In this Section

The Heathwood Hall Approach

Mission Statement

Heathwood Hall Episcopal School cultivates creative and critical thinking, develops leadership and social skills, and promotes service to others over the pursuit of self-interest through a rich academic and extracurricular program in a supportive community of talented educators and engaged students.

 

Core Values (Guiding Principles)

The Heathwood Hall Approach

Strategic Focus Areas

1. Academic Program

Goal: Deliver an educational program that appropriately challenges a variety of learners, increases engagement and learning, prepares students to be productive 21st-century citizens, and helps them recognize their strengths and passions.

Specific Commitments:

  • Prioritize student learning and engagement. Develop programs and attract teachers committed to this goal.
  • Develop programs of distinction in each division that are consistent with Heathwood’s ethos, philosophy, values, mission, tradition, and commitment to experiential learning.
  • Evaluate the efficacy of our academic support and enrichment services to meet the needs of a broad array of learners.
  • Evaluate our commitment to physical space, personnel, and program development to improve research capabilities and library resources.
  • Strengthen technology resources and their educational application.
  • Increase our commitment to continuing education, professional development, and faculty evaluation.
  • Realize the full potential of, further integrate, and focus resources toward the Columbia Connections curriculum.
2. Co-Curricular Programs

Goal: Support and develop programs that stimulate the mind, body, and spirit of our students and cultivate skills and talents that are under-recognized in the traditional classroom but are necessary in life.

Specific Commitments:

  • Evaluate our vision for Extended Programming.
  • Strengthen and broaden our interscholastic and extra-curricular programs.
  • Evaluate the functions associated with the chaplaincy, including the chapel program, pastoral care, and religious instruction/formation.
  • Develop a comprehensive service learning program that combines our desire to develop leaders of high character with service to others promoted by the Episcopal tradition.
3. The Student Experience

Goal: Develop a program that supports student development, diversity, physical health, and mental well-being, while also making recommendations to address campus safety concerns.

Specific Commitments:

  • Investigate campus safety and crisis management protocols and develop specific recommendations for implementing them.
  • Evaluate programming that supports students' mental, physical, and spiritual health.
  • Integrate Chapel programming with other initiatives to promote student well-being.
  • Establish a comprehensive program supporting diversity and inclusion in the Heathwood community.
4. Campus Infrastructure

Goal: Examine, maintain, and expand facilities and infrastructure to meet current and future needs of the students, faculty, and staff.

Specific Commitments:

  • Create a facilities master plan to guide plans for campus grounds maintenance, beautification, and future new academic buildings.
  • Prioritize campus beautification and develop a plan to address weaknesses.
  • Evaluate network capabilities and address deferred maintenance of technology infrastructure. Create “next steps” to ensure excellent electronic infrastructure.
  • Utilize the facilities audit to create and guide a deferred maintenance schedule.
  • Evaluate transportation resources and develop a replacement schedule.
  • Catalog physical plant equipment needs.
  • Maintain awareness of neighboring land use changes and impact on physical plant.
  • Engage the greater Heathwood community to assist in caring for physical plant.
5. Community Engagement & Communication

Goal: Research, design, and implement a comprehensive plan for effective engagement, communication, and inclusive community building that best articulates the execution of its mission, strengthens the Heathwood community, drives enrollment, and increases fundraising.

Specific Commitments:

Construct an Advancement Team that:

  • Prioritizes leadership giving through better stewardship.
  • Effectively engages its varied constituents through communication, marketing, and personal interaction.
  • Provides exceptional customer service.
  • Nurtures the financial health of the school through positive increases in both enrollment and fundraising.
  • Encourages our current families to effectively volunteer and donate their time, energy talents passions on behalf of the school.
  • Develops a two-year plan that enables Heathwood to effectively communicate in print, email, social media, web, outdoor, and TV/radio the execution of its mission.
  • Engages and collaborates with the Midlands community surrounding timely, relevant, inclusive, and scholarly topics impacting schools, parents, students, and society.
6. Fiscal Health & Sustainability

Goal: Develop and sustain a vibrant enrollment funnel, investigate new revenue streams, and increase fundraising.

Specific Commitments:

  • Evaluate the structure of our development office and develop recommendations for a structure that is capable of consistently effective fundraising, grant pursuit, and large-scale capital campaigns.
  • Investigate creating a director of alumni relations position to actively track and engage alums, alumni parents, grandparents, etc. to raise school awareness and financial support from this group.
  • Investigate and evaluate the profitability of alternate revenue streams.
  • Address issues surrounding employee compensation and benefits to attract and retain talent.
  • Evaluate our current expenses and revenue streams to remain financially sustainable while simultaneously delivering a strong program, transformative experience, and a safe environment.
  • Evaluate what level of tuition the Columbia/Midlands market can sustain.
7. Governance & Leadership

Goal: Develop and support a culture that improves the strategic leadership of HHES’s Head of School, Board of Trustees, and members of the School’s Leadership Team.

Specific Commitments:

  • Organize the Board of Trustees and its committees to maximize their respective members’ talent and desire to serve the school and yield a more dynamic governing body.
  • Develop Board and Heathwood community matrices to ensure that Board vacancies are filled by those with needed competencies, resources and diverse backgrounds.
  • Develop a system for evaluating the effectiveness of the Board of Trustees.
  • Assist the HOS in evaluating the structure of the School Leadership Team and consider how professional development and reorganization may optimize their ability to respond to educational and institutional challenges.
  • Make strategic planning an ongoing focus of the Head of School, School Leadership Team, and Board of Trustees.