2022-2027 Strategic Plan
The 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, “Going Places, Together,” has been designed to identify relevant and sustainable strategic opportunities that align with the mission and vision of Sandy Spring Friends School. Honoring the Quaker wisdom that compels us to gather broad input and touch base with everyone impacted by the direction of our strategic plan, the School developed the vision through an inclusive, community-sourced approach.
By working collaboratively with our broader community, the strategic plan ties into who we are–and who we always have been–while answering the internal and external needs of our rapidly changing world and the necessities of modern education.
Our Mission Statement: Sandy Spring Friends School provides a welcoming and nurturing learning community with Friends testimonies and Meeting for Worship central to its life and vitality. A challenging academic curriculum, enriched arts program, inclusive athletics, and service opportunities promote intellectual excellence and strength of character. Recognizing the unique worth of each person, the School strives to develop individual talents and foster caring and effective citizens of the world.
Inclusivity through Community Voice and Buy-in:
- Guidance and Oversight: Steering Committee
- Research Gathering: Community Survey
- Community Ideating: SSFS Visioning Day
- Initiative Building: All-School Planning
Guidance and Oversight: Steering Committee
Research Gathering: Community Survey
Community Ideating: SSFS Visioning Day
Initiative Building: All-School Planning
Our 2022-2027 strategic plan is centered around the following query: Rooted in our founding values and mission–and given the current context and landscape beyond our campus– if we could have the school of our dreams and the impact we most desire, what would SSFS look like in 2027 that is new, different, or better than today?
Our Strategic Planning Vision
By 2027, SSFS sets the standard for transformative Quaker education.
By 2027, SSFS is rooted in a culture of mutual trust and a shared understanding of Quaker values and practices.
To achieve this goal, we will…
- Develop a shared understanding of Quaker values and practices as a foundation for inclusive campus living and learning
- Clarify and align sound Quaker process with decision-making in a school setting.
- Embed in campus culture spaces and practices that nurture healing, trust, reconciliation, joy, and peace.
- Build student and school capacity to connect Quaker values and practices beyond the SSFS community to areas of fierce urgency, such as environmental stewardship and social advocacy.
- Reassert Quaker values and the merits of civil engagement at SSFS in the context of a polarized political climate.
By 2027, SSFS is a culturally responsive community of learners with pathways to belonging and wellbeing for all.
To achieve this goal, we will…
- Embrace an increasingly diverse community and nurture an actively inclusive culture of belonging.
- Identify and support the community’s expanded and evolving needs for social-emotional health and wellbeing.
- Cultivate meaningful, culturally responsive relationships with and among families and all community members.
- Amplify SSFS’s missional commitment to diversity and belonging, and the School’s distinct attempts to increase socioeconomic diversity.
By 2027, all SSFS students experience a transformative Quaker education that empowers lifelong learners and global changemakers.
To achieve this goal, we will…
- Inspire students to let their lives speak, seeking the best in self and others.
- Reimagine student-centered teaching and learning for a new generation, incorporating student agency.
- Adopt a cross-divisionally aligned curriculum to equip students to positively impact the current and future world.
- Equip faculty and strengthen program to enable every student to thrive.
- Develop and implement a school-wide vision for technology that prepares students for their future.
- Prepare students for the evolving college admissions landscape and to flourish beyond SSFS.
By 2027, SSFS is flourishing and equipped for a dynamic future.
To achieve this goal, we will…
- Position SSFS in current and promising new markets based on reputation and the valued differentiators of Quaker education.
- Deepen and broaden relationships with constituents, thought leaders, global and community partners, and the larger community of Friends.
- Strengthen financial health through enrollment, endowment growth, and non-tuition revenue.
- Enhance effectiveness in attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse, highly qualified faculty aligned with Quaker values and practices.
- Cultivate a culture of philanthropy built on an expanded range of fundraising tools and strategies.