Saltus Grammar School today launched Compass, its 2026–2031 Strategic Plan, and announced a transformational $500,000 endowment gift to expand experiential learning opportunities for students. Together, these milestones mark a defining moment for the school, pairing a clear vision for Saltus’ future with meaningful investment in the learning experiences that will bring that vision to life.
Grounded in Saltus’ mission to inspire a passion for learning and independent thinking, Compass is a strategic framework designed to help students develop the knowledge, character, competencies, and global perspective needed to thrive in a changing world. It
affirms Saltus’ commitment to academic excellence while placing equal emphasis on adaptability, judgment, and purposeful engagement with the world beyond school.
Developed through extensive consultation over the past year, Compass reflects the collective voices of students, parents, faculty, staff, school leadership, and the Board of Trustees. The result is a shared direction that is ambitious, practical, and deeply rooted
in the values and experiences that define a Saltus education.
Reinforcing this vision is the establishment of the Spirit of Discovery Fund: The Roderick A. Ferguson III Endowment, a transformative gift from Martha Ferguson to honor the memory of her late husband, Roderick A. Ferguson III (’65). The endowed fund will serve as a permanent source of support for experiential learning, maritime education, environmental stewardship, and innovation across the school.
“This is a powerful example of vision and action coming together,” said Julie Rousseau, Head of School at Saltus. “Compass provides a clear and inspiring direction for our future, while the Spirit of Discovery Fund creates meaningful opportunities for students to learn through authentic experiences that deepen curiosity, build confidence, and strengthen their connection to Bermuda, their community, and the wider world.”
Commenting on the creation of this endowment at Saltus, Martha Ferguson added, “Rod enjoyed his time at Saltus where he made some lifelong friends. Since one of his passions was sailing, I think he would find this fund appropriate and a huge benefit to
the current students by providing them with the opportunities to explore their marine inclinations.”
The endowment directly advances one of the plan’s four strategic directions, Experiential Learning and Community Connections, by ensuring that learning extends beyond the classroom into authentic, real-world environments. Through Saltus Expeditions, students will engage in immersive, place-based learning across Bermuda and beyond, including outdoor education, environmental exploration, community-connected experiences, student exchanges, and hands-on inquiry. Maritime voyages aboard Spirit of Bermuda and STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, and Math) experiences such as the Miniboat Project will further connect students’ learning to Bermuda’s environment, culture, and maritime heritage.
Together, these experiences will help students connect academic learning with real-world application while developing resilience, leadership, collaboration, and a strong sense of responsibility to their community and environment.
Structured as a permanent endowment, the Spirit of Discovery Fund will provide sustained support for distinctive learning experiences while also allowing the flexibility to invest in emerging opportunities connected to innovation, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and global citizenship.
Compass is organized around four strategic directions:
● Teaching and Learning Excellence
● Well-Being, Belonging, and Identity
● Experiential Learning and Community Connections
● Sustainability and Future Readiness
Together, these directions position Saltus to build on its strong foundations while continuing to evolve to meet the needs of future generations of learners.
The launch of Compass and the Spirit of Discovery Fund reflects the longstanding generosity and shared commitment of the Saltus community. Saltus is focused on the strategic and active growth of its endowment, a vital asset built on a strong history of giving. This growth is visible in the school’s established endowed financial assistance funds, including the Jeannie Beard Award, the Staunton Scholarship,the Michelle L.
Outerbridge Memorial Fund, the Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund, and the Francis ‘Goose’ Gosling Scholarship Fund. This is further demonstrated by the recently established Green Family Financial Assistance Endowment, to ensure that vital financial
assistance continues to expand. Through this momentum, Saltus continues to enhance learning opportunities while helping to ensure that a Saltus education remains accessible. In the past eight years alone, more than 300 students have benefited from
financial assistance and scholarship awards, underscoring the school’s enduring commitment to opportunity, access, and educational excellence.
As Saltus looks ahead, Compass will serve as a living framework, one that continues to evolve alongside the needs of students, the community, and an ever-changing world.
Saltus invites families, alumni, and the wider community to explore Compass and learn more about the school’s 2026–2031 strategic direction at saltus.bm/compass.
Media release and images supplied by Saltus.
