It's a big question. Although traditionally, there's a common view of what excellence looks like across our society. It’s usually the exceptional performances, like getting the highest grades possible, being the lead scorer for the team, or being the absolute best at something above everybody else. Most commonly, achieving excellence seems to mean achieving a standard that has already been pre-defined for us.
But, we are all different. We are individual. We are unique. And since this is true, how can we all possibly fit into the same, generalized definition of excellence?
At the DSBN, we believe there is always room for change. In fact, we embrace it. Because change is the foundation of what empowers us to learn, grow, and move forward. To make real, impactful progress, we must be open to new perspectives. We must be open to redefining the way things are, to embrace what is truly possible.
This process doesn’t happen on its own. It begins with us. It starts when we challenge ourselves to see the familiar in an unfamiliar way. Redefining happens when we assess if what we did, what we thought, and what we believed yesterday, still makes sense for today.
As we embark on a brand-new path for our Strategic Plan – one that will inform everything we do for the next five years – this is the time to reevaluate our strategies. To revisit our values. To rethink our expectations and our definitions of success.
To achieve our vision of “Learning and Growing Together,” we are taking crucial steps forward, with the knowledge that we have the ability – as students, staff, families, and community members – to redefine what excellence means to each of us.
For us, redefining excellence means breaking down barriers. It means building new pathways. It means changing our approaches and amending our environments to best serve our DSBN family.
For students, maybe passing the test in your least-favoured subject is your version of excellence, because you tried your best. Or it’s solving a problem completely by yourself, without getting help from your parents, a teacher, or technology. Or it’s about loving and accepting yourself, exactly as the person you are, because of your values and no one else’s.
For staff, redefining excellence could be a commitment to unlearning some of the perspectives of the past. It could mean modifying how you view and approach your one-on-one relationships, or how you collaborate with your colleagues.
We are proud to introduce the theme of the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan as Redefining Excellence. This plan is founded in recognizing that change is progress. We are all unique, making our versions of excellence just as unique. With this Strategic Plan, excellence is not about being “the” best. It’s about being your best.
Redefining Excellence gives us a clear identity, purpose and direction, and it will be our guide towards defining our values and strategic priorities.
Our vision is the future we aspire to:
Our Mission describes the actions we will take to reach our ideal future of Learning and Growing Together:
Within a culture of care, inclusion, and innovation, the District School Board of Niagara’s purpose is to inspire lifelong learning and foster relationships through meaningful connections with individuals, communities, and the environment.
These new Strategic Priorities will guide the next five years at the DSBN. But they do so much more. Each priority provides the actions we will take to reach our vision, and describe what we uphold as our values and core culture.
