St. George's School — Strategic Plan 2023-2033 | Ready & Relevant

READY AND RELEVANT

ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN 2023–2033

“ We want a boy to journey through this School such that he arrives at graduation knowing who he is. We have a responsibility to create a landscape in which the fullness of his identity can be celebrated and discovered in all its uniqueness.”

David

Head of School

As we approach our centennial year, complexities of the modern world demand that we go beyond what was once deemed necessary for excellence in boys’ education.

Our bold and forward-looking ten-year Strategic Plan is designed to respond to our changing world and think well into the future. It considers the needs of our current and next learners; the rapidly evolving needs of the society they will graduate into; our communities of staff, families, and alumni; and our societal value and impact as a leading boys’ school in and for this city, this country, and the world. Our School is ready to hold a different place within our community and beyond. This plan reflects our responsibility to graduate young men ready to do good in our world; the external forces that demand bold thinking and a future-resilient staff and school culture; and a strengthened focus on diversity and sustainability.

Through this plan, we honour the best of our history and traditions while affirming our commitment to excellence in education and future readiness as a modern boys’ school.

OUR MISSION

BUILDING FINE YOUNG MEN.

ONE BOY AT A TIME.

“Building fine young men is not just about university applications and top schools. It’s about building a holistic, well-rounded person who strives to make sense of his place in the world.”

1930 School founded

1,200 Students*

18 Countries of origin*

8,000+ Alumni living and working in the world, with over 150 new alumni added each year *2022–23 academic year

OUR CORE VALUES

EMPATHY

is the ability to move beyond ourselves, to identify with others, to walk a mile in another’s shoes.

HUMILITY

is the ability to be humble, not to be bigheaded or boastful, and to recognize that we all still have a lot to learn.

INTEGRITY

is an extension of honesty; it is doing the right thing even if no one is watching.

RESPECT

is feeling regard and even admiration for yourself and for others; it is being thoughtful and considerate of others.

RESPONSIBILITY

is being accountable, doing our best to meet our commitments, and to keep our word.

RESILIENCE

is an extension of courage. It’s the ability to recover quickly, and to not give up when beset by setbacks and disappointments.

“ We know that the world needs good men. Our mission is to commit to building our boys to be those good men. We choose to define the ingredients that make up that fine young man through our Core Values. We want him to take those values and add them to the experiences and learnings that he has at St. George’s, knowing that they will, if he chooses to animate them, allow him to do good. That’s our aspiration.”

David Young, Head of School

WHERE WE’RE GOING

OUR 10-YEAR VISION

In a world that demands ambitious action and new thinking…

We build young men to be impact makers, agile partners who strive to do good, positively shaping our futures.

“ What we want for each of our boys going forward is that they have opportunities to transform the world that they live in for the better.”

“I try to incorporate a worldview lens blending both an Indigenous and Western point of view. I believe new perspectives will support students to be ready in this ever-changing world.”

“ We’re trying to empower students in a way that allows them to find and express their voice and then put something out into the world that makes their school and community a better place.”

IDENTITY

We must evolve a strong, future-ready school identity within which a boy can understand his own identity. We believe that belonging, confidence, and purpose emerge from developing an understanding of the self and the world around us.

INNOVATION

We must be at the very forefront of ideas for our School and our students to make a difference.

We believe that we must focus on the future needs of our students so they can thrive in and contribute to future society. Providing the best facilities, resources, and experiences in Canada will produce graduates who are understood to be relevant for the world beyond.

STRATEGIC PLAN CORE

TENETS

IMPACT

Our strategies must have impact — for our boys and society.

We believe that our graduates’ experiences at St. George’s School should motivate them to be leaders in their communities who seek to make a positive impact on others and the world.

Three tenets form the foundation for this plan. The point where these intersect is the core that drives our strategic priorities.

HOW WE’LL GET THERE

Four strategies will advance our vision of equipping St. George’s students to do good in our world while redefining our School’s role and place in and for our community, the city, and beyond.

“As we prepare our Kindergarten class to graduate in 2036, we are asking what they will need to be ready. What will they need personally as character traits, but also academically such that they are seen as societally relevant? How can a school engage in that process, knowing there will have to be some entrepreneurial aspect to that journey? How can we as a School chart those pathways so that our boys can travel them?

David Young , Head of School

LEARNING

St. George’s School will respond to a changing world with a renewed focus on excellence, wellness, and empowering students to reach their full potential and prepare to impact the world in their own way.

Our Unique Learning Pathway

Define our Portrait of a Graduate to clarify and articulate our learning pathway — what we do well and why. Identifying and concentrating on who our graduates are now and into the future and how we equip them to lead in different ways is integral to focusing our priorities and offerings.

Purpose-Driven Learning

Foster an enhanced, integrated learning experience from Kindergarten to Grade 12 that connects academic pathways to our Portrait of a Graduate and the skills and qualities our graduates will need to have an impact in and for our world.

Healthy And Well

Align our learning community’s focus on wellness (physical, mental, and emotional health) and identity. All students will be supported and inspired to fully participate in all aspects of school life while enhancing their wellbeing.

Optimizing Outcomes

Pursue a nimble, adaptive approach to creating more accessible pathways to post-secondary opportunities through our innovative, futurefocused partnerships. Every boy should progress his preferred path to his fullest ambition and potential.

“ When we talk about wellness with the boys, we’re not just talking about an absence of problems. That’s too narrow a way to look at it. Boys will be boys, and by that I mean boys will be empathetic, boys will cry in front of each other. Boys will play together. Boys will be boys means they will take responsibility for their mistakes and actions.”

PARTNERSHIPS

Learning will extend beyond our campus, within and for our city, and beyond. St. George’s School will forge bold new partnerships to create unique, relevant learning opportunities, and contribute to the health and growth of our communities. We recognize that we can’t do this work for ourselves and we can’t do this work by ourselves.

Purpose-Built Partnerships

Partnerships that provide meaningful, real-world opportunities will play a key role as the School seeks to expand its impact further into the city and province, while building new pathways for our students to pursue. We will deliver real-world opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to meaningfully engage with universities, industry municipalities, and not-forprofit organizations. These partnerships will uniquely focus on innovations that profoundly and positively impact the needs of our students and society more broadly.

Community-Centred

Build partnerships based on shared principles and goals to create new possibilities, broaden our understanding of belonging, and deepen community connections. Ensure we are fostering an environment built upon mutual respect and learning where all members of our community can find their place and thrive.

Future Of Learning

Offer a new testing ground to explore, develop, and share innovations that represent the future of learning. Provide an environment for students outside of St. George’s School to learn alongside our boys in partnership with leaders in fields responding to significant societal needs such as Food Security, Ethical AI, Social Entrepreneurship, Medical Research, Design Thinking, Film and Arts, Advocacy, and more. This will serve as a blueprint from which others will learn, adapt, and innovate.

“ The word partnership implies a level of authenticity and engagement on both sides to create meaningful and positive change. Rather than just engage with community members on a superficial level, looking at how can we intentionally combine our strengths, our expertise, the things that we do best to build a better future for everybody involved.”

Len Gurr, Senior School Principal

STEWARDS

We will cultivate each boy’s understanding of self and the value of interaction with new ideas and people. Our community will grow more diverse and benefit from the intersection of thoughts and cultures. St. George’s School itself will be a global steward in boys’ education, committed to leading the way in sustainability, innovation, belonging, and future-readiness.

Expanding Access

Building on our School’s Core Values and foundational commitments, we will increase opportunities for a broader student body to thrive and succeed at St. George’s School. We will reflect diverse communities, welcome different perspectives, and enhance students’ understanding of themselves and how they relate to others. Preparing students for the complexities of our modern world requires a learning environment that mirrors our global society while honouring our traditions of excellence and impact.

Sustainability

Commit to campus sustainability in all aspects of school life, including striving to be energy neutral. Link academics with ongoing environmental sustainability efforts to connect the future of work and learning.

Reconciliation

We gratefully acknowledge and honour the xʷməθkʷəy əm (Musqueam) peoples on whose land St. George’s School is situated. We know we have much to learn, and our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation is foundational to this plan. We strive to deepen our relationship with the Musqueam First Nation and develop mutually valuable collaborations centred around ancestral knowledge, as well as cultural teachings, practices, and responsibilities. Our efforts towards Reconciliation will develop as we further our understanding and embrace a larger Indigenous presence within our community.

A Connected Community

As our School steps deeper into the city, we will strengthen our connections and celebrate our community, our history, and our future by engaging purposefully and nurturing our global network of alumni and family members.

“It’s a really beautiful thing to see the boys recognize whose land we are on and to acknowledge that they are not the first. That speaks to a sense of responsibility and a sense of humility in a place that is not ours. We just happen to be here now and that’s a profound privilege. So how can we respect all that has come before us and be stewards in a way that is responsible? This is what we are trying to create space for our boys to question during their journey here.”

RESOURCES

Our campus environment and the ways we work and learn together will reflect our commitment to excellence and future-readiness. We are transforming our physical spaces with our state-of-the-art new Senior School buildings opening in 2024. We will enhance how we recruit and retain leading educators and staff, and create a sustainable future for our School that reflects our ambitious vision.

Campus Master Plan

Using our Campus Plan as our guide, ensure our Junior and Senior Schools develop as innovative and relevant learning ecosystems for our students, faculty, and staff.

Future-Ready Culture

Develop and support a culture of excellence in learning and working together. Attract and retain leading faculty and staff who animate our mission and values, thrive in our future school environment, and prepare students to change the world. Actively solve the significant barriers that

hold the potential to limit our staff and faculty’s ability to fully engage in our learning community. We will seek to ensure all employees have the resources and support they need to participate in and contribute to the life of our School, particularly in areas of affordability, proximity, and balance.

Advancement

Leverage the power of financial health and sustainability to advance our strategic priorities. Grow an endowment that matches our daring ambitions of excellence and building a broader student population.

“ What are the ingredients of innovation? You need to have an idea. You need to collaborate. The design of our new building is intentional in its purpose to focus on what we believe to be future valuable traits. Collaboration and community spaces engineered to create collisions with individuals to spark shared thinking and collegiality, community, and friendship.”

David Young, Head of School

How will we make sure that our students are ready?

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This plan reminds us that there are infinite ways to be a boy. All of them worth celebrating, protecting, nurturing, and growing. The outcome is that there are many ways to be a man and many places where our graduates may choose to make an impact. Many different ways to positively support, partner, nurture, inspire, and lead the communities that they choose to be in.

I’m excited that every graduate gets to describe that uniquely for himself, knowing that he has shaped his own identity throughout his journey at St. George’s.

READY AND RELEVANT IN A CHANGING WORLD

St. George’s School is situated on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy əm (Musqueam) peoples. Our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation is foundational to our future, and our strong desire is that this is seen through all elements of this Strategic Plan.