04/12/2012

'Cape Schools open minds and open doors' - Comments sought on draft mission, vision, values statement during April 25 forums

The School Board has unveiled a draft mission and vision statement for Cape Elizabeth schools, and is asking for public feedback on the draft.

'Cape Schools open minds and open doors' was the draft tagline presented at the board's meeting April 10, 2012. The statement that follows:"The mission of the Cape Elizabeth School District is to empower students with the academic, personal, and social knowledge and skills needed to build fulfilling and connected lives".

The values are expressed in four paragraphs in the draft, starting with catch words "Community, Academics, Passion and Ethics", the first letters of each spelling out the word "Cape".

Two public input sessions for feedback on the draft have been scheduled for 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25, at the High School library. Residents are invited to attend one of the sessions.

The sessions are similar to those held in January, the beginning of the mission and vision rewrite process. Now that all stakeholders have had a chance to weigh in on what the mission, vision and values of Cape Elizabeth schools should say, they will have a second opportunity to be sure the draft mirrors their intent.

"We're very excited to take this out for some feedback," said School Board chair Mary Townsend.

One of the more interesting stakeholder groups contributing to the revised statement was alumni, Townsend said. "There were some very positive comments about how our schools had prepared our students for life," Townsend said. Polling alumni was made possible through technology and social media, she said.

Once adopted, the mission, vision and values will serve as a basis for developing a strategic plan for the future.

Comments may be directed to the superintendent's office, 207-799-2217.

Here is the text of the draft mission, vision and values:

Cape Schools open minds and open doors.

The mission of the Cape Elizabeth School District is to empower students with the academic, personal, and social knowledge and skills needed to build fulfilling and connected lives.

The Cape Elizabeth School District values:

Community: We understand that our world in the 21st century is shrinking, and we embrace the social, political, environmental, and cultural connections that exist within our school, civic, and global community.

Academics: We strive to provide a rigorous and stimulating academic experience that encourages students to think critically, persevere through challenges, communicate effectively, and work both independently and collaboratively.

Passion: We recognize that passion is fundamental to engaged learning and can be found both inside and outside of the traditional classroom. We provide opportunities to develop and apply skills in authentic tasks which nourish creative and intellectual pursuits, and we strive to cultivate an environment that supports and protects risk‐taking and individual expression in the educational process.

Ethics: We cultivate and celebrate the ethics of integrity, responsibility, empathy, and respect for self and others, as we believe these character traits are essential to the creation of an atmosphere where all can learn and grow