Strategic Plan2011 – 2016
La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 2
La Salle College High School, a Catholic independent,
college preparatory school for young men of varied backgrounds,
is conducted in the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle.
Through a broad and balanced, human and Christian education,
La Salle College High School guides each student in the
development of his unique God-given talents and fosters
a commitment to academic excellence, service, and leadership.
Mission Statement
Adopted by the Board of Trustees
March 2006
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Dear Friend of La Salle,
“Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.” Those six simple words lay the foundation for what goes on at La Salle College High School. Each young man arrives blessed with his own talents, interests, and a curiosity for learning. Over the course of four years, La Salle enables the student to learn about himself and to become his most talented, spiritual, and compassionate self. When that student graduates, he is ready to take the person he has made and the truths he has learned about himself and use them to lead and serve others.
Those six words above also present La Salle with the challenge of being relevant, effective, and vibrant in the lives of the students who come here. La Salle is built upon the teachings of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and the legacy and guidance of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. This legacy and charism influences the faculty and the lay associates who are part of La Salle. Around the world, that influence and continued presence is the compass that guides a La Salle graduate.
Everything at La Salle – curriculum, activities, campus ministry, facilities – exists to empower the student in his journey of self-discovery. While we are immensely proud of our rich heritage, we are looking to the future to ensure that student growth remains at the center of what we do, and to put the pieces in place to support and sustain the ministries to carry out that mission.
We continue the cyclical process of re-evaluation and planning so that La Salle can continue to fulfill the implied promise it makes to each student who enters here. Two years ago the Board of Trustees and Administration initiated the process of planning for the future and plotting the path that will allow La Salle to flourish and evolve. Six committees representing all constituencies worked for over a year to determine what La Salle needs to do over the next five years to maintain its vitality and to advance its mission for the future. Their findings and recommendations were then reviewed with the constituents, and a group of administrators, faculty, and trustees synthesized them into this Strategic Vision and Plan.
As in all things, we are driven by our Mission Statement. The Strategic Vision Statement that anchors this document represents our image of La Salle, and the goals presented set forth the opportunities and challenges that the school community must embrace to keep La Salle at the vanguard of Catholic independent education in the Delaware Valley. These goals are not only the blueprint to building our success, but the milestones that we will achieve to tell us that we have succeeded on our journey.
Sincerely yours,
Benjamin J Ventresca, Jr, ‘70 Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ‘60 Chairman, Board of Trustees President
La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 2
VISION
As a Ministry of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with a rich
legacy and an even greater future, we are dedicated to perpetuating the
Mission that is so integral to every aspect of our existence. As such,
we present this Vision Statement that builds on our Mission and provides
the goals to which our Strategic Plan is focused. This Vision defines what La Salle
College High School will embody in 2011 at the same time that it anticipates
what we will be in 2016.
La Salle will continue to be a place where young men of varied backgrounds
enter to learn. This process of learning will be steeped in the charism of the Brothers
of the Christian Schools and honed with the challenges of Christian leadership
and the rigors of demanding academics. In the best traditions of La Salle, this
learning will go beyond the classrooms and laboratories and be experienced in the
forums of intellectual exchange, on the fields of competition, and on the stages
of artistic performance.
The hallmarks of our students will continue to be intellect and accomplishment,
faith and compassion, service and justice, and integrity and respect. The educational
experience will help young men find God in their daily lives and come to the
realization of the individual potential that they possess. And in the process, they
will learn the responsibilities of the gifts they have received and leave this
place to lead and serve.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 4
Goal One Adhere to Our Mission and Perpetuate Our Catholic Lasallian Identity
La Salle College High School predicates its mission upon the core
belief that God has created each student as a unique person blessed
with talents and interests. Young men come to La Salle so that they
can develop those gifts and passions and sculpt themselves via
spiritual exploration, intellectual discovery, hands-on service, creative
endeavors, athletic challenges, and leadership opportunities.
To accomplish this mission, La Salle immerses its students in an environment based on
the teachings of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The student-centered approach, the
commitment to the poor, and the teacher-mentor model are intrinsic to the identity of
La Salle and to the experiences of the students. In an effort to continue to make this
philosophy vibrant in the 21st century, La Salle is recommitting itself to making the school
a living example of the Founder’s teachings. Directly, La Salle will teach and show the
students what it means to be Lasallian. Indirectly, the school will extend Lasallian formation
programs to a broader range of constituents to enable the students to receive
reinforcement of Lasallian concepts beyond the school day.
In school, La Salle will utilize curricular programs and administrative initiatives to teach
and show the students what it means to be Lasallian. Additionally, the school will
extend Lasallian formation programs to a broader range of constituents, such as parents,
alumni, and trustees, so that those members of the school community can reinforce
Lasallian concepts in the lives of our students beyond the physical boundaries of La Salle.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 6
Goal One Adhere to Our Mission and Perpetuate Our Catholic Lasallian Identity
ACTION STEPS
• Support existing Lasallian formation
programs for administration, faculty,
staff and students
• Consider new formation programs for
parents, alumni, and trustees
• Seek curricular enhancements to promote
understanding of the Lasallian Mission
• Consider the appointment of a Coordinator
for Mission and Ministry who will be
charged with overseeing the formation
programs and activities as well as helping
to initiate new ones
• Examine school retreat programs,
placing an emphasis on improving
underclass retreats
• Encourage student and faculty
participation in service programs
and liturgies
• Broaden awareness of social justice
issues across the curriculum and through
faith and formation experiences
• Investigate the feasibility of a
coordinated speaker series or symposium
on social justice themes and take action
• Track and respond to data gathered
from the AFG student performance goal:
Assessment of Catechesis Religious
Education, Senior Lasallian Assessment,
Volunteer service, Honor Code,
and discipline
Goal One Adhere to Our Mission and Perpetuate Our Catholic Lasallian Identity
ACTION STEPS
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 8
Goal TwoBe a Leader Among Independent College Preparatory Schools
While emphasizing the grace of personal and institutional humility,
La Salle celebrates the myriad accomplishments of its students.
National Merit finalists, state champion athletes, and nationally-
recognized debaters walk side-by-side with award-winning musicians,
Kairos retreat leaders, and various service project volunteers. This
variety of excellence and achievement empowers the students as they
support and motivate each other to become their best selves.
Even with its many successes, however, La Salle is not complacent. The students of today
and tomorrow deserve our concentrated efforts to move continually forward and to enable
each student to mold himself into his best person. We exist in a region that is filled with
excellent educational institutions, and we recognize that we have the unique opportunity and
responsibility to build on our Lasallian legacy to lead and serve as an independent college
prep school.
To that end, La Salle will focus on recruiting students who support, complement, and motivate
each other as they move forward on their respective journeys; on delivering students the
services needed to help them as they navigate adolescence; on hiring and developing faculty
and staff that best meet the various needs of the students; and on providing the physical
facilities, especially in areas such as science and technology, campus ministry, athletics, and the
arts, that allow the students to grow intellectually, spiritually, socially, and physically.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 10
Goal Two Be a Leader Among Independent College Preparatory Schools
ACTION STEPS
• Develop recruiting strategies to increase
a suitable application pool in light of our
Mission and secure our enrollment base
• Conduct a review of peer schools to gauge
our successes and needs, and to search for
best practices
• Design a coordinated approach to
cultivating the leadership abilities of our
young men
• Monitor the student performance objectives
in the AFG strategic plan which address
academic performance/initiative and
communication/critical thinking skills
• Promote experiential learning opportunities
• Conduct a thorough review of the student
services and programs (e.g. counseling,
spiritual formation, social development, and
discipline, and make necessary adjustments)
• Complete the faculty/staff compensation
modeling prior to developing the Budget for
Fiscal 2015
• Investigate a voluntary retirement incentive
that is mutually beneficial to the potential
retiree and La Salle
• Explore a way to reward faculty/staff
for extraordinary excellence through a
structured comprehensive review program
• Research “best practices” in independent
schools by visiting and collaborating
with them
• Promote additional faculty development
to enhance the faculty/staff’s
understanding of the Lasallian Mission
and social justice issues and to advance
the skills needed to be the most effective
teachers of tomorrow’s students
• Review the prioritized needs for
maintenance of existing facilities and
capital projects
• Monitor and adapt the Technology
Plan to provide “cutting edge” initiatives
and “state-of-the-art” infrastructure
Goal Two Be a Leader Among Independent College Preparatory Schools
ACTION STEPS
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 12
Goal ThreeIncrease Global Awareness and Diversity
La Salle exists in a dynamic and diverse world that is becoming
more interconnected with each passing day. In keeping with the needs
of the students and with the core philosophy of the international
body of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, La Salle is working to
diversify its student body and to support the various needs of that
student body. A diverse student body mirrors the world that our
students inhabit, and it benefits all of our students that they reflect
the world beyond campus.
La Salle also seeks to provide the students with first-hand experiences to comprehend
and appreciate the world’s diversity and unity. Creating compassionate, globalized men who
are ready to be leaders in their chosen fields, in their various communities, and in service
to others is a priority as we move deeper into the new millennium.
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Goal Three Increase Global Awareness and Diversity
ACTION STEPS
La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 14
• Implement the newly created Diversity
Action Plan
• Conduct a comprehensive review of our
student recruitment process with an aim
to increase diversity
• Support all students who may be
experiencing social, academic, or
financial difficulties
• Foster relationships with Lasallian
schools and ministries locally, regionally
and globally
• Promote the inclusion of international
students and opportunities for
international exchange
• Provide non-traditional learning
experiences to broaden our students’
perspectives
• Increase school-wide awareness
of global issues
Goal Three Increase Global Awareness and Diversity
ACTION STEPS
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 16
Goal FourCommunicate Our Value to all Constituents
La Salle strives to remain humble, but it must balance that goal
with the need to communicate more effectively what we do and who
we are with our various constituencies and with prospective students.
Our current and future students will benefit from a greater internal
and external awareness of La Salle’s essence and its accomplishments.
These fundamental qualities, which speak very clearly to who we are and what we value,
present our students with an array of opportunities for growth. Academic excellence, which
receives frequent local, regional, and national recognition, occurs on daily basis at La Salle.
La Salle’s dedicated and highly accomplished faculty shares its talents and experiences with
the students in a variety of settings in and out of school. The wide range of extracurricular
opportunities gives our students a chance to find their personal niche, and the quality of
the various programs allows them to compete at the highest levels. The first-rate facilities,
especially in the areas of science, technology, the arts, and athletics, allow students to learn,
grow, and compete in a manner that is most beneficial to their overall personal development.
From the daily service opportunities during the school year to the abundant summer service
programs, La Salle is truly committed to giving the students the opportunity to serve others.
Lastly, La Salle cares about its students. From the first day a student arrives to learn to the last
day when he leaves to serve, and long beyond that, that student is a valued member of the
La Salle community.
La Salle also has the blessing of very active and supportive alumni and parents. Our alumni
are men of accomplishment, and a substantial number of them regularly contribute their
talents, expertise and contacts in broadening our students’ horizons and opportunities. Our
parents dedicate themselves to enhancing La Salle for their sons today and for the students
of tomorrow.
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La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 18
Goal Four Communicate Our Value to all Constituents
ACTION STEPS
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Goal Four Communicate Our Value to all Constituents
ACTION STEPS
• Implement the “branding initiative”
• Keep current on peer school websites
and written communications
• Provide training to enable all constituents
to articulate our mission and promote
our school
• Make greater use of internally-derived
and externally-benchmarked
market research
La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 20
Goal FiveEnsure Robust Financial Stability
The business of independent education is an ever-increasing
challenge to administrators and trustees and now more than ever,
to continue its mission, La Salle needs to be financially sound.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle broke education barriers by setting
the promise to educate the whole student. In our time, his
focus on serving the underprivileged translates to our commitment
to ensure that a La Salle education remains financially accessible
to qualified students.
Dynamic and challenging programming, state-of-the-art facilities, and top-of-the-field
educators and coaches are the hallmarks of La Salle’s educational offering, and maintaining
their proper balance in the coming years will be the key to our success and growth.
Recognizing the financial sacrifice that all our constituents make to be part of and to support
the La Salle community, La Salle will conduct itself in a fiscally responsible manner. This fiscal
responsibility will be evident in our decisions on fundraising, endowment growth, asset
management, debt load, capital improvements, operations, and tuition management.
The realization of this goal will insure the future of La Salle College High School.
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Goal Five Ensure Robust Financial Stability
ACTION STEPS
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• Be prudent about funding of future
capital improvements
• Plan judiciously for reduction
of existing debt
• Adhere to the Facilities Plan
• Increase the number of donors,
total donations, planned gifts, diversity
scholarship funding, and
philanthropic revenue streams
• Implement and adapt the Institutional
Advancement Strategic Plan
• Increase endowment, as well
as need-based financial aid and
merit-based scholarships
• Improve communication to all
constituents about the full cost of
educating one student
• Examine ways to restructure operations
to maximize available financial and
human resources
• Explore and develop alternative
revenue streams
Goal Five Ensure Robust Financial Stability
ACTION STEPS
La Salle College High School Strategic Plan 24
HistoryEstablished in 1858, La Salle College High School began at Saint Michael Parish at Second and Jefferson Streets in Philadelphia. Initially known as the “Select School,” it eventually took the name “Christian Brothers Academy.” In 1863, the school became the college preparatory division of La Salle College.
In 1867, La Salle moved to Juniper and Filbert Streets. In 1882, the Christian Brothers acquired the mansion of Michael Bouvier – a prominent Philadelphia banker – located on Broad Street near Girard Avenue. In 1929, La Salle opened a new campus in Belfield in the Wister Woods section of Philadelphia. Up until 1960, La Salle College and La Salle College High School shared the same campus.
In 1960, the high school separated from the college and moved to its present site on Cheltenham Avenue in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, which was the former Belcroft estate of Clarence Brown.
In 1992, the school opened Saint Michael hall, a five-story addition that featured a new library information center (the McShain Library), technology center, media broadcast center, faculty work center and lounge, instructional classrooms, lecture hall, and an art studio.
In 2002, the West Wing opened, providing much needed space for athletics and music.
In 2006, the school acquired 34 acres of adjoining land along Route 309 and Paper Mill Road, which increased the size of the campus to 84 acres. In 2008, in conjunction with the start of the 150th school year, a new four-level, 40,000 square foot academic wing opened, which featured twelve SMART classrooms, two state-of-the-art science laboratories, a second technology center, a chapel and campus ministry area, a study commons, a counseling center, and several meeting rooms. The expansion project increased the school’s instructional area to fifty-four SMART classrooms and five science laboratories. McLean Hall, the original academic wing, was sequentially renovated prior to the start of the 2009-2010 academic year. The renovations included new windows, air conditioning, and utilities (electrical, plumbing, cable/fiber optics, etc.).
The Institute originated by
Saint John Baptist de La Salle has
followed the footsteps of its founder
and is now established throughout
the world. The Brothers of the Christian
Schools give themselves to the
education of children, young people,
and mature students. They are present
in eighty-two countries and have more
than 1,000 teaching establishments
where over one million students
are educated. Associated with the 6,000
Christian Brothers in schools, colleges,
and educational centers are 100,000
lay colleagues, whose aim is to help
students achieve a full education
as persons, citizens of their country,
and believers. The De La Salle Christian
Brothers give special attention to
missionary countries where young
churches exist, particularly in Africa
and Asia.
Twenty-three men who gave their lives to the Brother’s vocation as Christian educators have been named as Saints or Blessed and the cause of more than 150 others has been introduced for Beatification.
Today, fourteen Christian Brothers are in residence at La Salle College High School and the La Salle community is blessed to have these men as mentors for the students and lay faculty.
La Salle College High School8605 Cheltenham AvenueWyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038
215 402 4800 phone215 233 0284 [email protected]
www.lschs.org
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