Latin School of Chicago

Generous Philanthropy Enhances Latin's Learning Resources Department Over a 25-year career at Latin, Jane Donovan had a transformative impact on the lives of hundreds of Latin students and their families. As its first teacher, she built the middle school Learning Resources program in 1989 and spent more than two decades working with students and faculty to ensure that students with a diverse array of learning styles could succeed and thrive at Latin. In 2014, Jacolyn and John Bucksbaum led a Latin community-wide effort to honor Donovan's legacy, establishing two endowment funds to enhance the Learning Resources program and to provide resources to support the dedicated faculty who follow in her footsteps. anks to the additional generous philanthropy of the Bucksbaums, Latin is pleased to announce the establishment of the Jane Donovan Endowed Chair in Learning Resources. With their most recent gift, the family has helped to establish a formal Learning Resources Department, which unites these efforts across Latin's three divisions under the leadership of Jen Hayman, the first recipient of the endowed department chair honor. Latin's Learning Resources program has grown steadily over the years. "We are pleased to be able to contribute toward the addition of new middle and upper school positions, which has made it possible to expand the team's work to include broader engagement with students around executive functioning: organization, workload management, study skills and self-advocacy," said Jacolyn Bucksbaum. "I am very honored by the Bucksbaums' gift," added Donovan. Learning Resources supports diversity of learning at Latin, providing all students with the tools to thrive in Latin's challenging curriculum. Eli Bucksbaum '18 with Jane Donovan and Jen Hayman, two outstanding and inspiring teachers who tirelessly support diversity of learning at Latin. THE FUTURE OF LATIN: OUR NEW STRATEGIC DESIGN The need for Latin to think and act strategically is an everyday imperative. Since launching our 2013-18 Strategic Plan we have made tremendous progress on our four priorities and they remain relevant. At this point, it is time for us to reflect, adapt and sharpen our focus on opportunities that will sustain and advance our mission and vision for excellence in the future. In the fall of 2018, a newly developed Strategic Design Team (SDT) comprised of administrators, faculty, staff and trustees began the work of updating and refreshing our current plan. Greenwich Leadership Partners was also engaged to provide guidance and collaboration in the process. We began by asking our community — the people who know and understand Latin best — for input on a community survey. The response was tremendous — with more than 1,400 adult participants (faculty, staff, parents, alums and trustees) and more than 700 students (grades 5 -12). We look forward to sharing this feedback with the community. In addition to the survey input, the SDT will utilize focus groups, work teams, design sessions, and other formal and informal methods to gather insight and perspectives throughout the school year. The SDT will present their recommendations for an updated strategic plan for adoption to the Board of Trustees in May 2019. This nimble and inclusive process was designed to reflect how we will operate going forward to keep Latin a strong, relevant and thriving community. 9 LATIN MAGAZINE » WINTER 2019

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