Saint Edward’s Mission Statement Update

Dear Saint Edward’s School Community:

You may recall our Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) accreditation visit last spring uncovered a need for our School to examine our mission statement. The visiting team mentioned in all of their meetings that no one was able to recite the Saint Edward's mission statement. This fact was included in the final report as a major recommendation to undertake this year. I am expected to report back to FCIS by the end of June on the process we took to address it and the outcome.

The purpose of a mission statement is to describe an organization’s reason for existence. It defines our culture, goals and values. It should be memorable and easily recited when prompted. 

The Mission and Education Committee of the Board of Trustees began the process of evaluating the current mission statement while formulating potential draft mission statements for review by others in the SES community.

Andrew Russell ‘97 chairs the Mission and Education Committee and led us through these efforts. There were two committees that were formed, totaling 22 people, which included the Mission and Education Committee and a committee of faculty/staff members. Each group was responsible for drafting mission statement examples for consideration. From the 22 drafted mission statements, the two committees voted on their top four, which resulted in the 22 drafted statements being reduced to eight. 

A word bubble was formed using keywords from the top eight statements. Andrew asked us to form a smaller committee consisting of Wendy Porter (Board Chair), Ashley Shackelton (Trustee), Jennifer Wyly (Associate Head of School), Jack MacMullan (Associate Head of School) and myself. This smaller committee reviewed the drafted mission statements and had a very rich and productive conversation.

Ultimately, the Board of Trustees has proposed a new mission statement for Saint Edward’s:

Our survey results from the Gowan Group centered on the fact that most people choose Saint Edward's and stay at Saint Edward’s because of our nurturing community, so it made sense to lead with it. Wendy made a great point that we start in lower school by inspiring enthusiastic learners, in middle school, we work on developing critical thinking skills, and ultimately end in upper school with responsible leaders. 

The Board of Trustees will vote on the proposed mission statement at their April meeting.

I am so proud of the work that went into this process and the fact it involved so many people across our school community. Thank you to the many people who participated.


Future March Java Fridays:
Friday, March 21, 2025 - Athletics Update with Eileen Pliske