Stakeholder Forum 2017: Engaging the School Community
A cross-section of the New Horizons School community gathered on February 1 for our second annual Stakeholder Forum. Students, parents, Board members, staff and administration, as well as special guests MLA Annie McKitrick and Strathcona County Counsellor Vic Bidzinski, engaged in an evening of creative thinking and stimulating discussion, looking back at the successes of our school and looking forward to new growth and improvement opportunities.
Facilitated by Alberta Community Development, the session began with a review of the successes achieved in the past and challenges currently facing our school. Following that, meeting participants collaborated in developing the components of an “elevator speech” that anyone could use to provide a quick summary of what our school is all about. The final portion of the evening invited attendees to generate suggestions in response to three questions: 1. What new initiatives could we add to our school? 2. What existing components of our school could we change? 3. What existing things could we take away? These suggestions were then categorized and prioritized, so as the create a manageable list of possible priorities for our school.
At its upcoming planning retreat, the New Horizons Board of Directors will give consideration to the ideas and suggestions gathered at the Stakeholder Forum, as well as to information from other sources (e.g. student achievement data, satisfaction survey results) with a view toward developing the school’s next Education Plan. A draft Plan will be presented to the Board in the spring and will be debated in a public Board meeting at that time.
The Board extends its sincere thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Stakeholder Forum.
