This article originally appeared in the Winter 2022 edition of the Gaynor Gazette.
The process of strategic planning is like the Design Cycle used by students at Gaynor. Each strategic planning iteration is informed by the plans that have come before it, and is an effort to look towards Gaynor’s future and “think big” about where the school might be
in the next five to ten years.
While the school has grown much over the past six decades, the community remains committed to the vision set forth by Co-Founders Dr. Miriam Michael and Yvette Siegel-Herzog. Their dedication to an individualized curriculum for each of Gaynor’s students continues to resonate. The school is currently at the tail end of the 2017- 2021 Strategic Plan and has much to show for the initiatives conceived during the planning process begun five years ago.
Key achievements of the 2017-21 plan:
- Backwards Design implementation across subjects and clusters
- Creation of the Senior Educator Program, and piloting of the Co-Lead Teacher Model
- Expanded and reconceived Service Learning Curriculum
- Establishment of an annual State of the School presentation by school leadership and members of the Board of Trustees
As the school acknowledges these accomplishments, it will not rest on its laurels. The leadership team for the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan has been meeting since the fall, and has convened subcommittees focused on four pillars:
Students – Chaired by PA President and Trustee Keech Combe Shetty and Director of Lower Division Donna Logue
Families – Chaired by Trustee Jillian Marcus and Director of Admissions Juliana May
Faculty and Staff – Chaired by Trustee Kristy Baxter and Assistant Head of School Jill Thompson
Board of Trustees – Chaired by Trustee Benjamin Hamilton and Chief Financial Officer Ellen Lee
Each of these pillars is tasked with ensuring that the 2022-2027 plan is viewed through the lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The goals for the next strategic plan will include specific DEI-related initiatives, but the subcommittees will also view all proposed goals through a DEI lens.
The steering committee is composed of Trustee Andrew Bast, Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor, Director of Communications Deanna Ferrante, Assistant Director of Advancement Emily Barnes, and Communications Associate Mary-Lou Watkinson. Subcommittees will look to include goals centered around the curriculum, professional development and education of our constituencies, recruitment and outreach, and the resources needed to implement the plan successfully.
Over the coming months, the Strategic Planning leadership team will look to involve a wide range of constituents in this process, including parents, alumni, teachers, staff, and trustees. The plan will be researched and written this academic year, to be completed in the summer of 2022.