Strategic Process Update

4/24/2026

Aloha mai kākou,

I'll be back with you next week to sing the praises of our Seniors and the major accomplishment of completing their Senior Capstone projects through presentations to their peers in grades 9-11 today as well as to appreciate our Middle Schoolers who were off-site to serve our community through their Ho'okupu Day.

But for this week's entry, I want to give this space over to a special focus we have had this year. Schools must do the hard work of thinking critically about the future in order to stay vital in its work with students, faculty and staff, families, and alumni. Strategic work is a critical focus of the Board in collaboration with me as Head of School. This year has been an exciting one as we have looked to articulating strategic priorities for Island School just in time for our 50th Anniversary. It is my pleasure to share a message for you from our Strategic Task Force, a group led by Board members and made up of communities members across IS constituencies. -- Nancy

Aloha Island School Community,

We want to share an update on the strategic process and our work to assist the Board in determining our course as we define our future.

Discovery and sense-making phase

Over the past several months, we have gathered input from across the community, including:

Community-wide survey responses (Completed)
Individual interviews with faculty, staff, parents, students, and trustees (Completed)
Focus groups and small group conversations (Completed)
Task Force discussions and reflections (Final Convening April 30th)
Board engagement and input (Ongoing)

Recent Progress
From this input, we identified a set of key strategic questions to guide the next phase of the work. The Board began unpacking these questions at their recent retreat.

These questions focus on:

Identity: What defines the Island School experience and what matters most about who we are
Student Experience: How we continue to provide a strong, connected experience for every student
Sustainability: How we support the long-term health and future of the school
Connection to Place: How we deepen our connection to Kauaʻi across the student experience
Board Governance: How we make decisions and continue to strengthen Island School

What’s Next

Our Task Force will review and react to what we have heard so far
The Board will continue this work in May as they deepen discussion on these strategic questions
From there, we will begin shaping a clear strategic direction and priorities

On behalf of Island School Board, Faculty and Staff, and Task Force Members, we thank you for your input and look forward to completing this process and setting our strategic direction as we look forward to Island School's 50th Anniversary.

Mahalo,
Peter King & Erin Cobb-Adams, Strategic Task Force Co-Chairs

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