Inter-Lakes to hold 3 visioning sessions in Meredith, Center Harbor, Sandwich

The school community is invited to help the Inter-Lakes School District update their shared vision for the future, during a series of meetings held in each sending town this month.

“What this is, is the final leg of the strategic plan journey that started last year,” said School Board Chair Charley Hanson, a resident of Center Harbor.

The first meeting takes place on Wednesday, April 8, at Inter-Lakes Middle High School in Meredith, then a meeting on Thursday, April 16, at Center Harbor Town Hall, and Wednesday, April 22, at Sandwich Central School. Each event runs from 6 to 8 p.m., and will be offering the same experience, so those interested can attend whichever is most convenient.

Inter-Lakes School District serves the Town of Meredith, where the administrative offices and two schools are, as well as the neighboring towns of Center Harbor and Sandwich. Sandwich is the home of Sandwich Central School, where elementary students learn each day.

The purpose of the events — called Annual Community Outreach – is for the district to receive community feedback on the draft mission, purpose, vision and foundational principals.

Goals and action steps are also being drafted by district leaders to align with the strategic plan, and the final goal of the school board, set for approval in June.

The draft mission and purpose is “to ensure that the youth of Center Harbor, Meredith, and Sandwich are able to freely access a public education focused on their continuous development. The District’s purpose is to cultivate students’ academic and personal growth, empowering them to become self-reliant and life-long learners, skillful communicators and effective collaborators, and engaged citizens who are resilient in the face of adversity.”

The district's vision “strives for a culture of excellence,” and is guided by foundational principals, and provides opportunities for academic and personal competencies, while guiding students' own learning and being able to apply knowledge.

The foundational principals include the “learning/professional domain,” recognizing every student is unique, and capable of learning.

Another principal is the “interpersonal domain,” which involves upholding respect and dignity; being able to resolve conflict; encouraging learning in a variety of ways; nurturing social, emotional and physical well-being; and demonstrating integrity and respect for differences.

The “physical domain” is the third principal, and includes maintaining facilities that support academic, behavioral, co-curricular, athletic and safety needs; stewarding care for learning spaces and resources; and cultivating responsibility to the natural environment.

The last foundational principal is the “community domain,” which includes balancing rich student opportunities with fiscal responsibility; anchoring the relationship between the schools and community in mutual investment; and fostering student success through shared responsibilities with the stakeholders.

According to a report from last year’s annual meeting written by New Hampshire Listens, community engagement is a key aspect to any strategic plan. In what the district called Phase I, these events are designed to engage all stakeholders.

“Active commitment of family, community, and schools is essential for a quality learning experience,” the report stated.

The engagement summary was designed to help the district in its strategic planning conversations by compiling information based on the expertise and experience of stakeholders of the district.

The community conversations will involve members of the community sharing insight about the future. There will be stations representing six areas of focus that include teaching and learning; co-curricular and athletics; finance and operations, facilities, technology, human resources and transportation; culture and climate for staff; culture and climate for students; and family and community engagement.

Last year’s questions focused on strengths as well as information from data, projects and community collaboration. The audience also heard the students’ Four-Way Test Speech Contest through the Meredith Rotary, and learned about the draft version of “Vision of a Laker.” The meetings were moderated by New Hampshire Listens, while school district leadership listened and took notes.

In April 2025, there were 125 different people who participated across the three conversations, with a total of 152 participants. This included 59 staff members, 40 parents, 22 community members, 11 people who were both staff and a parent, seven students, seven school board members, four local selectboard members, one town administrator, and a state representative.

Hanson said over the course of the year, a committee of parents, teachers, staff, and other community members in the district was created. They had several working meetings over the summer, and while the process took a break for budget season, these meetings will fill the public in on the draft strategic plan.

“This engaged committee came up with this strategic plan, and now this is an opportunity to share it and have final input,” Hanson said. “We hope to finalize the plan and bring it to a vote at the June meeting. That is the goal.”

Students, parents, guardians, community members, staff and school board members are invited to any of the three meetings.

Child care is being provided at each event. For more information, contact the Inter-Lakes School District Superintendent’s Office at 603-279-7947.