Since BSM’s new strategic plan, Rich History. Radiant Future was approved in February of 2019, BSM wanted to review the mission statement to make sure the two were in alignment. The BSM Board of Directors approved the revised mission and identity statements on December 4, 2019. 

BSM strives to review its mission statement every five years at a minimum. It is often done in conjunction with a strategic planning process. This past year, more than 200 BSM community members—including faculty and staff, administration, members of the Board, business and marketing/communications professionals, and religious leaders—contributed to the creation of BSM’s revised mission and identity statements. “The mission statement had not been reviewed since 2012, at which time it was decided no changes were needed,” BSM’s Marketing and Communications Director Megan Peterson said.

This year, the mission statement revision process had a goal of crafting something with more concise and clarifying language for modern expression. The unique approach of adding an identity statement will complement and work in tandem with the revised mission statement. “Our mission statement is meant to inspire (the ‘why’), whereas our identity statement is meant to inform (the ‘what’),” Peterson said.

The process of changing the mission statement has been quite the journey. In the spring of 2019, a brainstorm session was conducted with a small group of BSM stakeholders to discuss core themes. Faculty and staff working sessions were held in which small groups created revised mission statements, and then the BSM president, principal, marketing director, and creative writing instructor met to review all content and decide upon three possible options with an additional identity statement.  “The meetings and workshops were really great because I got to collaborate with many people,” English teacher Kaia Preus said. 

In the fall of 2019, the mission and identity statements were reviewed and revised and presented to faculty and staff through a series of workshops. After a long process of revising and conversing over the mission and identity statements, one mission and one identity statement were finally recommended from strategic planning to seek Board approval, and the motion was finalized on the evening of December 4.  “The mission statement went through so many drafts, so it’s really exciting to have a finalized version that has so many people’s voices in it,” Preus said. 

It is important to note that BSM’s mission is not changing, just the words in which it’s conveying its message. Evaluating the mission statement to ensure BSM stays relevant and clarifying language for modern expression is and will continue to be a priority for this school. “We will use the mission statement as our ‘North Star,’ which will serve as a guiding force in decisions we make daily,” Peterson said.