‌‌‘House, Harkness, Heart’ Charts Course for Community Wellbeing

Having long been committed to learning and improving, Lawrenceville announced a new strategic plan, “House, Harkness, Heart: A New Era for Community Wellbeing,” in December.

“As we develop lifelong learners who will head out into the world equipped to thrive in complex environments and lead through times that may demand elements of the mind, body, and spirit, student success means staying closely attuned to our collective wellbeing,” said Head of School Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 in introducing the plan to the community. Through conversations with students, faculty, staff, parents, trustees, and alumni, it became clear that the enduring tenets of a Lawrenceville education — House, Harkness, and Heart — would anchor the plan’s Vision Statement.

“Nothing could be more important for Lawrenceville at this point in time,” Murray said.

Lawrenceville’s House system, vital to a sense of belonging at the School, is strengthened when House culture, spirit, and values are purposefully developed, when Heads of House, advisors, and prefects have a robust toolkit for the care and nurture of their students and of themselves, and when every student helps make the House a fundamentally friendly and welcoming community.

Essential to Harkness teaching is the democracy of voices engaged around a table, where no voice is marginalized, and differing perspectives and independent thinking are encouraged. Lawrenceville supports the growth and development of its teachers as it maintains high aspirations for learning and achievement for its students, and reexamines rigor and the allocation of time, to make sure that creativity, reflection, curiosity, and a love of learning are universal aspects of the academic experience.

Throughout the Heart and soul of the entire community, all members are invested in positive systems of compassion, empathy, accountability, and self-advocacy – and this is where House and Harkness come together at the core of this strategic plan. Lawrenceville instills hope and optimism as it fosters a culture of responsible stewardship of natural resources and a sincere desire to seek the best for all.

The Vision Statement supports five Key Aspirations, each with specific action steps:

1. Foster an inclusive and supportive campus atmosphere that honors individuality within a context of belonging and community wellbeing.
2. Promote a collaborative academic culture that fosters discernment, curiosity, and empathy and provides a foundation for students to lead lives of high purpose.
3. Create a more measured academic pace of life for students that facilitates growth inside and outside of the classroom.
4. Provide engaging opportunities that enhance the awareness and skills of community members, while building our collective capacity to adopt wellbeing measures in a meaningful way.
5. Instill a greater awareness of our immediate surroundings and steward our natural resources in a way that generates hope for a sustainable future and provides the tools to achieve it.

As an extension of this work and as part of the School’s efforts to normalize help-seeking behaviors, the plan includes several tools:

Wellness Wheel, articulating the seven dimensions of wellness as a foundation for the work ahead.

Wellbeing Lexicon, establishing common language and terms to identify how we’re feeling, and why.

Wellbeing Resources, giving increased visibility to the School’s existing support tools around mental health
and overall wellness.

Work is well under way with several important initiatives recently launched, including the creation of the inaugural Dean of Campus Wellbeing position, developing additional clarity around community expectations in school handbooks, reimagining student orientation through a lens of community building, examining the academic schedule, and providing more robust education regarding mental health resources. Lawrenceville has also partnered with leading experts in the areas of adolescent development and social-emotional growth to help ensure a holistic approach to the various dimensions of wellness.