Ascending - 2024 Strategic Plan
A letter from the Chairman of the Board
Dear SCS Community, What a great time to be an Eagle! Thanks to God's provision, the quality of our academics, sports, arts programs, and facilities has never been higher. We take to heart the tremendous efforts of our predecessors who laid the foundation upon which to build, maintain, and grow our school.
The Mission
The mission of Southwest Christian School is to provide a Christ-centered, college preparatory education that graduates young adults equipped as Christian leaders in the world.
The Vision
SCS will impact the world with the love of Christ through our students, graduates, and families by becoming an enduring ministry of uncompromising biblical education, dynamic and effective teaching, exceptional facilities, and careful stewardship of the resources with which the Lord has blessed this school.
Our Pillars
- Academically Excellent
- Globally Minded
- Distinctively Christian
Core Values
Our core values are built on the framework of three pillars which guides our mission. These three pillars support the values and principles which form the very heart of who we are and what we do.
Distinctively Christian
Dedication to being known as those who know, love and follow Jesus Christ.
- Encouraging a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ
- Promoting and modeling habits for spiritual growth
- Emphasizing the importance of prayer
- Integrating Biblical truth and wisdom throughout all our programs
Academically Excellent
Desire for excellence in the pursuit of knowledge as the basis for wisdom, derived from objective truth that is taught from a Biblical worldview.
- Providing the tools for successfully pursuing a lifetime of learning
- Inspiring intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and creative passion
- Cultivating a lifestyle of integrity, honesty, and reliability
- Developing servant-leadership skills and personal habits of self-discipline
Globally Minded
Commitment to honor and respect others, evidenced by humility to serve others in local, national and global communities.
- Valuing all humanity as being created in the image of God
- Encouraging community service and a missions mindset
- Engaging cultural diversity with respect and understanding
- Finding unity among denominational differences
Spiritual Life
Growing in Christ
Goal: Engage students and families in a spiritual formation program that fosters courageous Christian leadership and equips them with Biblical truth, rooted in compassion, to love God and people.
Objectives:
Equip and encourage students to know Christ, learn of His love, and share the gospel.
Ensure faculty and staff employ Biblical principles consistent with our missional educational environment and "We Believe" statements.
Mentor students so they develop servant leadership skills rooted in Christian values.
Create opportunities for students to demonstrate an understanding of essential Biblical teachings, disciplines, and principles.
Engage families to support our students’ spiritual growth and Biblical foundation.
Educational Program
Learning with Purpose
Goal: Blend Biblical instruction, real-world experience, and meaningful challenge to nurture students’ spiritual, intellectual, interpersonal, physical, and creative gifts.
Objectives:
Hire and retain excellent, engaging, and innovative teachers actively pursuing and modeling a relationship with Christ.
Teach a Biblically aligned curriculum within an academically excellent program.
Prepare students with the necessary skills and character traits to make a positive impact in the world.
Inspire students to pursue excellence in athletics, physical education, and artistic endeavors, fostering positive habits, skills, and character development.
Facilities
Building for God's Glory
Goal: Develop inspiring and versatile spaces to support the dynamic needs and the mission of SCS.
Objectives:
Inspire students to grow in faith and knowledge by leveraging the uniqueness of each campus to strengthen the academic and co-curricular experience of the students.
Promote the longevity and supportability of campus facilities through prudent management and planning.
Maintain and enhance an environment where students are safe on the school campus.
Utilize the school’s facilities for kingdom work and broader community impact.
Finance
Stewarding Resources Faithfully
Goal: Promote financial sustainability through sound financial planning, robust endowment growth, and healthy reserve funds to support a flourishing Christian school.
Objectives:
Develop a strategic financial model that anticipates the future needs of our school and sources of income.
Expand the endowment through investment and spending policies, careful budgeting, and planned/directed giving to support long-term financial growth.
Steward revenue and expenses to maximize the impact of donations to improve our programs, facilities, and endowment.
A Letter from the President and Head of School
During the past two school years, our Board of Trustees, staff, and parents serving on a host of committees have shaped this strategic plan to guide our school into the future. We are grateful for our consultants from NextEd and for the experts we employed to look at our work and advise us of opportunities to enhance the student experience. In addition to the feedback we received from volunteers and focus groups, we put to use much of the information gleaned from student and family surveys we've gathered for accreditation and program improvement efforts. I want to thank everyone for the insights we received.