REGIS

REGIS HIGH SCHOOL | p a g e 2 SPRING 2007 | page 3
REGIS
alumni news
Validating the Vision
President’s Report
James E. Buggy
Vice President for Development
Tina Throckmorton
Annual Fund Director
John W. Prael, Jr. ‘63
Alumni Director
Edward Stenger ‘02
Alumni Communications Director
Jennifer Reeder
Executive Assistant
Chelsea Glickfield
Database Manager
Thomas A. Hein ‘99
Layout & Design
Regis grants re pro duc tion rights of
all ma te ri al to qual i fied, non-profit
in sti tu tions. Regis High School and the
Alumni Association reserve the right
to publish and edit all sub mis sions and
letters to the editor as space permits.
Submissions must be sent to:
Regis High School
Development Office
55 East 84th Street
New York, NY 10028-1221
Phone: (212) 288-1142
Fax: (212) 794-1221
alumni@regis-nyc.org
Volume 72 | Number 3 | Spring 2007
on the
inside
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Validating the Vision: President’s Report
A Letter from the Regis Alumni Board
A Pilgrimage for Our Children’s Future
Regis News & Notes
Deo Et MTA
Regis and China
Prowlings
Milestones
Calendar of Events
on the cover: (Top Left) Photos taken by... Photos
taken by... Photos taken by... Photos taken by... Photos
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When there are so few schools
that attempt the Regis mission
of an all-scholarship, leadership
education for the academically
gifted, a legitimate question is
how we measure our success.
While we have an absolute charter
from the Board of Regents of the
University of the State of New
York, we do not participate in the
Regents testing program. Without
boasting, the scores our students
achieve on standardized tests,
beginning with our own entrance exam and running through
Advanced Placement exams and the SATs are already among
the highest in the nation. We would expect that from the
kind of student we attract. Similarly, all of our students go
to college, and the colleges they attend are among the most
competitive in the country. It could be easy to become a bit
complacent and self-congratulatory. All schools need to avoid
the former; at Regis there might be more of a temptation to
the latter. In fact, our ongoing self-assessment is both holistic
and comprehensive.
This April Regis will finish a year and a half-long process for
re-accreditation by the Commission on Secondary Schools
of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
We have been a member of the Association since 1929,
shortly after it began itself in 1921. The accreditation process
occurs every ten years. The process began with our choice
of an instrument for evaluation, “Reflections on Standards
of Quality: A Comprehensive Curriculum Based Self-Study
Guide.” This 260 page guidebook established the rationale
for a large number of school committees to evaluate every
program at the school from each academic department,
through areas such as Finance, Governance, and Health and
Safety. Committees have been meeting since the fall of 2005
to prepare reports for the accreditation visit. The next-to-last
version of the book of reports runs to some 918 pages! Each
area of the school is examined in light of data collected from a
community wide survey (including recent alumni and parents),
a review of the goals of a particular program or department,
a test of the program against our mission statement, and an
assessment of strengths and accomplishments. Based on that
reflection, each report notes areas that need to be addressed
and three to five “action steps” for the next five years.
A Steering Committee, chaired by Dr, Ralph Nofi, our school
psychologist, coordinated all of these efforts and worked
closely with the final and essential School Improvement Plans
Committee. This last Committee was charged with reviewing
the whole of our self study and identifying the school-wide
goals we will address in a systematic way for the next five
years, until our “mid-accreditation review.” The areas we have
determined to address are: 1) to establish a regular review
and assessment of standing programs, 2) to strengthen our
students’ Catholic identity in light of the “religious” goal of our
Profile of the Regis Student at Graduation, 3) to improve the
collection, analysis, and communication of data throughout
the building, and 4) to expand the skills and behaviors that
characterize students as “independent learners.” While any
one of these goals might sound somewhat vague, each has
anywhere between seven and 15 action steps, with time-lines,
responsibilities, and outcomes for accountability.
All of this work comes to fruition from 24-27 April when
we welcome a “Validation Team” of 12 visitors from the
Commission. They will be chaired by Br. James Butler, FSC,
who is a member of the Christian Brothers Leadership Team
responsible for their secondary schools. As the name implies,
their days of visiting classes, meeting as many members of
the community as possible, and reflecting on our reports has
as its goal the “validation” of our self-review. In particular, they
will look to see that our mission is clear and coherent, that we
respond appropriately to its challenges, and that we have real
and realistic plans for growth in the coming years. There is
no doubt that we will be re-accredited as always. The team’s
report, though, will give constructive support and criticism of
our self-measures of success and our future hopes.
While the whole process is a bit grueling for the Regis
community, the benefits of ongoing reflection and amendment
are lessons that lie at the heart of Ignatian Spirituality and the
educational enterprise. So, please know there’s no “resting
on our laurels” here at the school! Enjoy the rest of this issue
of the RAN, and thank you for your ongoing support of our
vision and mission.
Philip Judge, S.J.