are evolving into “classrooms for community,” where we spotlight creativity, learning, talents, mindfulness, excellence, and joy!

FOR FAMILIES, FACULTY & STAFF:

angle-right BUILDING CAMPFIRES: In April of 2023, St. Luke’s held Building Campfires with Charles Vogl, a public event promoting respectful, inclusive, and durable communities. A followup event, THE ART OF COMMUNITY, is coming as part of the Parents’ Association Education Series (inspired by Vogl’s The Art of Community)

angle-right HARVARD’S MAKING CARING COMMON: In December, the Faculty & Staff participated in Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project, an initiative designed to ensure that all students on the Hilltop have a positive and trusting relationship with at least one adult at school.

angle-right DATA-DRIVEN EQUITY & INCLUSION: In spring 2024, conduct research around the diverse range of experiences on our campus. Use information to ensure our strategies and programs are founded on evidence.

Watch the State of the School One St. Luke’s Presentation

BENEFIT: A vibrant, interconnected community where members seek out every opportunity to respect and care for one another and raise each other up.

Foundational Excellence

The Layers of a Strong Foundation

For students to thrive, their school must be thriving. Building upon St. Luke’s core institutional strengths is key to ensuring a St. Luke’s education remains exceptional into the future.

FACULTY & STAFF EXCELLENCE — attract and retain a talented, diverse faculty and staff with a vibrant work environment that includes competitive compensation, high-value benefits, proven equity and inclusion work, ongoing well-being support, and broad opportunities for growth. Making this strategic goal a priority has already elevated St. Luke’s compensation and benefits into the top echelon of peer schools nationally.

STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT— attract academically motivated students and mission-aligned families. Evaluate St. Luke’s competitive position and differentiate to strengthen our leadership position. Promote St. Luke’s Unmissable Middle School as a key distinction.

MASTER CAMPUS PLAN — develop a plan that enables St. Luke’s to meet and anticipate the future needs of our community and Prepared to Thrive programs. Creatively design spaces that reflect our institutional priorities and address space limitations and opportunities. Prepare for and execute a capital campaign to support the Master Campus Plan and strategic initiatives.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL — increase market share, build brand, and serve more families by creating new mission-inspired programs. Expand successful summer programs to engage more families with our values and connect them to our admissions team.

BENEFIT: An infrastructure, both solid and flexible, capable of growing with and inspiring the St. Luke’s community for decades to come.

Prepared to Thrive Initiatives

This Spotlight Report highlights strategic plan initiatives already underway. The following outlines currently planned short- and long-term initiatives. More information will be shared as initiatives enter the design and execution phases.

LEADING WITH HUMANITY — HOW WE INSPIRE MORAL LEADERSHIP

angle-right Leadership Skills: A Spiraling Curriculum for Grade 5-12

angle-right SLS Compass Individualized Coaching Program

angle-right Civil Discourse Programs and Speaker Series

angle-right Leadership Skills Building in Athletics and the Performing Arts

LEARNING THAT LASTS — INNOVATIVE, FORWARD-THINKING CURRICULUM

angle-right Emerging Technologies new core curriculum

angle-right Global & Diversity Perspectives — Expanded global, cross-cultural service experiences, Global Online Academy (launched 2022)

angle-right VIE — conduct curriculum review outlined in the Vision for Inclusive Excellence.

angle-right Portrait of a Graduate — define and continuously redefine target skills, habits, and experiences for graduates of Middle School and Upper School.

angle-right Revise graduation distribution requirements to tie to global thinking, public speaking, environmental sustainability, and civil discourse work.

PREPARED TO THRIVE PLAN OUTLINE

COMMUNITY WELL-BEING — CREATING A THRIVE ENVIRONMENT

angle-right RULER — Yale University Center for Social Intelligence’s RULER programming in grades 5-12 (Launched 2020 and ongoing)

angle-right One St. Luke’s — A community-wide initiative to build connections, celebrate individuality, and seek ways to raise each other up.

angle-right VIE — activate the Vision for Inclusive Excellence by maintaining a strong pipeline of diverse students, faculty, staff, and trustees in order to retain a strong community; Equip faculty with a thorough knowledge of and experience with equitable and inclusive teaching practices, cultural diversity, and a range of learning differences.

FOUNDATIONAL EXCELLENCE — BUILDING ORGANIZATIONAL STRENGTH

angle-right Faculty & Staff Excellence — ensure competitive salaries and benefits, proven equity & inclusion work, well-being support, and broad opportunities for evaluation and growth.

angle-right Master Campus Plan — meet and anticipate the future needs of our community and programs with spaces that reflect our institutional priorities.

angle-right Athletics Facilities & Program Development — anticipate the future facility and programmatic needs of St. Luke’s athletics to ensure that we are well-positioned for continued success. Planned updates to the athletics facilities include upgrades to the Athletic Center and renovation of the Stadium field.

angle-right Prepare for and execute a capital campaign to support the Master Campus Plan and strategic initiatives.

angle-right Strategic Enrollment Management — attract and graduate academically motivated and engaged students and mission-aligned families.

angle-right Re-evaluate competitive context — Strengthen SLS’ leadership position with distinctions such as our Unmissable Middle School.

angle-right Sustainable Business Model — increase market share, build brand, and serve more families with new programs using existing time/space. Expand mission-aligned Summer at St. Luke's and summer programs.

angle-right Fiscal Excellence — continued commitment to responsible financial stewardship and competitive tuition for families.

The Prepared to Thrive Strategic Plan draws on the wisdom and experience of the St. Luke’s Community. It is grounded in research and inspired by an understanding that the best schools prepare students — not for the world we’ve known — but for the worlds they will enter. Learn more.

For more information about St. Luke’s School, please visit www.stlukesct.org/admissions

Interested in visiting our campus? Learn more and register to attend an upcoming event: www.stlukesct.org/visit (203) 801- 4833 | admissions@stlukesct.org | www.stlukesct.org | 377 North Wilton Road, New Canaan, CT 06840

A secular (non-religious) private school for grades 5-12 serving over 30 towns in Connecticut and New York.