Hart School Holds Retreat for Strategic Planning

August 20-21 were not the first days of classes; however, all Hart School faculty were around a table, involved in discussing The Hart School Strategic Plan. As appropriate for these types of meetings, where participants need to be fully embedded in the discussion, these two working days marked a retreat at the Mimslyn Inn in Luray, VA. The location was selected because it is close to Harrisonburg, in case of family emergencies, but far enough away that administration and faculty can focus on this important task.

The meetings were facilitated by Mrs. Tassie Pippert, who tried to make these intense days as productive, short, pleasant and painless as possible, while building consensus along the way.  Other faculty members on the Strategic Planning Committee assisted in facilitating individual sessions. Faculty participated in several brainstorming and team-building activities, acknowledged some of the characteristics of the school, and conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis that helped to set new strategic priorities. The meeting also served to clarify and confirm mission, vision and values. 

Faculty were engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the future of our school, and were successful in developing and cultivating a stronger consensus to increase engagement in the direction the school is taking.  The retreat ended successfully when the faculty agreed upon 3-4 action steps that will assist our School in becoming nationally renowned.