Letter from the Head of School
May 5, 2008
Dear Friends,
One of our projects this year has been to revisit the mission statement of our school. The intent was not to institute major changes but to revise our statement so that it was concise and accurate and convincingly conveyed what we do at BCS.
Mission statements are routinely employed by businesses and nonprofits to succinctly describe what the organization stands for and delivers. It is not uncommon for groups to routinely review these statements so that activities stay current and events can be measured against stated objectives.
Since coming to Berkeley Carroll I have been mystified at times when members of different constituencies have expressed to me that they were not sure what BCS stands for. It is clear to me, and it is why I was first attracted to BCS, that there is a deep commitment to all kinds of learning, that teachers and students are bound by a mutual respect and that we emphasize preparing students for the future.
We began the process of discussing our mission back in the fall with the faculty. There are several documents that we used as touchstones in our meetings. The first is the Strategic Plan, which was adopted by the Board of Trustees in the fall of 2006. The strategic plan committees were made up of trustees, faculty, and parents. The next document we employed was the Core Values, which was formulated by the Marketing and Admissions Committee and utilized the results of a parent survey. And the final resource was the Statement of Philosophy, which was adopted by the Board in 2003.
The Board of Trustees continued the work on this review project with a half-day retreat in January. The Board confirmed that the major components of a BCS education are teacher/student relationships, community and preparation for life beyond our walls.
The results of these many discussions were handed to Erika Drezner, Chair of the English Department in the Upper School. Erika was courageous to take on the task of bringing the results of these many discussions together and attempt to forge them into a clear, forceful statement. The good news is that at every point there has been overwhelming agreement on what goes into a BCS education. Erika shared her initial work with other faculty; Jodie Corngold, Director of Communications; Colm MacMahon, US/MS Director of Admissions; and other administrators. Along the way the draft received expert editing by parent and trustee Colin Harrison.
A draft has now been shared with the entire faculty and with parents at last month’s general Parent Association meeting. I have been most pleasantly surprised by the consistent, positive response that the statement has received with one parent saying that it “read like a poem.”
A passion for learning is at the heart of Berkeley Carroll. The school is a creative and intellectual community where devoted teachers challenge and engage talented students. Our demanding curriculum and vibrant civic life prepare our diverse graduates for success in college and for the greater endeavor—a life of critical, ethical, and global thinking.
In the coming month we will finish weighing all of the comments we have received and then the Board of Trustees will be asked to adopt the statement in its final form. Once adopted, look for the statement to appear in all our publications and electronic communications.
I want to thank everyone who has been a part of this process and for their contributions. I am especially grateful to Erika Drezner for her intelligent, steady leadership.
Most importantly, these months of conversations have allowed us to once again rediscover what makes BCS so special and to produce a powerful statement that affirms our distinctive, excellent qualities.
