Lumen Christi Strategic Direction Statements: 2024-2027
Many years of practical application, experience and stakeholder feedback were used to formulate the following Strategic Direction Statement (“Strategic Plan”) within the five core areas which best describe the Lumen Christi High School experience. The following five core areas constitute a culmination of Board perspective, stakeholder considerations and careful analysis of past performance which best represent the anticipated future growth, sustainability and impact that Lumen Christi High School will have on its students, teachers, parish, community and family members.
The Board hereby agrees and confirms its adherence to this Strategic Plan as it seeks to perform the role of advisory to the Pastor of Saint Benedict Parish over the next three years.
1. Faith
Lumen Christi High School will be a leader in faith formation to build our collective Catholic identity, by:
- Providing a robust theological education in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church;
- Engaging in social occasions in a faith-filled environment;
- Engaging in student mission opportunities (e.g. mission trip travel, World Youth Day);
- Engaging in student service opportunities (e.g. Brother Francis Shelter, Clare House).
2. Family
Participation in Lumen Christi High School will lead to a greater sense of community within our parish and with other families who are part of the school, by:
- Creating opportunities for Lumen Christi parents to directly engage with one another, both in faith formation and socially;
- Creating opportunities for Lumen Christi students to socialize organically, promoting the spontaneous nature of young, enduring friendships;
- Creating easy-access opportunities to engage other members of the Lumen Christi community;
- Incorporating the communities of Lumen Christi and Saint Benedict Parish to enrich their symbiotic relationship with each other and enhance the support they provide.
3. Excellence
Education of our students at Lumen Christi High School must ensure the best opportunities for our students to develop academically, athletically and spiritually, so that each student receives a well-rounded education suited to their individual strengths and weaknesses, as befits a school both small in size and Catholic in mission, by:
- Expanding our rich history of academic excellence across the curriculum;
- Expanding the opportunity for artistic and creative expression;
- Expanding the opportunity for education in physical health and wellness;
- Fostering the effective use of public service as a component of Catholic education;
- Encouraging a deliberate commitment to the development of the six attributes of a Lumen graduate.
4. Retention and Recruitment
Lumen Christi High School is committed to the thoughtful, strategic analysis of future growth in order to maintain appropriate class sizes and financial sustainability. An increase in the number of families and students, including highly qualified teachers and staff, who believe Lumen Christi is the right educational option for them must be examined within the context of prevailing educational supply and demand, along with other mission critical considerations. Strategic growth will be accomplished by:
- Creating an environment that fosters the retention and recruitment of highly qualified teachers and staff;
- Continuing to foster and grow our relationship with our sister school, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton;
- Updating the school’s marketing materials, to include online and social media presence, which are student-oriented and relevant to the prevailing community trends;
- Showcasing our building to all prospects e.g.: Summer camps – both academic and athletic, youth group events, 6th grade welcome night events;
- Conducting outreach events to Anchorage communities that are underrepresented at Lumen Christi High School, e.g., Military/JBER families; ESL and first-generation families;
- Organizing additional cultural events relevant to our underrepresented communities;
- Ensuring that Lumen Christi High School’s informational pamphlets are included in welcome packets for Anchorage entities that import families to Anchorage, e.g., the Department of Defense, oil and gas companies, healthcare providers;
- Encouraging participation in Lumen Christi High School’s sport programs and promoting student and family attendance to all local games and tournaments;
- Continuing to work with the Anchorage School District and Alaska School Activities Association to allow private school students to participate in organized team sports not otherwise offered at the private school.
5. Development
Lumen Christi High School will strive to expand its financial resources in order to make it possible for any student to attend, regardless of finances, by:
- Securing additional prospective donors;
- Increasing and improving the ways we appreciate our current donors;
- Offering more experiences, big and small, to cultivate new Lumen Christi High School students and families;
- Effectively and appropriately involving Lumen Christi High School students in these development efforts;
- Reducing the number of financial requests made to donors without reducing funds raised;
- Communicating the scholarship every Lumen Christi High School student receives;
- Recruiting more advocates within Anchorage’s faith-based communities;
- Increasing Archdiocesan support for and prioritization of Catholic schools.
Our Philosophy
We are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
to build community, and to serve our brothers and sisters.
We are united in our Core Values of
Living Faith, Celebrating Family, and Achieving Excellence.
Our Core Values
Living Faith:
We deepen our Catholic Faith while learning from and respecting the beliefs of others.- We seek to teach as Jesus did – challenging, loving, and guiding our students.
- We serve our community as Jesus would serve – with compassion, reverence, and justice.
Celebrating Family:
- We support parents in their role as the first educators of their children in the Catholic Faith.
- We respect the dignity and worth of every person as a unique creation of an all-loving God.
- We strive to be financially accessible to families willing to adhere to our core values.
Achieving Excellence:
- We focus on our students’ spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, and physical needs.
- We are committed to producing graduates who act with integrity and self-discipline.
- We develop students who are passionately faithful, intellectually astute, and socially responsible.
Our Vision
Lumen Christi Strategic Direction Statements: 2024-2027
Many years of practical application, experience and stakeholder feedback were used to formulate the following Strategic Direction Statement (“Strategic Plan”) within the five core areas which best describe the Lumen Christi High School experience. The following five core areas constitute a culmination of Board perspective, stakeholder considerations and careful analysis of past performance which best represent the anticipated future growth, sustainability and impact that Lumen Christi High School will have on its students, teachers, parish, community and family members.
The Board hereby agrees and confirms its adherence to this Strategic Plan as it seeks to perform the role of advisory to the Pastor of Saint Benedict Parish over the next three years.
1. Faith
Lumen Christi High School will be a leader in faith formation to build our collective Catholic identity, by:
- Providing a robust theological education in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church;
- Engaging in social occasions in a faith-filled environment;
- Engaging in student mission opportunities (e.g. mission trip travel, World Youth Day);
- Engaging in student service opportunities (e.g. Brother Francis Shelter, Clare House).
2. Family
Participation in Lumen Christi High School will lead to a greater sense of community within our parish and with other families who are part of the school, by:
- Creating opportunities for Lumen Christi parents to directly engage with one another, both in faith formation and socially;
- Creating opportunities for Lumen Christi students to socialize organically, promoting the spontaneous nature of young, enduring friendships;
- Creating easy-access opportunities to engage other members of the Lumen Christi community;
- Incorporating the communities of Lumen Christi and Saint Benedict Parish to enrich their symbiotic relationship with each other and enhance the support they provide.
3. Excellence
Education of our students at Lumen Christi High School must ensure the best opportunities for our students to develop academically, athletically and spiritually, so that each student receives a well-rounded education suited to their individual strengths and weaknesses, as befits a school both small in size and Catholic in mission, by:
- Expanding our rich history of academic excellence across the curriculum;
- Expanding the opportunity for artistic and creative expression;
- Expanding the opportunity for education in physical health and wellness;
- Fostering the effective use of public service as a component of Catholic education;
- Encouraging a deliberate commitment to the development of the six attributes of a Lumen graduate.
4. Retention and Recruitment
Lumen Christi High School is committed to the thoughtful, strategic analysis of future growth in order to maintain appropriate class sizes and financial sustainability. An increase in the number of families and students, including highly qualified teachers and staff, who believe Lumen Christi is the right educational option for them must be examined within the context of prevailing educational supply and demand, along with other mission critical considerations. Strategic growth will be accomplished by:
- Creating an environment that fosters the retention and recruitment of highly qualified teachers and staff;
- Continuing to foster and grow our relationship with our sister school, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton;
- Updating the school’s marketing materials, to include online and social media presence, which are student-oriented and relevant to the prevailing community trends;
- Showcasing our building to all prospects e.g.: Summer camps – both academic and athletic, youth group events, 6th grade welcome night events;
- Conducting outreach events to Anchorage communities that are underrepresented at Lumen Christi High School, e.g., Military/JBER families; ESL and first-generation families;
- Organizing additional cultural events relevant to our underrepresented communities;
- Ensuring that Lumen Christi High School’s informational pamphlets are included in welcome packets for Anchorage entities that import families to Anchorage, e.g., the Department of Defense, oil and gas companies, healthcare providers;
- Encouraging participation in Lumen Christi High School’s sport programs and promoting student and family attendance to all local games and tournaments;
- Continuing to work with the Anchorage School District and Alaska School Activities Association to allow private school students to participate in organized team sports not otherwise offered at the private school.
5. Development
Lumen Christi High School will strive to expand its financial resources in order to make it possible for any student to attend, regardless of finances, by:
- Securing additional prospective donors;
- Increasing and improving the ways we appreciate our current donors;
- Offering more experiences, big and small, to cultivate new Lumen Christi High School students and families;
- Effectively and appropriately involving Lumen Christi High School students in these development efforts;
- Reducing the number of financial requests made to donors without reducing funds raised;
- Communicating the scholarship every Lumen Christi High School student receives;
- Recruiting more advocates within Anchorage’s faith-based communities;
- Increasing Archdiocesan support for and prioritization of Catholic schools.
Our Philosophy
We are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
to build community, and to serve our brothers and sisters.
We are united in our Core Values of
Living Faith, Celebrating Family, and Achieving Excellence.
Our Core Values
Living Faith:
- We deepen our Catholic Faith while learning from and respecting the beliefs of others.
- We seek to teach as Jesus did – challenging, loving, and guiding our students.
- We serve our community as Jesus would serve – with compassion, reverence, and justice.
Celebrating Family:
- We support parents in their role as the first educators of their children in the Catholic Faith.
- We respect the dignity and worth of every person as a unique creation of an all-loving God.
- We strive to be financially accessible to families willing to adhere to our core values.
Achieving Excellence:
- We focus on our students’ spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, and physical needs.
- We are committed to producing graduates who act with integrity and self-discipline.
- We develop students who are passionately faithful, intellectually astute, and socially responsible.