Looking Ahead: A Vision For Hope

Over the past year, I’ve been enrolled in the Principal 360 leadership program, administered through the Chicagoland Lutheran Educational Foundation. P360 provides veteran principals with additional training in leadership, business management, and emotional intelligence, culminating in a strategic plan for school improvement.

As I write this, I’m preparing to fly to Chicago for our final three-day session and to present my culminating project—a three-year strategic plan for Hope Lutheran School! Later this fall and winter, I look forward to sharing more about the plan with our board, staff, and families.

The program has been a lot of work, but I’m incredibly grateful for what I’ve learned and excited about how this work will benefit Hope in the coming years.

An important part of the process has been reflecting on who we are, what we value, and where we want to go as a school. Our leadership team and staff considered the question: What do we want for every student who comes through Hope?

That work led to our school vision statement:

“Grounded in the belief that every student is a child of God, our school is committed to academic excellence, intentional spiritual formation, and the development of students who are prepared to serve and lead with faith, integrity, and purpose in a changing world.”

At the heart of our vision is the belief that every student is a beloved child of God. Hope students typically perform very well academically, with standardized test scores averaging in the top 20–25 percent nationally. But a Hope education is about much more than academics. We want our students to grow emotionally, physically, and spiritually – developing their God-given gifts and becoming people of faith, character, and integrity.

As we move forward with our three-year strategic plan, this vision will help keep us focused on what matters most: our students and a strong future for Hope.

Click here to read the weekly newsletter.