About

Strategic Plan 2022-2027

Planning for the Future

Planning for the Future
For the past two years, Tenacre has been deeply involved in a strategic planning process, positioning the school to take a major step forward in realizing the vision set forth in our Strategic Plan. Curriculum, program, and individual student development are at the heart of our plans. Investment in our campus will help us advance a series of exciting new initiatives that we think are vital to honoring Tenacre’s enduring mission to nurture and challenge each student, every day. The goal of the Strategic Plan is to advance Tenacre in three core areas: our program, place and spaces, and people.

What is happening now?
This is an exciting moment for Tenacre as we prepare the east side of campus for three facility enhancements. Olsen+Lewis Architects designed our new spaces and Erland Construction is the general contractor overseeing our projects. We expect the work to be done in three phases:

Phase I: March–April 2024
Relocating Appledore is the first step of the construction projects. It will take 4–6 weeks to move Appledore forward approximately 175 feet closer to Benvenue Street. Renovation of Appledore to become home to Admissions, Development and Communications offices will begin after it is settled in its new location.

Phase II: April 2024–March 2025
Once Appledore is relocated, we will begin construction of a new 9,000-square foot building that will become home to technology, art, and design classes. The new building will include a maker-space and a technology classroom; three spaces for art instruction; a woodshop; and a flexible space to accommodate multiple uses. The building will be constructed on three levels.

Phase III: TBD
The third phase of construction will be to renovate and transform the first floor of Leesway, part of the main academic building, into a core learning hub for students. Work on Leesway will begin after Appledore renovations are completed and the relevant administrative departments have moved.

MakeCreateLearn event engages parents

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MakeCreateLearn event held in April

A small group of Tenacre parents gathered on April 24 for a hands-on design class with Dave Hamilton, Tenacre’s Director of Design Technology, and Lauren Howard, an Instructional Technology Specialist at Tenacre.
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Both of these positions resulted directly from Tenacre’s Strategic Plan 2022–2027. Using the PAC foyer as their classroom, parents learned how to use Adobe Illustrator to create trivets from simple drawings, the same process Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Howard use with Tenacre students when they create items in class. After each participant created a design on an iPad, the group moved to the laser cutter to watch it cut all the different pieces in minutes. Seeing the laser cutter in action proved to be as fascinating for the parents as it is for Tenacre students! The group also got to see the ShopBot, another new piece of equipment used to create larger pieces, including the set components for the spring musical. Inspired by the evening’s activities, the group had myriad ideas for other potential projects at Tenacre. There was great enthusiasm for what’s happening at Tenacre now, what we will be able to do in the future with new space, and a hint of envy that the students get to do this exciting work at school regularly!

MakeCreateLearn event 4.24.24: One-on-one work with Director of Design Technology Dave Hamilton
MakeCreateLearn event 4.24.24: Using Adobe Illustrator to design the trivets
MakeCreateLearn event 4.24.24: Tech instructor Lauren Howard (middle) helps with the design process
MakeCreateLearn event 4.24.24: Watching the laser cutter in action
MakeCreateLearn event 4.24.24: Working on the design process
MakeCreateLearn event 4.24.24: Teachers are always available to help!
MakeCreateLearn event 4.24.24: Director of Design Technology Dave Hamilton demonstrates

Strategic Plan Timeline

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Phase 1: Spring 2021

Phase 1: Spring 2021
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Phase I: Spring 2021
In the spring of 2021, Tenacre’s strategic planning process began deep discussions with the Board of Trustees and Tenace’s senior leadership team asking such fundamental questions as:
- “What about Tenacre must never change?”
- “What must change?”
- “What do we want Tenacre to be known for in the coming years?”
These questions sparked conversations that were rich, provocative and far-reaching and led to the articulation of a set of Core Values that will guide our work going forward, and Areas of Inquiry that we identified for further exploration with a broader group of constituencies in Phase II.
Phase 2: 2021-2022

Phase 2: 2021-2022
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Phase 2: 2021-2022
During the 2021-2022 school year, strategic planning work was organized around seven Areas of Inquiry, each having a dedicated committee of Trustees, Corporators, and Staff Members pursuing their own research and initiative identification.

Strengthening Current Program
This work will evaluate Tenacre’s current school programs and look for areas where the school might make an even greater commitment.

Ancillary Programs
This work will investigate a range of supplementary programs and services that Tenacre might consider offering as well as building out more of what we currently do.

New Directions
This work will consider some “outside the box” ideas for Tenacre, helping ensure that we keep a creative, exploratory mindset throughout this effort.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
This work will evaluate the scope and pacing of Tenacre’s DEI efforts and will develop engagement plans for the broader Tenacre community.

Market Research and Strategic Communications
This work will help us understand how Tenacre is perceived by important constituencies and will evaluate the communication of Tenacre’s value proposition and distinctive characteristics.

Financial Sustainability
This work will address key strategic issues regarding Tenacre’s financial model with a particular eye towards ensuring accessibility and maintaining the strong financial foundation we enjoy today.

Facilities
This work will establish both short and long term priorities for Tenacre’s campus.

Committees are co-chaired by Tenacre trustees and staff.
Phase 3: 2022-2023 School Year

Phase 3: 2022-2023 School Year
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Phase III: 2022-2023 School Year
Over the summer, to prepare for the 2022-2023 school year, Tenacre hired several new faculty members to advance our goals in the strategic planning process. Additional instructors for technology and art contribute to the depth of our program and allow more time for teachers to plan innovative new projects and programs. In addition, adding a full-time counselor to our staff for the first time has provided direct service to students and families, while delivering additional resources to teachers to help support the social and emotional well-being of the whole community. Additional curriculum plans included a summer grant for a group of Tenacre educators to focus on STEM curriculum, which has reinvigorated that work and identified plans for the future.

Tenacre completed a campus master planning project in partnership with Olsen+Lewis Architects to identify classroom and facility needs and establish priorities for existing and potential new spaces on campus. The master planning exercise produced a clear direction for revisioning the east side of campus, including the relocation and repurposing of Appledore, construction of a new design and technology center, and the renovation of the Leesway offices to become a center for our learning support and enrichment team.
Phase 4: 2023-2024 School Year

Phase 4: 2023-2024 School Year
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Phase 4: 2023-2024 School Year
This year, we have been building on the momentum of our early initiatives with continued progress.

Expanding wellness programming. Our School Counselor continues to evolve Tenacre’s social-emotional curriculum in concert with homeroom and special subject teachers.

Refining the enhanced STEM curriculum. Faculty are partnering with Dave Hamilton, our new Director of Design Technology, to explore new and interdisciplinary strategies to optimize STEM learning at every grade level.

Continued investment in our ancillary and support and enrichment programming. Our After-School Director and Director of Educational Support is leading efforts to assess current programs and identify opportunities for growth.

Continuing to widen our outreach. Guided by a Board-led effort to launch a DEI Dashboard to better understand community demographics, Tenacre continues to look for new ways to attract diverse and talented faculty, staff, and students.

Beginning work on the east side of campus. Work has been done to plan for the relocation of Appledore and the start of construction on the new technology and design center.

Launching fundraising efforts to support the strategic plan. For more than 100 years, Tenacre has been able to evolve its program and facilities and build a reputation as a model of exceptional elementary education due to the generosity of families and friends.

Starting in the fall of 2023, we have been asking the community to help support the strategic plan and its role in enhancing the experience of students, now and for generations to come.

Tenacre Construction Camera

Upcoming Events

List of 2 events.

Apr

30

Appledore is Moving!
4/30/2024
Appledore will be moved forward approximately 150 feet, a process that will take a full day. Stop by if you can (please use the Tenacre entrance on Grove Street). Coffee and cookies will be served 1:00-2:30 p.m. in the main foyer for any spectators!

Contact: Colleen Gordon
May

14

Launch of "This is Tenacre" podcast
5/14/2024
Join us for a delightful 10-minute interview with Tenacre Assistant Head of School Lou Anne Collins. The link to the podcast will be added to this page at 7:30 a.m. on May 14.

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Click above image to see Strategic Plan brochure.

Contact Us

We welcome your questions and feedback. Please reach out to strategicplanning@tenacrecds.org.

Fundraising Efforts

For questions about fundraising efforts for the Strategic Plan, contact Director of Development Sam Greenfield at sgreenfield@tenacrecds.org or 781-591-7406.