Where we are going
The overall purpose of planning is to serve students and families better, enhance the school’s program, and strengthen its market position. This can be accomplished with a few well thought out initiatives that align strategy and vision to the school’s mission:
- Restoring the Lower School to full enrollment, sustaining full enrollment in Middle School, and modestly increasing enrollment in the Upper School.
- Enhancing the uniquely inclusive culture of Seven Hills by reaffirming the school’s commitment to enrolling a diverse and engaged student body.
- Sustaining the excellence of the faculty and staff.
- Focusing on shaping new programs within all four divisions in order to remain competitive and to meet the evolving needs of students.
- Addressing significant facilities issues so all of these programs can flourish.
Our Goals
Accordion
Promote a Culture of Excellence
- Invest in faculty to ensure the evolution of engaging curriculum, future-focused teaching methodologies, and the ability to attract and retain the strongest teachers from a national pool.
- Ensure both access and full enrollment of well-qualified applicants through the judicious use of financial aid and merit scholarships.
- Sustain the curricular emphasis on fostering such future-focused skills as critical thinking, creativity and innovation, and collaboration.
- Foster real world learning by strengthening career exploration, service learning, and leadership opportunities.
- Nurture individual talents by:
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- Developing a signature program to guide students toward opportunities to specialize, both at school and beyond.
- Enhancing opportunities in the fine and performing arts and athletics.
Pursue Lower School Initiatives
- Expand the early childhood program to include a two-year-old program on both campuses and to support enriching the all-day curriculum.
- Build a new, state-of-the art, early childhood education facility on the Hillsdale campus to support more robust enrollment in the Lower School.
- Expand the array of meaningful after-school enrichment activities.
- Provide an enhanced world language experience.
Reshape the Middle School
- Build a new Middle School facility designed to support grade level social structures, interdisciplinary, project-based learning, and the use of instructional technology.
- Enhance the advisory program in Middle School to provide opportunities to explore age-appropriate social and emotional issues and nurture self-advocacy and civic engagement.
- Engage students in better understanding their own learning styles and provide on-going faculty training to help students develop strategies to maximize their learning.
- Develop a strategy to coordinate the Lower and Middle School language programs.
Enrich the Upper School
- Enhance the social and programmatic richness of the Upper School by modestly increasing enrollment, while maintaining traditional class sizes and faculty/student ratios.
- Engage students in sustained, interdisciplinary explorations of issues of global, national and local significance.
- Institute a coordinated program to promote meaningful engagement beyond Seven Hills, including career exploration and internships, community involvement and service learning, leadership training and entrepreneurial opportunities.
- Develop a signature program to help students identify special, individual interests and to guide them toward opportunities to specialize, both at school and beyond.
- Expand course offerings in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects.
Enhance the Performing Arts
- Build a multi-purpose performing arts facility to provide both ample classroom and rehearsal space for a rapidly-expanding performing arts program as well as a suitable performance and gathering space for the Seven Hills community.
- Provide a wide range of visual and performing arts courses and electives, with an emphasis on student-led, performance-based experiences.
- Support the exploration and implementation of appropriate technology and innovative technical practices throughout the arts program.
- Provide adequate support for the musical theater program in Middle School and explore the feasibility of a similar program in Upper School.
- Explore the feasibility of establishing a dance program.
Strengthen Athletics
- Build a new Lower Field complex with turfed surfaces and reallocated field space to maximize access to practice and game space and allow for more teams.
- Explore additional team opportunities, especially in the winter season, based on student interest.
- Sustain the excellence of our coaching staff by providing on-going evaluation, professional training, support, and program coordination for volunteer and staff coaches.