This article was originally published in the Boyne Citizen on May 16, 2025.
By Jamie Baumann, [email protected]
Planning was a focus of the Boyne City School Board meeting on Monday night. The board has been in the process of revising the strategic plan since fall and will have a final version for approval at the June meeting. The plan will be approved for the 2025-2026 school year only.
In addition, consultant Lisa Sitkins, president and CEO of LSS Connections and Consulting, who was representing Michigan Virtual, will be working with the district on a process involving school and community stakeholders to define a “Portrait of a Graduate.”
Through community surveys and community and staff meetings, the goal will be to articulate a list of five or six competencies that all Boyne City High School graduates should possess in order to succeed in life beyond high school, whether that be working in the community, working in a technical career, or studying at a university.
According to Sitkins, the Portrait of a Graduate establishes a shared mission for a community, which is important when tough issues and decisions are to be made. Board members can look back at the mission to guide their thinking. It builds essential skills and competencies like collaboration skills or critical thinking into the curriculum, looking at necessary competencies beyond passing standardized tests.
The Portrait of a Graduate creates a baseline for what every student should be able to do. The process provides a platform for engaging businesses, organizations, and other stakeholders in meaningful conversations about the future of education in Boyne City and creates community buy-in for the school district’s goals. Along with the strategic plan, Portrait of a Graduate supports continuous improvement. It gives a framework to help with strategic planning and allocation of resources.
Once the competencies that the board and community decide are most important have been defined, then the district will embed them at appropriate times throughout the Pre-K through 12 curricula. This will ensure that graduates have practiced and possess these competencies. The timeline for the Portrait of a Graduate process should be completed by January 2026.
Superintendent Patrick Little said that he has met with the Boyne City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Trisha Wilcox and Boyne City Main Street Director Ingrid Day to enlist their help in distributing surveys to the community and finding those who might like to be more involved in the Portrait of a Graduate process.
“The Portrait of a Graduate will reconfirm your vision and mission, have you adapt it, or redefine it to support strategic planning and allocation of resources,” Sitkins said.
After completing the Portrait of a Graduate, the board will revisit the strategic plan and make any modifications necessary based on that work. It will then become a multi-year strategic plan.
Want to bring this level of clarity and community alignment to your district?
Michigan Virtual’s experienced consultants are ready to help you co-create a Portrait of a Graduate that unites your staff, students, families, and local stakeholders around a shared vision for the future. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to complement your strategic planning efforts, we can guide your team every step of the way.
