EnVision SA 2024 Visioning Conference

Approximately 55 representatives of the Sewickley Academy Community, including faculty, staff, administrators, students, parents, alumni, and friends, gathered to envision Sewickley Academy’s future.

Prior to the conference, the group had an opportunity to review the data gathered through the community surveys, interviews, community forums, and focus groups that preceded the conference. In addition, participants reviewed material about trends in education in order to help set the stage for the collective work.

After 10 hours of engagement that included small discussion groups focused on the themes that emerged from the data gathering, mapping our collective thoughts, and focusing on areas of particular passion, the outcomes of the conference will provide the foundation for the development of our new strategic plan. One thing was powerfully clear by the end of the conference: the collective imagination of those assembled in the room far exceeded anything that could have been achieved by anyone working alone! Most gratifying to the adult conferees was the inspiring engagement of our students, who reflected unambiguously the power of a Sewickley Academy education. As one of our participants remarked, “If our future is in the hands of these young people, we have every reason to be hopeful!”

Looking forward, our consultant will draft a document that pulls together all the various outcomes of the conference. This document will form the template for the strategic plan itself, with goals and objectives detailing not only our lofty aspirations but also describing the concrete steps we need to take to achieve those goals.

Significant progress has been made, and it is exciting to see how much we have accomplished as we move into the final phase of this collective process.