Page 4 - St. Albans Strategic Plan 2021

We believe all the aspirations
in this plan will find their fullest expression if we
think of them as elements of a powerful unifying
idea: St. Albans as “a sacred space for all,” a sanctuary where certain values and commitments are kept alive, where our boys experience the transforming grace at the heart of a St. Albans education. Our capacity to see our mission in sacred terms both grounds us and propels us, affirms us and transforms us. At St. Albans, tradition and transformation are not opposing forces but are two parts of the same process.
The first impression of our school is often one
of tradition and formality, whether it is the Gothic architecture of our campus, our classical liberal arts curriculum, or our traditional dress code. Alongside
these features, however, are qualities one often does
not associate with traditional institutions: warmth, joyfulness, humility, and a commitment to continual self-examination. It is this beautiful duality that definesthesoulofourschool.Ourtraditionsmatter profoundly to us, but they are vibrant, living realities, based on an aspirational rather than a fossilized view of our mission. At St. Albans, we resist complacency and insularity. We resist narrow, one-dimensional ways of thinking about boys, boys’ institutions, and the world around us. We are
a questioning community that helps boys transcend the constraints of social constructs and stereotypes to become their best selves. We are a “both/and” institution that embracescreativetensions,ratherthanan“either/or”institu- tion trapped in false dichotomies:
n Wearebothaschoolofexcellencethatdemandsa great deal of our students and a warm, joyful community of deep connection, support, and belonging. A school where both learning and laughter, reverence and irreverence, and excellence and empathy pervade our hallways, where boysfindteacherswhobothchallengethemandlovethem, making them feel they are part of something truly special.
n WearebothanEpiscopalschoolwithweeklychapel services and blessings before each meal and a commu- nity that encourages each boy to reflect on his own beliefs and engage more deeply in his faith tradition. We are an intentionally diverse community that believes in the intrinsic worth and dignity of all humans as sacred beings, and our identity as a spiritual institution makes diversity, equity, and inclusion foundational to our mission.
n Wearebothaboys’schoolthatservesthedistinctive development needs of boys and a school that encour- ages boys to think critically about masculinity and the moralresponsibilitiesofmenintoday’sworld.We provide both the benefits of an all-boys education and a robust co-educational program with one of the nation’s finest girls’ schools.
n Wearebothaschoolthatpromotesacademicexcel- lence through a rigorous college preparatory curriculum