A mission statement defines an organization – who they are and what they do. It provides direction for action and a foundation for values and beliefs.
FALL OF 2020 Mission: Refined
VL clarified and recommitted to our mission of “Preparing students for life with Christ as our foundation.”
FALL OF 2021 Mission: Reflection
With a strengthened mission statement in hand, we turned our attention to the fulfillment of our mission.
Three questions emerged:
Are we clearly and consistently living out our mission?
How do others view us? (Are we really who we say we are?)
What does it really mean to “prepare students for life” and to have “Christ as our foundation” in the world we live in today?
These questions have been the driving force behind several major projects over the past 3 years.
FALL OF 2022: Asking the Question
How do others view us? (Are we really who we say we are?)
To answer this question we solicited feedback from over 220 people, asking them to describe our school model, focus, and characteristics. We gathered and analyzed the most common terms and six descriptors rose to the top.
- Faith-Based
- An educational model that is based upon the Word of God and has a central focus on strengthening faith and developing empathy and compassion for others through the study of the Bible and applying it to life.
- College Preparatory
- An educational model designed primarily to prepare students for higher education.
- Faith Development and Application Focused
- All learning and activities include opportunities to grow in faith and see how the learning applies to real life situations.
- Biblical Worldview
- All courses look at the content through the lens of Scripture.
- Balanced
- Academics that cover a wide variety of subjects and experiences and allow students to develop a broad range of knowledge and skills.
FALL OF 2023: Answering the Question
Are we clearly and consistently living out our mission?
The mission of VL is clearly seen through these descriptors and is evidence that perception does indeed match our mission. To further define and describe this reality, an Academic Identity Statement was created. This statement truly represents what people, both inside and outside the school, believe to be true about Valley Lutheran High School and its programs.
Academic Identity of Valley Lutheran High School:
Valley Lutheran High School is a faith-based, college and career prep secondary school that strives to equip students for success beyond high school. This is accomplished through intentional faith development and cultivation of deep understanding of academic content and the ability to apply it to complex and varied situations. All learning is viewed through the lens of Scripture and includes a wide variety of subjects and experiences that foster a broad range of knowledge and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, creativity, and technology.
Our Academic Identity aligns with our mission statement and provides more details about how we are “preparing students for life with Christ as our foundation” through an academic program. It:
- describes what our parents value and what their students experience.
- determines how curriculum is developed and how instruction is designed.
- defines exactly who we are to people who know us as well as those who may not.
- connects our purpose (mission) to our next steps (vision) and provides a clearer picture of how we can continue to deliver a program of excellence that truly meets the needs of our students.
FALL OF 2024: The Next Step
What does it really mean to “prepare students for life” and to have “Christ as our foundation?” in the world we live in today?
In order to best answer this question we needed to hear from a variety of individuals with diverse experiences, educational backgrounds, and careers. More than 120 individuals volunteered to engage as a part of this extensive research study designed to capture the essence of 21st-century education in a Christian school. Thirteen different focus groups met with consultant Dr. Jim Pingel from Concordia University – Wisconsin and discussed the most important needs of today’s students.
While we are just beginning the process of digging into the final 28-page report from the focus group study, some highlights are clear!
“How do we (or should we) prepare students for life in this current day and age?”
- By helping students develop a strong faith centered on Christ that allows them to navigate a world that is not always welcoming to Christians and to model, share, and defend their faith to others by living God’s love and grace.
- By equipping students with life skills (both thinking skills and practical skills) along with the ability and confidence to apply those skills within various contexts and to situations of varying difficulty.
- By fostering resilience, flexibility, and courage as well as a lifelong learning mindset that will equip students to deal with adversity and provide leadership in any area of their lives.
- By personalizing the program of each student to fit their strengths and interests and providing opportunities to explore vocations and post-high school opportunities.
- By developing a rigorous and engaging academic program that integrates real-world experiences that expose students to service learning, problem-solving activities, vocational preparation, cross-cultural experiences, and community partnerships.
Looking to the Future
The full report from the focus group study analyzes and consolidates all of the input into a series of goal statements that lay out concrete direction for Valley’s next steps. As part of our continuous improvement process, Valley Lutheran’s Board, Administration, and faculty and staff will utilize this report to validate where we are on the right track and where we can take bigger steps to better prepare students for life in today’s changing world. It is an exciting time! We invite you to stay tuned as these new directions unfold.