Part 1. Who We Are, Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Who We Are
Who We Are
Tower School is an academically focused, community-centric independent school in historic Marblehead, Massachusetts.
We balance a rigorous, project-based, applied learning curriculum with a deep commitment to ensure that every member of our community is known and needed—from our youngest Beginners to our most senior faculty members.
Our Mission
Our Mission
We teach our students to think critically and creatively, to develop joyful curiosity, to embrace challenge and apply their knowledge with confidence, and to thrive within a community rich with diverse perspectives and talents.
How We Achieve Our Mission
We hire well.
We attract teachers whose commitment to academic excellence and professional development promotes both critical and creative thinking.
We establish a sense of belonging.
We nurture important, collaborative-learning relationships. Our students and parents are known; their voices and contributions are vital.
We initiate opportunities to excel.
We provide opportunities for students to identify themselves as innovators, leaders, contributors, artists and athletes.
We engage and motivate students.
Our hands-on curriculum reinforces classroom learning, elevates critical thinking ability and promotes academic achievement.
We embrace childhood.
Our students excel within a curriculum that balances classroom achievement with intentional time for play, imagination and physical activity.
We inspire advocacy.
We encourage students to advocate for themselves and others, to contribute their skills in support of causes about which they are passionate and to pursue sustainability in all aspects of their lives.
We emphasize creativity.
We promote personal expression through vibrant visual arts, music, woodworking, performing arts and our immersive approach across the curriculum.
We prepare students for future success.
Tower graduates are articulate, kind, confident, self-motivated learners who possess the skills for academic and personal achievement in secondary school and in life.
Our Vision
Our Values
Our Values
Leadership
We prepare students to lead and thrive in a complex world.
Empathy
We support students’ curiosity and cultivate open-minded contributors to the wider community.
Respect
We instill students with a sense of belonging, inclusion, perseverance, and kindness.
Service
We offer all students the opportunity to experience the joy that service learning can bring.
Community
We ensure that our students are accepted, valued and connected.
Part 2. Pillars
- I. Academic Leadership
- II. Intentional Culture
- III. Community Impact & Partnership
- IV. Thriving Future
I. Academic Leadership
Academic Leadership
Tower focuses on top quality program. We will evaluate, refine and strengthen our program. We will balance academic rigor with an engaging, collaborative learning environment that prepares our students for a dynamic secondary school experience and a rapidly changing world.
Academic Excellence
We will continually refine our academic program to remain a school that prepares students to excel as innovators, leaders, collaborators, creative thinkers and athletes. Students embrace the challenges of a dynamic curriculum that balances classroom achievement with creativity, curiosity and critical thinking.
Applied Learning
We will engage and challenge students with more opportunities to use and expand their skills across disciplines in real situations—forging a deeper connection to academic information. Our students need well-developed skills of critical thinking, cognitive flexibility, creative thinking and emotional intelligence to thrive and succeed. Applied learning, embedded in the history of Tower’s curriculum, takes the knowledge and skills from the classroom to real life situations.
Forward-Thinking Mindset
While honoring our foundational principles, we will challenge our thinking and welcome new ideas and new methods of teaching and learning. Staying current with best practices and research will enhance our program’s vitality and relevance in order to continue to set Tower apart. As the skills students need become increasingly complex, we must expect of ourselves the mindset where thoughtful innovation is the norm.
Faculty Professional Advancement
We will sharpen our focus on the professional development of our faculty through ongoing learning opportunities, feedback and evaluation. In order to remain essential and significant in our students’ education, our teachers’ level of expertise must remain on the growing edge of our field. We will work collaboratively on professional growth for each teacher and the faculty as a whole.
II. Intentional Culture
Intentional Culture
Tower upholds its commitment to a culture that encourages students to grow as individuals with unique passions, talents, backgrounds and ways of learning so that students embrace the joys of childhood and are ready for a diverse and demanding future.
Students are Known and Needed
We will further our commitment to being a school that knows our students deeply. Teachers and administrators know students in ways that allow for individual approaches with each student. Our close community creates an environment where each student feels he or she adds something unique. Each student feels a sense of belonging which promotes self-confidence, perseverance and connection.
School-Family Partnership
We will uphold our commitment to collaborate and communicate with families about both program and students. A strong relationship between families and the school contributes to a child’s success and enables all members of the community to come together around shared values and goals.
Balanced Approach
We will remain ambitious for students’ childhoods as well as students’ preparation for the future because we know how essential the first is to advance the second. We value the evidence that shows how imagination and play strengthen the essential development of cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth. Through play and creative work, children learn to engage and interact with the world around them. They also develop the building blocks of abstract thought and critical thinking which guide their academic growth.
Diversity and Inclusivity
We will continue to build a school that reflects the North Shore and the world. We will seek diversity not only in our students, faculty and trustees, but in our program, curriculum and lives. A culture of diversity and an attitude of inclusivity is essential for our students as they join local and global communities of many perspectives and talents. We know that groups of diverse thinkers and backgrounds make better decisions for their communities. We know too that this must be a collaborative effort of students, teachers and families.
III. Community Impact & Partnership
Community Impact & Partnership
Tower builds on its commitment to partner, serve, connect and lead within our North Shore community.
Thought Leadership
We will commit time and resources to sharing our expertise as educators and childhood development specialists. Building on our 100+ year legacy, we will endeavor to teach, inspire, and further our impact on the community. We strive for Tower to be an institution where the community turns for expertise and leadership on the important issues surrounding teaching, parenting and child development.
Connection through Experiences
We will create experiences that connect families to one another, to Tower, and to our community. Through shared experiences we build a greater connection and awareness of our impact on others. Collective awareness and connection to community matter.
Service Learning
We will continue to focus on opportunities to combine learning goals and community service in ways that support our students’ growth and inspire thoughtful citizenship. By helping our communities, students experience their impact on the lives of others while gaining deeper insight and connection to classroom learning. Everyone benefits from the shared efforts, experiences and relationships developed.
IV. Thriving Future
Thriving Future
Tower is focused on a sustainable, thriving future achieved by thoughtful planning and intentional execution.
Safety and Security
We believe that children learn best when they are physically safe and emotionally secure.
We work with our Tower and North Shore community to build trust and a shared responsibility for the safety of our school, creating a culture where everyone feels secure to be their authentic selves. We are prepared and equipped to take on challenges that may arise.
People: Faculty and Staff
We will hire, develop and retain exceptional faculty members through competitive compensation, dedicated educational resources, and a collaborative and professional work environment. We know that people comprise our greatest resource. Tower must be a place that continues to attract, motivate and take care of extraordinary teachers and administrators.
Growth and Opportunities
We uphold the value of a Tower School education by making intelligent, intentional, and forward-thinking decisions about our facilities, programming, size, tuition, tuition assistance, and student body composition.
Our programming determines how we use and expand our spaces. We take a comprehensive, long-term, and sustainable approach to investments into our future.
We take a mission-driven approach to growing our enrollment and expanding accessibility from a broad marketplace.
Governance and Leadership
We will follow in the footsteps of those whose growth-minded leadership have secured a solid foundation for Tower’s growth. Tower’s board has taken its responsibility seriously by thinking creatively about current opportunities and distinctive strengths. The board has also worked in disciplined ways to steward the school financially, including prudent oversight of investments and facilities.
Philanthropy
We cultivate a culture of philanthropy rooted in Tower’s shared mission, vision, and values.
We continuously strengthen our fundraising program to sustain a financial foundation that allows us to maintain our margin of excellence, and invest in the people, programs, and spaces that make Tower exceptional.
