In recent weeks I have written about Moravian Academy’s mission statement to more fully explore what our mission means for our school. 

An organization’s mission defines its purpose and primary objectives.  Mission statements explain why the organization exists, and they are present-focused.  When Moravian Academy’s mission was reimagined in the 2020-2021 school year, it embraced the understanding that the world our young people are experiencing is complicated and they need support in novel ways from prior generations.  

Considering the unfamiliar landscape that many of us are experiencing and the ongoing global changes that will only become more pronounced in the future, let’s unpack the following phrases in our mission:

First, let’s explore what we mean by discovering new ideas and creating new self-expressions.  As exponential technology advances and machine intelligence becomes even more embedded in our daily lives, the skills that will be needed to thrive become less about physical abilities or core literacy and more about creativity, originality and initiative.  The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report identifies these skills among the top five skills of the future.  In fact, fourteen of the nineteen emerging job clusters include content creation and product development. This is why Moravian Academy includes many opportunities for students to explore their creativity and design original content. 

For example, at the Downtown Campus, following years of preparation, fifth grade students create and produce a daily news program for their fellow students through the Moravian Academy Broadcasting Company. At Swain, students participate in years of guided field trips culminating with eighth-graders planning and designing their own trip.   At Merle-Smith, students design independent research projects to explore new ideas and express themselves.

Students at Moravian Academy also have the opportunity to learn about the world around them with curiosity, confidence and compassion.  Given the ever-growing connectedness of our world and the ability for technology to enhance opportunities to form global teams in the workplace, it is incumbent upon schools to prepare students to thrive in a diverse workforce.  We take pride in our diverse student body and strive to foster an environment where all members feel that they are valued and belong.  We create and embrace curricula that support multiple learning styles, foster critical thinking, and value diverse perspectives.  Through intentional activities that build community and understanding, there are many opportunities to gain confidence in our interactions with one another as well as expand our compassion for members of the community.

Our mission serves as our guidepost for our work across all three campuses on a daily basis.  While it may evolve as the needs of our students change, our mission is relevant to the realities our students are experiencing now and will continue to experience in the years to come.  In the year ahead, we will have opportunities to advance our mission through additional programs and facilities that will rise from our strategic plan.  We look forward to engaging the community in this process in the new year.