Torch - Spring 2016

Strategic Plan

HAVERGAL 2020 Our Vision is Limitless

Diane Peters

about new concepts and strategies for success for women and girls today. From there, the school brought on Susan Wright of Wright Management Consulting to help guide the process of gathering stakeholder input. That took the form of several focus groups and open-ended surveys with current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and current and past parents. All students were offered the opportunity to meet with the Principal to share their thoughts. “The process was designed to hear from many different voices. We reached out to involve a diverse cross-section of the Havergal community,” says Wright. The final product, which was released in early 2016, lays out the school’s plan using five different sections with aspirational headings. The first, Charting the Course, sets out the plan’s key ambitions: to increase self-efficacy and global aspirations among Havergal students. Exploring Horizons offers a detailed look at curriculum goals and three age-appropriate strategies: Breaking the Marble Spell states the importance of excitement and exploration in learning the fundamentals for students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 4; Minds Set Free, for Grades 5 to 8, furthers the idea of self-directed learning for Middle School students; and Exploring the Brink of the Known for Senior School girls is all about cross-disciplinary thinking, inquiry-based learning and making connections in the community. Adjusting the Sails addresses the importance of balancing academic excellence in all subjects with respect for mental and physical well-being among students. “It speaks of self-knowledge and wisdom,” says Davy. “We need to change the sails as needed.” A Bridge to the Future reinforces the importance of Havergal’s connection to the world outside of its walls and making strides in environmental sustainability, partnerships and civic engagement. The final section, Leading the Way, explains Havergal’s goal of positioning itself as a global leader and nurturing excellence and a culture of philanthropy. The print version of the plan couples these sections with illustrations that reinforce the wonder of learning and the possibilities for students: a tree with branches and leaves shaped like a globe; a bridge that leads somewhere but it’s not clear where; and hot air balloons to send girls upward to success.

ILLUSTRATION: GRACIA LAM

A round the same time the school released Havergal 2020: Our Vision is Limitless , its new strategic plan, scientists made an important discovery regarding colliding black holes and gravitational waves. “It’s like something from science fiction,” says Helen-Kay Davy, Principal, of the astronomical news. “I love that we might now be able to listen to the universe in this amazing discovery and finally probe the dark universe—that part of the cosmos invisible to the light telescopes of today. For me, that source of excitement is what education here at Havergal is all about.” This plan, which is set to inform curriculum, daily life, research and community involvement at Havergal until 2020, celebrates the wonder of inquiry. It also sets a clear mandate for foundational skills, health, lifelong learning and community connections. “As a parent, I’d be thrilled to have my daughter go here, looking at this plan,” says Chair of the Board of Governors Barrie Laver (his two daughters are already graduates of the school). “It’s a very positive plan,” says Davy. The result of 18 months of work and consultations, this strategic plan offers an ambitious statement of the school’s direction. The process of creating the plan began back in May 2014 with the forum “Redefining Success: An Ideas Exchange.” The event was run by the Board of Governors’ Strategic Planning Committee—an ad hoc committee made up of Board members, faculty and staff—and it brought in a number of local leaders, some of them alumnae, to talk

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