W&T Fall 2006 Current.Qxp

Carolina Friends School Fall 2006 CFS Trustees Design Inclusive Visioning Process for Long-Range Planning Implementation of this next plan will begin in the 2007-08 school year and continue through 2011-12. The Board devoted its 2005-06 meetings to learning about issues and trends of potential impact on CFS. Discussion topics ranged from technology, demographics, economics, facilities, and land use to con- cepts of globalization, greening, and sustainability. As noted in the minutes of the June 2006 Board Meeting, “Friends expressed both excitement about the opportunity to engage in strategic planning and apprehension about whether we can ever be fully pre- pared for such a large task. There was strong support and deep appre- ciation for the solid foundation of the School philosophy and the current good health of the School -- in terms of staff, board, finances, students and community -- which gives us faith to move forward. Friends expressed a desire to make sure that we take time to truly spend time photo by Laura Shmania on the visioning part of strategic planning, making sure that we include Campus Early School students during a LRP Listening Session with a CFS trustee the wider community and that we use this opportunity to stretch the School to become even more than it is now while remaining true to the by Ani Flash, CFS Trustee and Convener of the Long-Range Planning Committee foundation of the School philosophy, which is so powerfully and ably The most important work for this year’s lived out each day at CFS.” At the 2006 Fall Board Retreat, led by Friends Schools’ consultant Board of Trustees is to produce the School’s Arthur Larrabee, board members experienced a remarkable level of fourth five-year long-range plan. accord and affirmed the need to remain open and teachable as we use continued on page 11 From the Principal Quaker Education, Three Cups of Tea, and Why We Value What We Do by Mike Hanas The genes that comprise that DNA This article is taken from Mike’s remarks are many, and they include: at the dedication of the new Upper School 1. The development of skills Meeting Hall on an evening in October. that enable students to find the During my first week as a dance stu- answers to the questions on their dent, Annie Dwyer, the dance instructor at minds; CFS, described dance as a way to communi- built with stewardship of the planet in mind. 2. The development of students who are in cate what we value, without words. I believe that CFS makes a profound differ- control of their learning, who know how they I think there can be no doubt that a devel- ence in the lives of our children, our families, learn best and how to advocate for them- opment campaign that prioritizes staff our community, and even our world. selves, and who know how to stand up for salaries, tuition aid, and the very composition I’m convinced that the world is a better what is right and how to contribute what they of our community, communicates what we place when schools like CFS thrive--and that can. value. the world would benefit if there were more 3. Staff members, new and returning, Similarly, I think it fair to see our newest schools like this one embrace a genetic code that inclines us to building, the Upper School Meeting Hall, as a Unfortunately, the truth is that there are search for the terms under which we can say statement about what we value. This building very few schools like CFS. Simply put, our “Yes!” to a student’s proposal or request, even is both simple and beautiful. It was economi- DNA is unique, not perfect, but an unusual the kind that in other settings would beg a cal to build and is very effective. This building blend of school as we know it and as it can be. question like, “What are you, crazy?” in is the product of collaboration in design, and Possibilities abound here. response. continued on page 10 We & Thee 2 Stewardship in Action CFS Invests In Positive Social Change CFS has always been committed to the value of stewardship, and we continue to find new ways we can keep this commitment throughout the School -- in our use of resources, in the curriculum, in building projects, and in our investments. We can make a difference. This is the first in a series of articles in We & Thee about some of the ways in which our commitment to stewardship is put into practice at CFS. by Susan Carson, CFS trustee and exclusively to socially responsible investing media performance in terms of these distinc- Durham Early School parent and has over $1 billion in assets under man- tive social and financial registers. Modeled on agement. Our manager, Farnum Brown, the CERES Principles for environmental per- I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to merged his firm with Trillium in 1994. formance and the Global Reporting Initiative share what we’ve been working on in the CFS Farnum has been a CFS parent for twelve for environmental, social and governance Investment Committee. Last fall, we began to years, so he is very familiar with the School reporting, Open MIC will articulate a set of broaden our thinking about what could be and the CFS values. media responsibility principles and define an accomplished with the School’s significant Trillium’s approach is particularly attractive array of metrics for media company perform- financial resources and sought to effect posi- to CFS because of its internationally recog- ance. The guiding insight of Open MIC is tive change in a world that often ignores social nized leadership in activist, change-oriented that the media values we promote as citizens outcomes in the interest of making profits. investing. Where many socially responsible are those we also promote as investors: open- We realized that we could have a greater managers focus on screening out “bad” com- ness and transparency, innovation and creativ- impact and express the values of CFS by iden- panies, Trillium seeks to establish enough of a ity, competition, and diversity. tifying managers for our portfolio that would position in one of these “bad” companies Boston Common Asset Management be proactive in making the world a better (often teaming together with other sharehold- place while at the same time earning strong ers) in order to change the offensive behavior. Boston Common Asset Management was returns for the endowment. formed in 2002. With $650 million under Though socially responsible investing (SRI) management, BCAM is a value-oriented, has been around for several decades, much employee-owned social investment firm dedi- progress has been made in how much influ- cated to the pursuit of financial return and ence investors can have in making positive social change. BCAM complements prudent changes in the corporate world. SRI started portfolio management with customized social with a focus on filtering out companies that screening and shareholder advocacy. BCAM don’t meet baseline standards of social and uses shareholder leverage to influence corpo- environmental responsibility. For example, rate practices, often in collaboration with SRI investors initially focused on steering coalitions of shareholders and activist organi- clear of companies that made more than 5% zations. of revenue from tobacco, alcohol, nuclear or Over the years, BCAM has sought to effect military weapons. Today, the field has evolved change by engaging with companies to beyond that. Now, SRI managers not only improve 1) their impact on the environment seek to avoid companies engaged in offensive (recycling, climate change, genetically modi- industries ~ called “negative” screens ~ but fied organisms, environmental disclosure, and they also identify companies that are proac- safer products), 2) human & labor rights tively engaged in making positive social (sweatshop/vendor standards, indigenous changes ~ called “positive” screens. Another rights, environmental justice), 3) corporate important evolution of the work of SRI man- governance (sustainability reporting, executive agers is identifying companies that may be compensation), 4) health issues (HIV/AIDS, doing something that is offensive but that are marketing of AD/HD drugs for children), 5) willing to listen to criticisms and suggestions One example of Trillium’s success in diversity and discrimination issues (reporting, for making positive changes. For example, effecting change with the power of financial adopting non-discrimination policies), and 6) one of our managers made an investment in assets was teaming up with Rainforest Action violence in the media (child access to violent Pepsico in the interest of helping shape water Network to cause Home Depot to agree to video games). policies for the company in its plant in India. eliminate purchasing any old-growth wood BCAM’s most recent initiative centers on Such initiatives often take place in the form of products. Other efforts that Trillium has built energy choices for the social investor. Faced shareholder resolutions that are voted by all their reputation on include ecological/envi- with opportunity in a segment of the market stockholders of a particular company. ronmental issues and sexual orientation non- that has a 35% share that is growing only 1.5% After exploring the opportunities among discrimination. annually (oil) and a sector representing only SRI professionals, followed by several months Trillium’s current primary issue relates to 2% of the market yet is growing 30% annual- of due diligence, we hired two managers for media responsibility and their team is current- ly (renewable energy), investors have more the CFS endowment portfolio, Trillium Asset ly in talks with some of the corporate leaders choices than ever before. New energy tech- Management (Trillium) and Boston Common in this industry to effect social change.

Load more