UHS Mission Statement Explained

“Gladly Would We Learn and Gladly Teach”
Gladly – Refers to the genuine optimism with which we serve each other and approach everything we do
Would – Denotes sustained effort that begins in the present and extends to the future
We – Refers to everyone – students, teachers, and community – and represents our shared commitment
Learn – We will all learn from each other
Teach – We will all teach each other

Just inside the main doors on Iowa Street, the Urbana High School mission statement is painted in the wall. “Our mission statement frames how we run the building. It’s what we believe what is important to us,” said UHS principal Dr. Laura Taylor.

In 2007, the staff decided that they wanted a new mission statement for UHS. “We created a plan to have all the teachers come up with one,” said Taylor.

All the teachers were divided into four groups of about 25, with two leaders for each group to facilitate. “We sat down and asked the question, ‘Why do we exist?’” said Taylor.

The groups met four or five times during the school year of 07-08 for maybe an hour at a time. It was a back and forth process of organizing their ideas. “This whittling down of ideas gave ownership,” said Taylor.

Finally, all the teachers agreed on the statement “We exist for student learning.” Other options they had talked about originally were things like producing good voters, or making productive citizens, but in the end the staff decided what was most important about what they did here at UHS.

It wasn’t long before they realized that the statement they wanted to represent them was carved on the outside of the school from 1914. The quote is from Chaucer, who is known as the father of English literature. “But it was about the process. I didn’t care what we came up with, because we talked about and reminded ourselves about why we’re here,” said Taylor.

Sophomore Carlos Rodriguez thinks that students should also contribute to choosing a mission statement. “Students could give input on what they thought, and the teachers can decide if it’s good or appropriate or not,” said Rodriguez.

In addition to forming a new mission statement, the staff came up with a vision to represent what they as teachers would always strive to achieve. “The vision is important, because it’s setting a goal for themselves in teaching and helping us graduate,” said Rodriguez .

The UHS mission statement was compiled out of the ideas and beliefs of our teachers, and represents UHS and what this school stands for. “There are so many things we’ve changed by going back and saying ‘This is about student learning.’ It frames our important decisions,” said Taylor.