Reflecting on our 2020 Vision

When I started as the Principal of Hillcrest Christian College in 2015, I met with staff, parents, students and community members in small groups to talk through the issues that they identified as things that needed to be addressed. These meetings were very informative and allowed myself, in conjunction with the Board and the Executive team, to identify the key areas of improvement that we would aim to improve over the next five years.

The overarching areas that we planned to focus on were:

• Community
• Sport
• Performing Arts
• Staff/trust
• Buildings and grounds
• Information Technology
• Teaching and Learning
• Human Resources

Out of each of these areas, we were able to identify key drivers and in total there were 78 individual actions that we proposed would be implemented in the following five years. These were prioritised to where they should occur, and were given to different people as part of their responsibilities. To better explain to people the vision that we were working towards, I wrote a 2020 Vision document in the form of a news article written five years from the time of writing. It occurred to me recently that many of you may not have read this story, so I have included it for your benefit. While now it seems logical and accurate, I remember well that when it was launched in Semester 1, 2015, many people did not think it was a possible vision. It is something that also shows that while we overestimate what can be achieved in the short term, we often underestimate what can be achieved in the long term.

As we approach 2020, I have recently been working to review the last four years, and identify what has been achieved in this time. There is no doubt that we have been in a season of God’s blessing. The College has grown significantly in numerical size, programs offered and certainly has been reformed from a facilities perspective. We are now rightly acknowledged as a leading school and are often identified as a leading College in many areas including innovation, facilities and educational programs.

We have certainly moved faster than expected, and after a review of the plans that were originally made, we have achieved 71 of the 78 proposed improvements. We are currently starting a review process for this Strategic Plan and I look forward to giving all members of our community the opportunity to comment on their thoughts on this plan. Early next year, we will begin the process of identifying the next Strategic Plan and all community members will also have the opportunity to be part of that process.

It has been very uplifting to see that God has consistently blessed and provided for the Hillcrest community. The Bible declares the plans we make can be blessed by God and we keep on praying that God will continue to bless our community.

Blessings,

Jeff Davis
Executive Head of College