September 2, 2025 • 51 mins
What does it take to transform a school into a thriving community where students from 40+ countries speaking 30+ languages succeed together? For Eric Hale, Kentucky's 2024 Principal of the Year, the answer begins with his own remarkable journey.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Hangout Podcast.
I'm your host, David Shoretta.
Come on in and hang out.
In this episode, I wasprivileged to have a
conversation with Eric Hale,principal of Bryan Station High
School in Lexington, Kentucky.
Mr Hale was named the 2024Kentucky Principal of the Year
(00:27):
by the Kentucky Association ofSchool Administrators.
He shared his unique andinspiring personal and family
journey.
He is the first in his familyto graduate from high school and
he has a unique perspective onthe trials and tribulations that
the students at Bryan StationHigh School face, as well as
(00:52):
some real, deep knowledge andinsight into what it means to be
a servant leader.
I hope you enjoy thisconversation as much as I did.
Hope you enjoy thisconversation as much as I did.
Mr Hale, thank you so much forjoining us today for this
conversation.
Thank you so much for having me.
(01:13):
I thought a good place for usto start is with your origin
story.
In doing some backgroundreading, you have a really
compelling story and trajectorythat brings you to this present
moment.
Could you share that with ourlisteners, please?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, absolutely, first and foremost, very proud
son of a single mom.
So growing up it was my mother.
I have a half brother andsister that are 12 to 15 years
older than I am, so it wasessentially almost like a single
mom.
So my mom was almost twodifferent moms to my brother and
(01:48):
sister, as she was to mebecause of the age gap.
We grew up in Ashland, kentucky, in Section 8 housing, locally
known as the projects there inAshland.
My mom was a high schooldropout.
My brother and my sister wereboth high school dropouts, so I
was the first person in myfamily to graduate, a high
school dropout.
My brother and my sister wereboth high school dropouts, so I
was the first person in myfamily to graduate from high
school.
In addition to that, we werevery transient, so we moved out
(02:13):
of the projects when I wasaround 14 years old and then
over the course of the next fouryears, we moved approximately
around 11 or 12 more times.
So my mom went back and wasable to earn her GED and she
became a certified nursingassistant and nurse aide here in
the state of Kentucky and so,with that being said, she was
(02:35):
able to earn more money beyondthe welfare checks and the food
stamps that we were receivingwhen I was a kid.
However, one of the unwrittensituations with getting out of
Section 8 housing of theprojects is the cost of
utilities, so we would have tomove to multiple places once the
(02:59):
utility bills would get to apoint where we were unable to
afford them.
I only see my father four timesin my life as a kid, and so
that had a significant impact onme and my lens, as you know,
growing up as an adolescent andhaving my mom just being
essentially the main person thatwas there for me.
Additionally, my mom was insome abusive relationships.
(03:23):
When I was a kid.
There was a kid.
There was a couple ofsituations you know that I
experienced firsthand that werevery unfortunate, that as a
teenager and as a child probablyshouldn't be exposed to.
However, you know we were ableto get through those things
together and it definitelyshaped my lens and me wanting to
(03:44):
give back at some point in timeand to those that gave to me,
and those were my educators,those were my teachers, my
guidance counselor my highschool guidance counselor played
an integral part in my life.
I went to three different highschools.
My freshman GPA was almost a1.0.
(04:05):
I wasn't making the best ofdecisions at the time Went to
two different high schools.
My freshman year Moved again asa sophomore.
My mom found a trailer in aschool community of Westwood
where I was able to attend avery small community high school
called Fairview High School andfrom there I developed really
long lasting relationships withmy teachers, my coaches and also
(04:29):
, like I said, my guidancecounselor.
His name was Brent Creech.
I actually named my son afterhim.
I have a six-year-old son thatI've named after him and that's
what kind of an impact he had onme so went from there to
conditionally be accepted intoMorehead State University in
Eastern Kentucky.
I'd never visited campus beforeI arrived and thankfully I had
(04:53):
created some good habits wheninitially, as a teenager, my
habits weren't great and I wasable to be successful and I was
determined to better myself andif one day I had children which
I have three beautiful childrenof my own and also one bonus son
that I wanted to give them anopportunity to financially be in
a better situation than what Iwas in as a child and an
(05:17):
adolescent.
So those are my origins.
That's who I am,unapologetically, and it's a
unique situation to be in as aprincipal and then as an
educator, that I've been thestudent that slept in class.
I was the student that wassuspended, unsupervised teenager
(05:42):
when my mom was working eveningshifts and I was making
decisions that weren't the bestfor me.
And I've also been the studentthat was straight A's my senior
year, very driven, wanting to besuccessful and wanted to have a
better life for myself and makea positive impact on those
around me and also the nextgenerations to come, through
(06:07):
being an educator.
At Moorhead State University Iearned a degree in elementary
education.
Additionally, I coachedmultiple sports.
I was able to teach at FairviewElementary School in Westwood
my alma mater and give back tothe community.
That gave a lot to me and thenfrom there I was able to earn my
(06:27):
educational leadership degreesfrom Moorhead State University
and I was fortunate enough tohave an opportunity at a fairly
young age.
I think I was around 26, 27years old when I first became a
school administrator and really16 years into it now.
I'm just so thankful for theopportunities and experiences
(06:47):
that I've been able to gothrough in life, and not just
personally.
I'm thankful for thosesituations and I'm also thankful
for the opportunities andsituations that I've been able
to get while being an educator,initially in Ashland, kentucky,
in Westwood, and then now inLexington, kentucky, at a very
large comprehensive high school,bryan Station High School, here
(07:10):
in Lexington.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
As you share that story I keep flashing on you
impersonate Maslow's hierarchyhierarchy, like I see you kind
(07:32):
of clawing your way up thatright from the.
I mean it's what a what acompelling story of moving just
ahead of the utilities bills andthen at a certain point you
start connecting with educatorsand it sounds like you had a
very loving mom so you have thatlove piece, but then some of
the just existential daily needsare missing, and so what a
(07:53):
compelling kind of background tobring into education.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah, and I'm very thankful and you are correct in
saying I had a loving mother whodid the best that she could
with what skills she wasequipped with.
And one of the messages that Itry and share with teachers that
work with me or staff you know,the educators that, the
wonderful educators that havesurrounded me my entire adult
career is parents are doing thebest they can.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
They really are.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Many parents are going through their own trauma.
They're trying to survive lifeand we have to be mindful of
that when they are sending ustheir most prized possessions,
that parents are doing theirbest.
They're doing their best inthat moment and with the
capacity that they have in thosemoments.
So we need to make sure thatwhen they send their kids to us,
(08:45):
that their kids are loved for,they are cared about and we're
also holding them to a standardof what success looks like,
without lowering theexpectations of how to get there
and making sure that they knowthat we will support them in
that journey and that you cansend your kids to us and we're
(09:06):
going to love them like our own.
But we're also going to makesure that we hold them to the
standard necessary so they canbecome successful adults and
positive contributors in ourcommunity and in our society.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
How does someone at such a young age become an
influential educational leader?
You've been around educationnow a long time and I have too
and we know that there's ahierarchy and there's a time in
the trenches.
Calculus that happens whetherpeople tell you about it or not.
(09:40):
People are watching and seeingand people have to kind of put
in their time.
At age 26, you were alreadyinto administration.
How have you been able to kindof shepherd that?
And then again, congratulationson being named the 2024
Kentucky Principal of the Year.
(10:01):
If I think that I got thatright and I know you're not
aiming at awards I saw you gavecredit to all of your community
in that award.
But how have you been able toaccomplish these things at such
a young age?
In an industry that I'd imagineyou've got, you're a principal
at 26.
You probably had teachers whoare older than I am.
They could have been your dad.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, and to be quite frank, you know I've asked
those same questions, you know,and why me, honestly?
But then it became why not?
And it became.
You know, I've alwaysconsidered myself an old soul
and although the age number isthere, but I had to be an adult
at a very young age.
I was, I was the man of thehouse at eight and nine years
(10:44):
old, which is just a very, veryinteresting concept.
But I have had to mature veryfast, even when making immature
decisions as a teenager anddoing the things that I knew I
didn't need to be doing.
But I had to grow and maturequick to be doing.
(11:07):
But I had to grow and maturequick If I wanted to make a
difference with my life andcontinue to pay it back.
I had to change my habits and Ihad to change them
exponentially.
But what's been a verybeneficial characteristic for me
is building authenticrelationships, first with the
students that I serve and then,simultaneously, with the
(11:27):
families of those students,where I will ask the question,
as the principal, to my staffhow many of us have grown up in
single parent homes?
Oftentimes I may be the onlyone that has my hand raised.
I'm very transparent with mystory.
There was never a moment intime where I felt sorry for
(11:53):
myself or that I needed peopleto feel sorry for me and my
situation.
But I think it's criticallyimportant that we have to be our
authentic selves with our kids,that we serve our families and
our staffs.
And one thing that I take a lotof pride in is being who I am
and not being ashamed ofdecisions that I had made as a
(12:13):
kid.
Not being ashamed of heating myhouse with the oven open in the
wintertime as a 17-year-oldright.
Those aren't things to beashamed of.
Those are things that giveperspective through experiences
that then you find a way toconnect with kids that you're
serving.
You try to find a way toconnect with the families that
(12:33):
are trusting you with their kids.
It's it's, you know it's,regardless of of who you are,
where you come from.
That's what people want and,quite frankly, through the years
(12:53):
of experience that I have inthis position, that's what
people want to hang on to andthey connect with you and they
know that you are being who youare and you're not coming from a
place of judgment.
I'm not, I don't come.
It's not my role to judgefamilies or kids or situations.
It's my role to try to providesupports and expectations, to
(13:14):
try to help our kids get theexperiences and exposures
necessary to give them theopportunities to be successful,
because we're not saviors.
I'm not a savior and oftentimesin education we will get that
mentality that we feel like wehave to save and we don't have
that kind of power.
But you know what we are we areinfluencers, we are very much
(13:37):
mentors, we are the adults thatoftentimes others look up to and
we should be, because we're inthe greatest profession on the
planet and so.
But realizing that even at ayoung age I could develop
authentic relationships andconnect with people was
something that, looking back nowon my experiences and
(13:59):
especially being a leader at ayoung age in a leadership
position, those are things thathave helped me along the way and
thankfully I've beenconsistently with who I am and
people have seen that, and soI'm very much.
What you see is what you get,but also love and care about you
and it's not conditional, it'svery unconditional.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Do you remember the moment at which you got the
proverbial campus keys?
Yeah, what was that like.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Just overwhelming when you're talking about
somebody gives you the keys tothe ship, right?
So they're giving you the keysto this ship, and it's two
different situations.
So the first experience I had,I was very familiar with the
community.
I was very familiar with thestudents and the kids and the
staff because I worked withinthe really tough situation in
October of 2020, or, I'm sorry,october of 2013,.
(15:09):
That afforded me greatopportunities to do some amazing
things with the staff at theschool to help improve student
outcomes.
Fast forward 2020,.
I go from a very smallcommunity school to the second
largest school system in thestate of Kentucky, in an urban
setting on the north end ofLexington, at Bryan Station High
(15:29):
School beautifully diverse2,000 student population,
40-some countries, 30-somelanguages represented and just a
very proud community that hasbeen underserved and just needs
to be heard and listened to andthen continue to provide
opportunities for their kids,right.
So the approach here was alittle different because I don't
(15:50):
look like a lot of the kids inmy school.
I don't sound like a lot of thekids in my school, but I
connect with all of our kids inthe school in some way.
I try to find ways to connectand try to provide those
opportunities for them.
So getting the keys to thisbeautiful place was a little
overwhelming at first, becausewe also were in the middle of a
(16:12):
pandemic and so I went eightmonths without seeing kids in my
school and, quite frankly, manyof my staff members.
So I had to figure out where wewere with things.
Where were we in our systemsand structures and processes.
Where were we with our staffcapacity and understanding
systems, structures andprocesses, and what was our
(16:33):
focus?
What were we collectivelycommitted to beyond surviving
during the pandemic?
A little processing to figureout where we needed to go and
then, quite frankly, over thelast several years, we've made
incredible gains collectively asit relates to student outcomes
with our academic success hereat our school.
(16:54):
So getting the keys to thecampus can, quite frankly, be a
little overwhelming at first,but know, be who you are.
Regardless, you are worthyenough.
Someone believed in you totrust you with the keys to that
campus.
So let's be who you are andwhat has gotten you to this
point.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
I was struck by the diversity of the student
population.
I think I read around 40different languages spoken and I
was wondering if you could talkto us a bit about I think
you've touched on some of thenuggets but your philosophy of
school leadership, you knowyou've turned.
(17:37):
It sounds like you've reallymade great progress coming out
of a pandemic some real advancesin student achievement systems,
alignment, and obviously youwere recognized at a state level
and I saw you recognized as oneof the 100 influencers in
education in the country.
So great stuff, right, butwhat's your philosophy?
(17:58):
Like what is as you get up inthe morning and you put your
jacket on and you're driving towork?
Like what is your philosophy,writ large, as you enter that
campus every day?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Wow, that's a great question, and the first thing
that comes to mind and it is aphilosophy, but it's really a
little bit more concrete thanthat is school to me comes down
to what I like to call theschool formula.
School to me, comes down tosystems, structures and
(18:32):
processes, plus the staffcapacity to implement those
systems, structures andprocesses equals whatever
outcome we're trying to get to,whatever infinite goal we're
trying to attain, and wecollectively have to make sure
that.
What are we focused on?
(18:53):
Are we focused on tier oneinstruction?
Are we focused on family andcommunity engagement?
Is our outcome to increasepost-secondary readiness?
Is our outcome to increasegraduation rate?
But whatever those goals are,we have to make sure that we
have systems, structures andprocesses in place and we have a
way to develop our staff'scapacity to be able to implement
(19:14):
those effectively.
Because what happens in schoolis oftentimes one of those may
be really strong, but the otherone is overlooked.
And so you may have a greatsystem, structure and process in
place, but your staff doesn'tquite understand the intricacies
of those system, structures andprocess.
So then it just becomesunsuccessful and it fails, or it
(19:37):
just becomes malpractice.
So when I get up in the morning, two things.
One is I feel like I serve agreater purpose right, that's
first.
And feel like I serve a greaterpurpose Right, that's, that's
first and foremost.
I serve a greater purpose.
I am privileged to be in thisposition.
I'm privileged to serve thekids that I serve.
I'm privileged in representingthe school community that I
represent, first and foremost.
And so that joy is there everyday when I get up, knowing that
(19:59):
I'm going to come to school andand connect and to try to create
those system, structures andprocesses and change them when
necessary in order to continueto achieve success with whatever
we have as our goals as aschool.
So just having that greatersense of purpose, but that in
(20:20):
and of itself isn't going to cutit.
People have a great sense ofpurpose in their jobs and
belonging to something greaterthan themselves, but you have to
have these other elements to itto maximize the potential that
we have in whatever schoolcommunity that we're serving.
So having that purpose, havingthat joy and that drive, while
(20:41):
simultaneously figuring theseother pieces out and these other
variables to get where we wantto go.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
How do you handle the inevitable conflict?
I mean, obviously, from thesnapshot you gave of your
upbringing from a young age, youwere probably not by your own
choice, but you were immersed insituations.
Especially, you described somevery difficult challenges and
things you witnessed with yourmom domestically Obviously a lot
(21:11):
of turbulence and instability.
Those are laden with conflictand trauma, et cetera.
But in your life you could havetaken a completely different
path and been the angry guy whoyou know never escaped that 1.0
GPA so, but you did and you hada great career.
(21:32):
So how do you handle theconflicts that are inevitable in
motivated, intelligent,opinionated adults working
together?
And you've got a big staffright.
Your school is how big?
2,000?
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Yeah, we have around 220 to 30 staff members in the
building, in addition to 2,000students.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Okay, so that's a lot of personalities, and a system
on paper is one thing.
A system in the real world is adifferent thing.
How do you handle conflict?
How do you mediate?
How do you mitigate things?
Speaker 2 (22:04):
That's another great question.
So, first and foremost, peoplewant to be heard.
So oftentimes when you have aconflict, there's a
communication breakdown most ofthe time, or there's a
misunderstanding within thatcommunication and we assume
things.
The first thing I do when Ihandle a conflict number one I
(22:27):
remove an emotional attachmentto the conflict.
So I'm going to respond, basedupon information and the due
process and procedural pieces,to whatever the conflict is that
may arise.
That's first and foremost.
It's really important to removethat emotional response piece.
Secondly, it becomes let's getto a shared solution.
(22:51):
So what is the solution?
Because we have to coexist.
I mean, this is the world we'reliving in.
You have to coexist with peoplethat you may disagree with,
that you may get into conflictwith.
We have to have this socialcontract that says that, moving
forward, we have to be able toget along regardless.
Maybe it's agreeing to disagree, but we have to be able to get
along regardless.
Maybe it's agreeing to disagree, but we have to figure this
thing out and that's part ofproblem solving is a skill that
(23:15):
you have to have to be asuccessful adult, right?
I know a lot of companies talkabout 21st century skills.
Problem solving is right at thetop.
Have to be solution oriented, Ihave to be solution oriented.
So when you're working with alot of passionate folks who want
to do good for kids, one thingthat I referenced just this
(23:36):
summer to our staff was I pulledit from the I believe it's
called Unreasonable Hospitalitybook.
One of my friends had shared aquote with me from that, from
that book, and they said thisreminds me of you.
And essentially, to summarizeit, it said I will try to be as
consistent as I possibly can,but make no mistake that I'm
(23:59):
going to make decisions basedupon what's best in it.
In this book it's abouthospitality with restaurants and
it says I'm going to make thebest decisions for the
restaurant, not for youindividually.
However, essentially, if you'removing in the same direction as
we're moving in as a school,most all the time you're going
to benefit individually fromthat, but there are going to be
(24:21):
occasions that it's not going tobe in your benefit the decision
that's being made, just likeit's not going to be in my
personal benefit either orprofessional benefit, but we owe
it to the school to makedecisions to where we are all
moving in this direction andwe're pursuing our outcomes that
(24:43):
we're trying to achieve as aschool, our outcomes that we're
trying to achieve as a school,and we almost have to put
blinders on some of the conflict.
Not blinders on the conflict,but blinders on things that can
get in the way of this, what Ilike to call this moral
imperative of us trying topursue these things for our kids
and so handling those conflicts.
It really comes around to onelisten to people.
(25:06):
Two, remove my personalemotional situation from it
right, I can't have an emotionalresponse to it and, last but
not least, are the decisionsthat we make based upon that,
because we have to move forwardin the best interest of the
school community and the kidsthat we serve.
And that's how we get throughconflict as a school.
That's how I get throughconflict as the principal and
(25:27):
the leader of the school isreally based around those key
components to when conflictarises.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
You know, and I know you're keenly aware of this, the
education sector has beenpretty battered since, certainly
since COVID right.
Certainly since COVID right,we've got you know for the first
time in a long time, educatorsdidn't rank as high in approval
(25:57):
ratings.
Interestingly, though, whenthey do those Gallup polls,
people still rate their kids'own schools really highly.
But the industry, the sector ingeneral, has slipped.
There's a lot of, obviously, tomask, to not mask, to vaccinate
, to not vaccinate, to returnearly, to not return early, that
whole thing.
Then we segue to a currentWashington administration that
(26:17):
is definitely pushing an agenda,a voucher agenda.
There's a lot of turbulence inthe sector in general, and, and
then, of course, we all face thechallenges on the local level,
right, you have a community thatyou say, historically, had been
underserved.
We all have the vagaries of ourown local context.
(26:39):
What has been your biggestchallenge as an educational
leader outside of COVID?
I'm not going to let you havethat one Outside of COVID.
What is?
Because we all face them rightand how we overcome them,
defines who we are as people andalso as leaders.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah, so when you're looking at challenges in
education, obviously there are alot of complexities to it.
One of the first things is thatthere's always been societal
challenges, right, and it'shuman behavior.
Since the beginning of time,we've had challenges within
society.
That's first and foremost.
(27:23):
Most of society's issues areeither education is either asked
to assist in fixing some of thesociety's issues or the
education system has been on thebrunt end of the blame, right.
And so a challenge as aprinciple is how do you, on
(27:49):
things that are out of yourcontrol or things that are
outside of your, maybe evenimmediate influence, between
some of those things that can bedistractors and can be
obstacles and in the way of whatwe're trying to do as an entity
(28:09):
, without infighting Right?
Like you said, oftentimespeople will take their own kids
school.
They'll rank them at the topand then they'll look down at
another school because of someranks, ranking systems or
experience or whatever the casemay be, which we know.
The history of all those thingsoftentimes will come down to
socioeconomic status, right?
(28:30):
So when you're looking at someof those high stakes
accountability systems that arecreated, oftentimes you can look
at the financial averagesalaries of that community and
that's going to rank yourschools for you right, and it
doesn't mean that one's betterthan the other.
It doesn't mean that one's moreworthy than another not at all.
(28:50):
But what we have to be mindfulof as an education entity is
making sure that we don't getcaught in that infighting and
that we are all serving the samepurpose, which is trying to
make a positive influence andcreate productive citizens with
some of our most vulnerablepopulations and our kids.
(29:12):
These are kids in our community.
We're here serving these kids,and so then it becomes how do we
then not shield them but again,like I said, create that buffer
that it's there.
There's information that's outthere.
There's conflict that's outthere.
There's a lot of politicalthings that's out there.
There's conflict that's outthere.
There's a lot of politicalthings that are out there.
But how do we set aside andcompartmentalize that and still
(29:33):
be able to do the work and getback to the reasons why we went
into this profession in thefirst place again create
positive opportunities for kidswithin our communities that we
serve.
So that's one of the biggestchallenges outside of the
pandemic.
(29:55):
Is that work?
And it's a fine balance whenyou are the leader of a campus,
right, because you hear it,you're aware of things, you know
some stuff is going on, but youtry to make sure that you keep
the main thing, the main thing,and that's the kids that we're
serving, even if we disagreesometimes on what's best for
kids right, because everybodywill do things in the name of
what's best for kids.
But let's have clarity on whatdo those things look like, what
(30:21):
do those things sound like, whatdo those things feel like?
And then let's make sure thatthe things that we're focused on
and doing that is what ourschool culture is right.
So what we collectively focuson is our school culture period,
and if we collectively focus onall the things outside of our
control, we're going to allowexternal things to influence our
school culture and what we do.
(30:42):
We're just not going to allowthose things to happen.
We have to stick to the mainthing educating our kids.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
I know you've had great success in your community.
Your school's had great successin really improving student
achievement.
You know AI is ubiquitous.
Now I just got back on a tripto San Francisco for a
commission that I was on andevery billboard in the city that
(31:13):
on the side of the freeway wassomething AI, like everything.
Of course, that's the groundzero of the tech industry, but
AI is everywhere.
Quantum computing is on thehorizon.
The world is changing soquickly.
Quantum computing is on thehorizon.
The world is changing soquickly.
How do you view preparing yourcurrent students for the world
(31:36):
of work, the world of life, theworld of communities in?
Let's just even take 10 yearsout.
It's a challenge for us aseducators, right, and I'm just
interested in your take on that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah, so that's why it's really important.
So we're an academy school, sowe have four career academies
and then we have a freshmanacademy that all of our freshmen
are in and then, within thosefour career academies, now we
have AP, dual credit courses, wehave every type of course, but
essentially it's taking a largecomprehensive high school and
putting them into small learningcommunities, which are also
(32:13):
known as academies, and so oneof the big factors in the
academy structure is making surethat we are tapping into our
business partners throughbusiness advisory boards, also
through Commerce, lexington, andso we bring the business sector
into the school and then wealso go out to the community.
(32:37):
So that is really importantbecause, as you're talking about
AI and the traditional studentexperience, right, and the
traditional student experience,right.
So when you think of what astudent experience is like in
high school, what it was yearsago for me, right, and the
(32:57):
opportunities and things that Icould see in the exposures
versus what we have at ourfingertips now is really night
and day, especially within ouracademy structure.
So when you're talking about AIand technology and what the
workforce and the demand isgoing to be, this is where we
really tap into our partners,our business partners, to make
sure that we are preparing ourkids academically and skillset
(33:21):
wise for what those jobs looklike now, and then any potential
trends that they see in thenear future and us adapting what
we're doing to try to meet thatdemand.
Now, do any of us know whatit's going to look like in 10
years?
Well, absolutely not.
But we know we're going to haveto problem solve.
We know there are essentialskills that are out there.
You know you're going to haveto be able to communicate, be
(33:42):
able to be a good team player,right.
All these things are pieces tobeing a successful adult,
regardless of what business,what career you choose to be
part of.
But being intentional abouttapping into your business
partnerships is a reallyimportant piece for us in
preparing our kids for lifeafter high school and to help
(34:05):
assist them with their pursuitof whatever career fields they
end up choosing.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
I read some research that indicated that.
Well, obviously the wholeeducation sector has been really
impacted by chronic absenteeism, certainly since the pandemic,
and I'm not sure how the stateof Kentucky does their school
funding pandemic and I'm notsure how the state of Kentucky
does their school funding.
California is seat-based so wereally get absolutely impacted
(34:34):
when kids don't show up.
But the research indicated thatin career tech-oriented
programs and programs that aremuch more oriented towards
practical life skills, thatattendance had actually been
higher than in traditionalacademic areas.
Have you seen that to be thecase?
(34:55):
And then, secondarily, like howhas attendance been for your
school?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Yeah.
So we've continued to increaseattendance each year since the
pandemic, along with ourenrollment.
So I believe in 2020, we werearound the 1,650 mark when I
first arrived and now we'vepushed over 2,000 over the last
couple of years.
So just pure enrollment hasincreased Then.
In addition to that, ourattendance rate has continued to
increase over the last severalyears.
(35:21):
I think there's a couple ofcontributing factors.
Number one is the relevancy oflearning.
So that's one piece.
That's what that's our missionstatement is at the Academies of
Bryan Station.
We make learning relevant,right, and that's through that
academy experience and thatstudent experience for our kids.
That's one piece.
Can you make school relevant?
The second thing is there waskind of an unintended
consequence of school in thepandemic.
(35:42):
The unintended consequence waswe showed that you could do
school differently than sittingin seats in a building with
block and mortar, right, yeah?
So then all of a sudden, itbecame okay, we had the ability
to be innovative during thepandemic, but then we wanted to
go back to the traditional wayof how school looked afterwards
(36:05):
and it just didn't mix.
At first, Kids knew it, adults.
At first, kids knew it, adultsknew it, teachers knew it,
politicians knew it right.
So then it becomes what are waysthat you can quote unquote
educate a child throughperformance-based learning or
online opportunities whether itbe through dual credit, online
(36:25):
courses, courses throughparticular platforms or whatever
the case may be and you stillmeet that need of that student,
whatever that may look like andthankfully in the state of
Kentucky we do have someflexibility with performance
based credits we have someopportunities through
internships, apprenticeships,work based learning, work based
(36:48):
learning experiences.
If our students are working,that we work with our kids in
making sure that they're gettingthe not just that academic side
of things that they, that theyneed and the supports through it
, but also through the practicalskills that they need to learn.
Maybe it's now taking care ofthe families, right, and they
(37:09):
have to have a job.
So why can't school lookdifferent?
Why should it look like it usedto look?
You know that's that's schoolin this traditional sense isn't
for everybody.
So let's be creative in how weserve our kids and making sure
that they can still have anopportunity to be successful and
still have a great experiencein high school in and they're
(37:31):
ready for that next step, thatpost-secondary step.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
That rings so true.
I just had a conversation witha superintendent in New York and
he Dr Nagler in Mineola, who'sactually also on the same list
that you're on, so he's in goodcompany with you.
But he has this thing about andit's somewhat tongue-in-cheek,
but it's the content is deadmovement.
(37:57):
And he said, yeah, I'm probablygoing to get misquoted and
people are going to come afterme, but he said content in the
old, nostalgic way is dead,right, it's the skills of
collaboration and adapting tothe changing needs of an
industry and attaching to thingsthat are relevant.
(38:18):
That's the part that will carryus forward.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Yeah, and that's the challenge and one of the
fascinating things is I actuallyhaven't.
I went back and I think I saidI taught elementary school and
so I taught elementary schooland I wanted to be a teacher in
elementary school.
One, because my high school Ididn't.
I was unable to really fall inlove with a particular subject
because of self-inflictedchoices, right, like I was
(38:41):
catching up to try to make sureI could graduate on time.
But secondly, because I lovedthe development of kids.
Right, I coached, I wanted toteach elementary kids.
I didn't have a subject areathat I loved, necessarily, on
the high school side of things,they love their subject areas.
They've got passionate about it, right.
And so when you hear a quoteand I listened to that interview
(39:04):
and it was great, by the way ofsaying content is dead, he's
great.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
It was great.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
But when you listen to, content is dead.
But there's a definite point tothat quote and it's look, if
(39:34):
we're not teaching our kidsthese other pieces to the facts
of the content versus let's makea connection of the relevancy
because we're all going to be ina career one day, right?
So you talk about college orcareer and the stigmas that used
to be around people who didn'twant to go to college and wanted
to go go into some sort ofcareer preparation program, a
(39:55):
tech school.
Those things are of the past,or they should be, because
ultimately, we're all going tobe pursuing a career at some
point.
And I think that's where thatpoint of content is dead comes
from.
On, look, yes, the content isimportant.
However, if we're notconnecting with kids, with
making relevant connections letme be clear about that relevant
(40:17):
connections with them and theirinterest people just don't do
what you want them to do becauseyou told them to do it.
It's a very few people that dothat.
It's more along the lines ofhere's the reasoning behind it
and how it connects to yourfuture.
That's that relevancy piecethat we try to push here.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
What do you think is one of the most commonly
misunderstood elements ofleadership?
I mean, people come in, theysee you, you're smiling, you
clearly are passionate, you ownthis role, you're humble, but
you're also.
You have your.
What was the name of that book?
(40:54):
I'm going to check it out.
Actually the Unexpected, yeah,unreasonable Hospitality, I
think is the name.
There we go, yeah, unreasonableHospitality.
So you know your restaurant,right, like you know you're this
restaurant.
You know you're not anotherrestaurant, like you know your
position.
But what do you think peoplemisunderstand about leadership?
And this is really targeted,maybe, towards folks who are
(41:15):
considering educationalleadership roles, current
teachers who are toying with theadmin credential step, or you
know, what do you think weshould know about leadership
that's not commonly discussed?
Speaker 2 (41:30):
So there are a couple things.
Number one is being a leader isthe responsibility to have the
desire to protect people.
Like there has to be some sortof emotional protection,
physical protection Right,that's leadership, that's human,
and I believe Simon Sinek talksabout that in some of his stuff
(41:50):
in his books.
But that's true, right.
So you have to be trusted as aleader and be authentic, first
and foremost.
The misconception is that youhave to be somehow the smartest
person in the room.
Like, quite frankly, every roomI go into I am not the smartest
person in the room If I'm thesmartest person in the room,
then I've failed miserably ofhiring people around me and I
(42:11):
know some people.
That is a hundred percent true.
But your goal as a leader is doone of four things you can
either dictate or delegate.
You can dump or develop onthose around you.
Those are four things, the fourDs.
One of my mentors when Iarrived here at Bryan Station in
Lexington.
Her name was Debbie Tronzo andshe said that to me.
(42:33):
I was like wait a minute, thatis spot on.
And if you really think me, Iwas like, wait a minute, that is
spot on.
And if you really think about itas a leader, the misconception
is one you're not the smartestperson in the room.
Two, you have a moralobligation to delegate and
develop those that are aroundyou.
Meet them where they're at,develop them and delegate them
(42:54):
through, whether it beone-on-one coaching and feedback
conversations, whether it bethrough thought partners,
brainstorming activities,delegating some of the
decision-making right and thatdoes take time, but going into
it knowing you don't have toknow everything.
And one you really don't wantto be the smartest person in the
room and you don't need a bunchof yes people around you either
(43:16):
.
Now we all treat each otherwith respect and we challenge
each other from a sense ofurgency.
But going into leadership,there's a cost to it as well.
Right, there's a cost.
There's a time cost, there's anenergy cost, there's a stress
cost that goes along with it.
There's an energy cost, there'sa stress cost that goes along
(43:36):
with it.
I tell my assistant principals,my academy principals, my
academy coach, all the time is,you can leave here at 4 o'clock
or 4.30 and turn it off when youbecome the head principal.
There's no turning it off,there's a cognitive load that
stays on.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
you constantly Take away the switch.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
Yeah, I can't flip a switch off, it's just not how it
happens.
But understanding that goinginto it is really important for
people who want to get into aleadership role.
There are different componentsto it and it's the greatest.
It is an awesome role withheavy responsibility, right and
heavy weight, but you treatpeople right.
(44:18):
You try to delegate and developinstead of dictate and dump on
them.
People will grow and you're notgoing to be the smartest person
in the room.
You should not be that smartestperson in the room.
Trust your people to do whatyou've hired them to do.
Trust your people to do whatyou've hired them to do, but
through delegation anddeveloping, not just dumping on
(44:39):
them saying now you go, handlethis.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
That's not how it really needs to be, because then
they're not growing.
So the delegation thedifference between the dictating
and delegation has to do withthe support and the gradual
transfer of that task, ratherthan just go and do this.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
Yeah, it's like teaching.
It's a gradual release model.
It's just like what you wantyour teachers to do with their
kids.
They just don't assign tasksand say here, do it.
This is what we're working on,and let me provide that support
and that coaching through thisgradual release, so you can be
as successful as you can be andalso continue to grow in your
(45:19):
capacity and your skillset.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Well, you've been very generous with your time and
I want to make sure we end thisbefore you do your daily drill
there on your campus.
But before I ask you the lastquestion, is there anything that
we haven't touched on todaythat you would like to share
about your work, your community,your hopes, your plans, your
dreams?
Speaker 2 (45:42):
I think for us, it's just making sure that we all
continue to understand this isan infinite game and we're going
to continue to chase.
I mean, you're thinking ofhuman behavior and humans who
are responsible for year afteryear after year.
There's never a place where youarrive and you're like, ok, I'm
(46:03):
done now.
Now that when you retire,that's the case, right, but you
can have 100 percentpost-secondary readiness, you
can have a 96 percent graduationrate, et cetera, et cetera, but
it starts over the next year.
So you're in like this infinitegame and it's the greatest
infinite game, and what we willcontinue to do here at the
(46:26):
Academies of Bryan Station is wetalk about our standards that
we have and we've established,and it's your presence matters,
you belong here, your presencematters, you belong here, your
presence matters, yourperformance matters Matters now
and it matters the rest of yourlife.
And, last but not least, yourpride.
And pride is in belonging tosomething bigger than yourself.
But, as adults, those are thethree things that are also
(46:48):
critical for success in any jobBe there, be consistent, show up
on time, perform.
That matters.
And then also, when you feellike you belong to something
bigger than yourself, regardlessof what business you get into.
You have a sense of purpose andthat relevancy piece and that
continues to help motivate youinto showing up every day and to
(47:10):
doing the work and you being atyour max capacity and continue
to push and do amazing things.
So my future and the future forour school, I just want to make
sure that our kids and ourcommunity knows that what they
are doing is amazing work andthey've always had that sense of
pride in the community andlet's continue to push forward
(47:33):
and continue to make adifference and help continue to
influence the next generation ofkids that we are ultimately
responsible for.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Thank you for that.
I think it's no accident thatyour enrollment's gone up and
your attendance has gone up andyour achievement so you're
clearly very successful andinspirational.
So thank you.
Very successful andinspirational.
So thank you.
The last question is ahypothetical and you might have,
(48:03):
if you listened to the wholelast one of the other episodes,
you might have heard me ask thesame question, but
hypothetically.
Let's say you have theopportunity to design a
billboard for the side of thelocal freeway or thruway I'm not
sure what you, how?
You refer to the thoroughfaresin Kentucky and California.
They're all freeways.
What does principal Halesbillboard say as people are
(48:25):
rushing by on whatever that isroute 70 or 80, 75 and 64, 75,
exactly 75 or 64.
What does principal Halesbillboard say about what you
believe in, what you hold dear,what you hold to be true?
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Well, I believe that love is ultimately the biggest
factor in building authenticrelationships loving and caring
for others and that would be onthere and then for our school
community.
That billboard would say,similarly to the sign behind me
imagine being us, as beautifullydiverse as we are from all
(49:06):
walks of life, that our kids whoenter this building come from.
This is a very special place.
Who enter this building comefrom.
This is a very special placeand everybody wants to be part
of it, but not everybody gets anopportunity to be.
All they get to do is imaginebeing us and the excellence that
we're achieving, and knowingthat we are absolutely good
(49:29):
enough and we absolutely belongat the seat in any and all
tables.
Speaker 1 (49:37):
Thank you for that.
You're making me inspired.
I kind of want to come visityour school.
I've been to Lexington one timeand I I made the mistake of
going for a jog on a Junemorning.
At about 11 in the morning Iwas there for a friend's family
event and I went for a jog, andboy you guys, humidity is no
(49:59):
joke.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
Humidity is no joke here.
It is no joke.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
It's a beautiful country, beautiful city and
beautiful rolling hills andgreen, so maybe I'll get a
chance to get out there andvisit your school.
Thank you, principal Hale, somuch for your time, for your
wisdom, for your inspiration,for your school.
Thank you, principal Hale, somuch for your time, for your
wisdom, for your inspiration,for your positive message.
I can see why you have beenrecognized the way you have been
(50:26):
, and it's precisely becauseyou're not trying to be
recognized that way that you are.
So thank you for yourgenerosity.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
Well, thank you for having me on and giving me this
platform to brag on our schoolcommunity, our kids and just me
being able to talk about how youcan go from being a
first-generation high schoolgraduate to the principal of the
year.
Speaker 1 (50:51):
Thanks for joining us on the Hangout Podcast.
You can send us an email atpodcastinfo at protonme.
Many thanks to my daughter,maya, for editing this episode.
I'd also like to underline thatthis podcast is entirely
separate from my day job and, assuch, all opinions expressed
herein are mine and mine alone.
(51:11):
Thanks for coming on in andhanging out.
Welcome to the Hangout Podcast.
I'm your host, David Shoretta.
Come on in and hang out.
In this episode, I wasprivileged to have a
conversation with Eric Hale,principal of Bryan Station High
School in Lexington, Kentucky.
Mr Hale was named the 2024Kentucky Principal of the Year
(00:27):
by the Kentucky Association ofSchool Administrators.
He shared his unique andinspiring personal and family
journey.
He is the first in his familyto graduate from high school and
he has a unique perspective onthe trials and tribulations that
the students at Bryan StationHigh School face, as well as
(00:52):
some real, deep knowledge andinsight into what it means to be
a servant leader.
I hope you enjoy thisconversation as much as I did.
Hope you enjoy thisconversation as much as I did.
Mr Hale, thank you so much forjoining us today for this
conversation.
Thank you so much for having me.
(01:13):
I thought a good place for usto start is with your origin
story.
In doing some backgroundreading, you have a really
compelling story and trajectorythat brings you to this present
moment.
Could you share that with ourlisteners, please?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, absolutely, first and foremost, very proud
son of a single mom.
So growing up it was my mother.
I have a half brother andsister that are 12 to 15 years
older than I am, so it wasessentially almost like a single
mom.
So my mom was almost twodifferent moms to my brother and
(01:48):
sister, as she was to mebecause of the age gap.
We grew up in Ashland, kentucky, in Section 8 housing, locally
known as the projects there inAshland.
My mom was a high schooldropout.
My brother and my sister wereboth high school dropouts, so I
was the first person in myfamily to graduate, a high
school dropout.
My brother and my sister wereboth high school dropouts, so I
was the first person in myfamily to graduate from high
school.
In addition to that, we werevery transient, so we moved out
(02:13):
of the projects when I wasaround 14 years old and then
over the course of the next fouryears, we moved approximately
around 11 or 12 more times.
So my mom went back and wasable to earn her GED and she
became a certified nursingassistant and nurse aide here in
the state of Kentucky and so,with that being said, she was
(02:35):
able to earn more money beyondthe welfare checks and the food
stamps that we were receivingwhen I was a kid.
However, one of the unwrittensituations with getting out of
Section 8 housing of theprojects is the cost of
utilities, so we would have tomove to multiple places once the
(02:59):
utility bills would get to apoint where we were unable to
afford them.
I only see my father four timesin my life as a kid, and so
that had a significant impact onme and my lens, as you know,
growing up as an adolescent andhaving my mom just being
essentially the main person thatwas there for me.
Additionally, my mom was insome abusive relationships.
(03:23):
When I was a kid.
There was a kid.
There was a couple ofsituations you know that I
experienced firsthand that werevery unfortunate, that as a
teenager and as a child probablyshouldn't be exposed to.
However, you know we were ableto get through those things
together and it definitelyshaped my lens and me wanting to
(03:44):
give back at some point in timeand to those that gave to me,
and those were my educators,those were my teachers, my
guidance counselor my highschool guidance counselor played
an integral part in my life.
I went to three different highschools.
My freshman GPA was almost a1.0.
(04:05):
I wasn't making the best ofdecisions at the time Went to
two different high schools.
My freshman year Moved again asa sophomore.
My mom found a trailer in aschool community of Westwood
where I was able to attend avery small community high school
called Fairview High School andfrom there I developed really
long lasting relationships withmy teachers, my coaches and also
(04:29):
, like I said, my guidancecounselor.
His name was Brent Creech.
I actually named my son afterhim.
I have a six-year-old son thatI've named after him and that's
what kind of an impact he had onme so went from there to
conditionally be accepted intoMorehead State University in
Eastern Kentucky.
I'd never visited campus beforeI arrived and thankfully I had
(04:53):
created some good habits wheninitially, as a teenager, my
habits weren't great and I wasable to be successful and I was
determined to better myself andif one day I had children which
I have three beautiful childrenof my own and also one bonus son
that I wanted to give them anopportunity to financially be in
a better situation than what Iwas in as a child and an
(05:17):
adolescent.
So those are my origins.
That's who I am,unapologetically, and it's a
unique situation to be in as aprincipal and then as an
educator, that I've been thestudent that slept in class.
I was the student that wassuspended, unsupervised teenager
(05:42):
when my mom was working eveningshifts and I was making
decisions that weren't the bestfor me.
And I've also been the studentthat was straight A's my senior
year, very driven, wanting to besuccessful and wanted to have a
better life for myself and makea positive impact on those
around me and also the nextgenerations to come, through
(06:07):
being an educator.
At Moorhead State University Iearned a degree in elementary
education.
Additionally, I coachedmultiple sports.
I was able to teach at FairviewElementary School in Westwood
my alma mater and give back tothe community.
That gave a lot to me and thenfrom there I was able to earn my
(06:27):
educational leadership degreesfrom Moorhead State University
and I was fortunate enough tohave an opportunity at a fairly
young age.
I think I was around 26, 27years old when I first became a
school administrator and really16 years into it now.
I'm just so thankful for theopportunities and experiences
(06:47):
that I've been able to gothrough in life, and not just
personally.
I'm thankful for thosesituations and I'm also thankful
for the opportunities andsituations that I've been able
to get while being an educator,initially in Ashland, kentucky,
in Westwood, and then now inLexington, kentucky, at a very
large comprehensive high school,bryan Station High School, here
(07:10):
in Lexington.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
As you share that story I keep flashing on you
impersonate Maslow's hierarchyhierarchy, like I see you kind
(07:32):
of clawing your way up thatright from the.
I mean it's what a what acompelling story of moving just
ahead of the utilities bills andthen at a certain point you
start connecting with educatorsand it sounds like you had a
very loving mom so you have thatlove piece, but then some of
the just existential daily needsare missing, and so what a
(07:53):
compelling kind of background tobring into education.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah, and I'm very thankful and you are correct in
saying I had a loving mother whodid the best that she could
with what skills she wasequipped with.
And one of the messages that Itry and share with teachers that
work with me or staff you know,the educators that, the
wonderful educators that havesurrounded me my entire adult
career is parents are doing thebest they can.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
They really are.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Many parents are going through their own trauma.
They're trying to survive lifeand we have to be mindful of
that when they are sending ustheir most prized possessions,
that parents are doing theirbest.
They're doing their best inthat moment and with the
capacity that they have in thosemoments.
So we need to make sure thatwhen they send their kids to us,
(08:45):
that their kids are loved for,they are cared about and we're
also holding them to a standardof what success looks like,
without lowering theexpectations of how to get there
and making sure that they knowthat we will support them in
that journey and that you cansend your kids to us and we're
(09:06):
going to love them like our own.
But we're also going to makesure that we hold them to the
standard necessary so they canbecome successful adults and
positive contributors in ourcommunity and in our society.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
How does someone at such a young age become an
influential educational leader?
You've been around educationnow a long time and I have too
and we know that there's ahierarchy and there's a time in
the trenches.
Calculus that happens whetherpeople tell you about it or not.
(09:40):
People are watching and seeingand people have to kind of put
in their time.
At age 26, you were alreadyinto administration.
How have you been able to kindof shepherd that?
And then again, congratulationson being named the 2024
Kentucky Principal of the Year.
(10:01):
If I think that I got thatright and I know you're not
aiming at awards I saw you gavecredit to all of your community
in that award.
But how have you been able toaccomplish these things at such
a young age?
In an industry that I'd imagineyou've got, you're a principal
at 26.
You probably had teachers whoare older than I am.
They could have been your dad.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, and to be quite frank, you know I've asked
those same questions, you know,and why me, honestly?
But then it became why not?
And it became.
You know, I've alwaysconsidered myself an old soul
and although the age number isthere, but I had to be an adult
at a very young age.
I was, I was the man of thehouse at eight and nine years
(10:44):
old, which is just a very, veryinteresting concept.
But I have had to mature veryfast, even when making immature
decisions as a teenager anddoing the things that I knew I
didn't need to be doing.
But I had to grow and maturequick to be doing.
(11:07):
But I had to grow and maturequick If I wanted to make a
difference with my life andcontinue to pay it back.
I had to change my habits and Ihad to change them
exponentially.
But what's been a verybeneficial characteristic for me
is building authenticrelationships, first with the
students that I serve and then,simultaneously, with the
(11:27):
families of those students,where I will ask the question,
as the principal, to my staffhow many of us have grown up in
single parent homes?
Oftentimes I may be the onlyone that has my hand raised.
I'm very transparent with mystory.
There was never a moment intime where I felt sorry for
(11:53):
myself or that I needed peopleto feel sorry for me and my
situation.
But I think it's criticallyimportant that we have to be our
authentic selves with our kids,that we serve our families and
our staffs.
And one thing that I take a lotof pride in is being who I am
and not being ashamed ofdecisions that I had made as a
(12:13):
kid.
Not being ashamed of heating myhouse with the oven open in the
wintertime as a 17-year-oldright.
Those aren't things to beashamed of.
Those are things that giveperspective through experiences
that then you find a way toconnect with kids that you're
serving.
You try to find a way toconnect with the families that
(12:33):
are trusting you with their kids.
It's it's, you know it's,regardless of of who you are,
where you come from.
That's what people want and,quite frankly, through the years
(12:53):
of experience that I have inthis position, that's what
people want to hang on to andthey connect with you and they
know that you are being who youare and you're not coming from a
place of judgment.
I'm not, I don't come.
It's not my role to judgefamilies or kids or situations.
It's my role to try to providesupports and expectations, to
(13:14):
try to help our kids get theexperiences and exposures
necessary to give them theopportunities to be successful,
because we're not saviors.
I'm not a savior and oftentimesin education we will get that
mentality that we feel like wehave to save and we don't have
that kind of power.
But you know what we are we areinfluencers, we are very much
(13:37):
mentors, we are the adults thatoftentimes others look up to and
we should be, because we're inthe greatest profession on the
planet and so.
But realizing that even at ayoung age I could develop
authentic relationships andconnect with people was
something that, looking back nowon my experiences and
(13:59):
especially being a leader at ayoung age in a leadership
position, those are things thathave helped me along the way and
thankfully I've beenconsistently with who I am and
people have seen that, and soI'm very much.
What you see is what you get,but also love and care about you
and it's not conditional, it'svery unconditional.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Do you remember the moment at which you got the
proverbial campus keys?
Yeah, what was that like.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Just overwhelming when you're talking about
somebody gives you the keys tothe ship, right?
So they're giving you the keysto this ship, and it's two
different situations.
So the first experience I had,I was very familiar with the
community.
I was very familiar with thestudents and the kids and the
staff because I worked withinthe really tough situation in
October of 2020, or, I'm sorry,october of 2013,.
(15:09):
That afforded me greatopportunities to do some amazing
things with the staff at theschool to help improve student
outcomes.
Fast forward 2020,.
I go from a very smallcommunity school to the second
largest school system in thestate of Kentucky, in an urban
setting on the north end ofLexington, at Bryan Station High
(15:29):
School beautifully diverse2,000 student population,
40-some countries, 30-somelanguages represented and just a
very proud community that hasbeen underserved and just needs
to be heard and listened to andthen continue to provide
opportunities for their kids,right.
So the approach here was alittle different because I don't
(15:50):
look like a lot of the kids inmy school.
I don't sound like a lot of thekids in my school, but I
connect with all of our kids inthe school in some way.
I try to find ways to connectand try to provide those
opportunities for them.
So getting the keys to thisbeautiful place was a little
overwhelming at first, becausewe also were in the middle of a
(16:12):
pandemic and so I went eightmonths without seeing kids in my
school and, quite frankly, manyof my staff members.
So I had to figure out where wewere with things.
Where were we in our systemsand structures and processes.
Where were we with our staffcapacity and understanding
systems, structures andprocesses, and what was our
(16:33):
focus?
What were we collectivelycommitted to beyond surviving
during the pandemic?
A little processing to figureout where we needed to go and
then, quite frankly, over thelast several years, we've made
incredible gains collectively asit relates to student outcomes
with our academic success hereat our school.
(16:54):
So getting the keys to thecampus can, quite frankly, be a
little overwhelming at first,but know, be who you are.
Regardless, you are worthyenough.
Someone believed in you totrust you with the keys to that
campus.
So let's be who you are andwhat has gotten you to this
point.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
I was struck by the diversity of the student
population.
I think I read around 40different languages spoken and I
was wondering if you could talkto us a bit about I think
you've touched on some of thenuggets but your philosophy of
school leadership, you knowyou've turned.
(17:37):
It sounds like you've reallymade great progress coming out
of a pandemic some real advancesin student achievement systems,
alignment, and obviously youwere recognized at a state level
and I saw you recognized as oneof the 100 influencers in
education in the country.
So great stuff, right, butwhat's your philosophy?
(17:58):
Like what is as you get up inthe morning and you put your
jacket on and you're driving towork?
Like what is your philosophy,writ large, as you enter that
campus every day?
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Wow, that's a great question, and the first thing
that comes to mind and it is aphilosophy, but it's really a
little bit more concrete thanthat is school to me comes down
to what I like to call theschool formula.
School to me, comes down tosystems, structures and
(18:32):
processes, plus the staffcapacity to implement those
systems, structures andprocesses equals whatever
outcome we're trying to get to,whatever infinite goal we're
trying to attain, and wecollectively have to make sure
that.
What are we focused on?
(18:53):
Are we focused on tier oneinstruction?
Are we focused on family andcommunity engagement?
Is our outcome to increasepost-secondary readiness?
Is our outcome to increasegraduation rate?
But whatever those goals are,we have to make sure that we
have systems, structures andprocesses in place and we have a
way to develop our staff'scapacity to be able to implement
(19:14):
those effectively.
Because what happens in schoolis oftentimes one of those may
be really strong, but the otherone is overlooked.
And so you may have a greatsystem, structure and process in
place, but your staff doesn'tquite understand the intricacies
of those system, structures andprocess.
So then it just becomesunsuccessful and it fails, or it
(19:37):
just becomes malpractice.
So when I get up in the morning, two things.
One is I feel like I serve agreater purpose right, that's
first.
And feel like I serve a greaterpurpose Right, that's, that's
first and foremost.
I serve a greater purpose.
I am privileged to be in thisposition.
I'm privileged to serve thekids that I serve.
I'm privileged in representingthe school community that I
represent, first and foremost.
And so that joy is there everyday when I get up, knowing that
(19:59):
I'm going to come to school andand connect and to try to create
those system, structures andprocesses and change them when
necessary in order to continueto achieve success with whatever
we have as our goals as aschool.
So just having that greatersense of purpose, but that in
(20:20):
and of itself isn't going to cutit.
People have a great sense ofpurpose in their jobs and
belonging to something greaterthan themselves, but you have to
have these other elements to itto maximize the potential that
we have in whatever schoolcommunity that we're serving.
So having that purpose, havingthat joy and that drive, while
(20:41):
simultaneously figuring theseother pieces out and these other
variables to get where we wantto go.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
How do you handle the inevitable conflict?
I mean, obviously, from thesnapshot you gave of your
upbringing from a young age, youwere probably not by your own
choice, but you were immersed insituations.
Especially, you described somevery difficult challenges and
things you witnessed with yourmom domestically Obviously a lot
(21:11):
of turbulence and instability.
Those are laden with conflictand trauma, et cetera.
But in your life you could havetaken a completely different
path and been the angry guy whoyou know never escaped that 1.0
GPA so, but you did and you hada great career.
(21:32):
So how do you handle theconflicts that are inevitable in
motivated, intelligent,opinionated adults working
together?
And you've got a big staffright.
Your school is how big?
2,000?
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Yeah, we have around 220 to 30 staff members in the
building, in addition to 2,000students.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Okay, so that's a lot of personalities, and a system
on paper is one thing.
A system in the real world is adifferent thing.
How do you handle conflict?
How do you mediate?
How do you mitigate things?
Speaker 2 (22:04):
That's another great question.
So, first and foremost, peoplewant to be heard.
So oftentimes when you have aconflict, there's a
communication breakdown most ofthe time, or there's a
misunderstanding within thatcommunication and we assume
things.
The first thing I do when Ihandle a conflict number one I
(22:27):
remove an emotional attachmentto the conflict.
So I'm going to respond, basedupon information and the due
process and procedural pieces,to whatever the conflict is that
may arise.
That's first and foremost.
It's really important to removethat emotional response piece.
Secondly, it becomes let's getto a shared solution.
(22:51):
So what is the solution?
Because we have to coexist.
I mean, this is the world we'reliving in.
You have to coexist with peoplethat you may disagree with,
that you may get into conflictwith.
We have to have this socialcontract that says that, moving
forward, we have to be able toget along regardless.
Maybe it's agreeing to disagree, but we have to be able to get
along regardless.
Maybe it's agreeing to disagree, but we have to figure this
thing out and that's part ofproblem solving is a skill that
(23:15):
you have to have to be asuccessful adult, right?
I know a lot of companies talkabout 21st century skills.
Problem solving is right at thetop.
Have to be solution oriented, Ihave to be solution oriented.
So when you're working with alot of passionate folks who want
to do good for kids, one thingthat I referenced just this
(23:36):
summer to our staff was I pulledit from the I believe it's
called Unreasonable Hospitalitybook.
One of my friends had shared aquote with me from that, from
that book, and they said thisreminds me of you.
And essentially, to summarizeit, it said I will try to be as
consistent as I possibly can,but make no mistake that I'm
(23:59):
going to make decisions basedupon what's best in it.
In this book it's abouthospitality with restaurants and
it says I'm going to make thebest decisions for the
restaurant, not for youindividually.
However, essentially, if you'removing in the same direction as
we're moving in as a school,most all the time you're going
to benefit individually fromthat, but there are going to be
(24:21):
occasions that it's not going tobe in your benefit the decision
that's being made, just likeit's not going to be in my
personal benefit either orprofessional benefit, but we owe
it to the school to makedecisions to where we are all
moving in this direction andwe're pursuing our outcomes that
(24:43):
we're trying to achieve as aschool, our outcomes that we're
trying to achieve as a school,and we almost have to put
blinders on some of the conflict.
Not blinders on the conflict,but blinders on things that can
get in the way of this, what Ilike to call this moral
imperative of us trying topursue these things for our kids
and so handling those conflicts.
It really comes around to onelisten to people.
(25:06):
Two, remove my personalemotional situation from it
right, I can't have an emotionalresponse to it and, last but
not least, are the decisionsthat we make based upon that,
because we have to move forwardin the best interest of the
school community and the kidsthat we serve.
And that's how we get throughconflict as a school.
That's how I get throughconflict as the principal and
(25:27):
the leader of the school isreally based around those key
components to when conflictarises.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
You know, and I know you're keenly aware of this, the
education sector has beenpretty battered since, certainly
since COVID right.
Certainly since COVID right,we've got you know for the first
time in a long time, educatorsdidn't rank as high in approval
(25:57):
ratings.
Interestingly, though, whenthey do those Gallup polls,
people still rate their kids'own schools really highly.
But the industry, the sector ingeneral, has slipped.
There's a lot of, obviously, tomask, to not mask, to vaccinate
, to not vaccinate, to returnearly, to not return early, that
whole thing.
Then we segue to a currentWashington administration that
(26:17):
is definitely pushing an agenda,a voucher agenda.
There's a lot of turbulence inthe sector in general, and, and
then, of course, we all face thechallenges on the local level,
right, you have a community thatyou say, historically, had been
underserved.
We all have the vagaries of ourown local context.
(26:39):
What has been your biggestchallenge as an educational
leader outside of COVID?
I'm not going to let you havethat one Outside of COVID.
What is?
Because we all face them rightand how we overcome them,
defines who we are as people andalso as leaders.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Yeah, so when you're looking at challenges in
education, obviously there are alot of complexities to it.
One of the first things is thatthere's always been societal
challenges, right, and it'shuman behavior.
Since the beginning of time,we've had challenges within
society.
That's first and foremost.
(27:23):
Most of society's issues areeither education is either asked
to assist in fixing some of thesociety's issues or the
education system has been on thebrunt end of the blame, right.
And so a challenge as aprinciple is how do you, on
(27:49):
things that are out of yourcontrol or things that are
outside of your, maybe evenimmediate influence, between
some of those things that can bedistractors and can be
obstacles and in the way of whatwe're trying to do as an entity
(28:09):
, without infighting Right?
Like you said, oftentimespeople will take their own kids
school.
They'll rank them at the topand then they'll look down at
another school because of someranks, ranking systems or
experience or whatever the casemay be, which we know.
The history of all those thingsoftentimes will come down to
socioeconomic status, right?
(28:30):
So when you're looking at someof those high stakes
accountability systems that arecreated, oftentimes you can look
at the financial averagesalaries of that community and
that's going to rank yourschools for you right, and it
doesn't mean that one's betterthan the other.
It doesn't mean that one's moreworthy than another not at all.
(28:50):
But what we have to be mindfulof as an education entity is
making sure that we don't getcaught in that infighting and
that we are all serving the samepurpose, which is trying to
make a positive influence andcreate productive citizens with
some of our most vulnerablepopulations and our kids.
(29:12):
These are kids in our community.
We're here serving these kids,and so then it becomes how do we
then not shield them but again,like I said, create that buffer
that it's there.
There's information that's outthere.
There's conflict that's outthere.
There's a lot of politicalthings that's out there.
There's conflict that's outthere.
There's a lot of politicalthings that are out there.
But how do we set aside andcompartmentalize that and still
(29:33):
be able to do the work and getback to the reasons why we went
into this profession in thefirst place again create
positive opportunities for kidswithin our communities that we
serve.
So that's one of the biggestchallenges outside of the
pandemic.
(29:55):
Is that work?
And it's a fine balance whenyou are the leader of a campus,
right, because you hear it,you're aware of things, you know
some stuff is going on, but youtry to make sure that you keep
the main thing, the main thing,and that's the kids that we're
serving, even if we disagreesometimes on what's best for
kids right, because everybodywill do things in the name of
what's best for kids.
But let's have clarity on whatdo those things look like, what
(30:21):
do those things sound like, whatdo those things feel like?
And then let's make sure thatthe things that we're focused on
and doing that is what ourschool culture is right.
So what we collectively focuson is our school culture period,
and if we collectively focus onall the things outside of our
control, we're going to allowexternal things to influence our
school culture and what we do.
(30:42):
We're just not going to allowthose things to happen.
We have to stick to the mainthing educating our kids.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
I know you've had great success in your community.
Your school's had great successin really improving student
achievement.
You know AI is ubiquitous.
Now I just got back on a tripto San Francisco for a
commission that I was on andevery billboard in the city that
(31:13):
on the side of the freeway wassomething AI, like everything.
Of course, that's the groundzero of the tech industry, but
AI is everywhere.
Quantum computing is on thehorizon.
The world is changing soquickly.
Quantum computing is on thehorizon.
The world is changing soquickly.
How do you view preparing yourcurrent students for the world
(31:36):
of work, the world of life, theworld of communities in?
Let's just even take 10 yearsout.
It's a challenge for us aseducators, right, and I'm just
interested in your take on that.
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Yeah, so that's why it's really important.
So we're an academy school, sowe have four career academies
and then we have a freshmanacademy that all of our freshmen
are in and then, within thosefour career academies, now we
have AP, dual credit courses, wehave every type of course, but
essentially it's taking a largecomprehensive high school and
putting them into small learningcommunities, which are also
(32:13):
known as academies, and so oneof the big factors in the
academy structure is making surethat we are tapping into our
business partners throughbusiness advisory boards, also
through Commerce, lexington, andso we bring the business sector
into the school and then wealso go out to the community.
(32:37):
So that is really importantbecause, as you're talking about
AI and the traditional studentexperience, right, and the
traditional student experience,right.
So when you think of what astudent experience is like in
high school, what it was yearsago for me, right, and the
(32:57):
opportunities and things that Icould see in the exposures
versus what we have at ourfingertips now is really night
and day, especially within ouracademy structure.
So when you're talking about AIand technology and what the
workforce and the demand isgoing to be, this is where we
really tap into our partners,our business partners, to make
sure that we are preparing ourkids academically and skillset
(33:21):
wise for what those jobs looklike now, and then any potential
trends that they see in thenear future and us adapting what
we're doing to try to meet thatdemand.
Now, do any of us know whatit's going to look like in 10
years?
Well, absolutely not.
But we know we're going to haveto problem solve.
We know there are essentialskills that are out there.
You know you're going to haveto be able to communicate, be
(33:42):
able to be a good team player,right.
All these things are pieces tobeing a successful adult,
regardless of what business,what career you choose to be
part of.
But being intentional abouttapping into your business
partnerships is a reallyimportant piece for us in
preparing our kids for lifeafter high school and to help
(34:05):
assist them with their pursuitof whatever career fields they
end up choosing.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
I read some research that indicated that.
Well, obviously the wholeeducation sector has been really
impacted by chronic absenteeism, certainly since the pandemic,
and I'm not sure how the stateof Kentucky does their school
funding pandemic and I'm notsure how the state of Kentucky
does their school funding.
California is seat-based so wereally get absolutely impacted
(34:34):
when kids don't show up.
But the research indicated thatin career tech-oriented
programs and programs that aremuch more oriented towards
practical life skills, thatattendance had actually been
higher than in traditionalacademic areas.
Have you seen that to be thecase?
(34:55):
And then, secondarily, like howhas attendance been for your
school?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
Yeah.
So we've continued to increaseattendance each year since the
pandemic, along with ourenrollment.
So I believe in 2020, we werearound the 1,650 mark when I
first arrived and now we'vepushed over 2,000 over the last
couple of years.
So just pure enrollment hasincreased Then.
In addition to that, ourattendance rate has continued to
increase over the last severalyears.
(35:21):
I think there's a couple ofcontributing factors.
Number one is the relevancy oflearning.
So that's one piece.
That's what that's our missionstatement is at the Academies of
Bryan Station.
We make learning relevant,right, and that's through that
academy experience and thatstudent experience for our kids.
That's one piece.
Can you make school relevant?
The second thing is there waskind of an unintended
consequence of school in thepandemic.
(35:42):
The unintended consequence waswe showed that you could do
school differently than sittingin seats in a building with
block and mortar, right, yeah?
So then all of a sudden, itbecame okay, we had the ability
to be innovative during thepandemic, but then we wanted to
go back to the traditional wayof how school looked afterwards
(36:05):
and it just didn't mix.
At first, Kids knew it, adults.
At first, kids knew it, adultsknew it, teachers knew it,
politicians knew it right.
So then it becomes what are waysthat you can quote unquote
educate a child throughperformance-based learning or
online opportunities whether itbe through dual credit, online
(36:25):
courses, courses throughparticular platforms or whatever
the case may be and you stillmeet that need of that student,
whatever that may look like andthankfully in the state of
Kentucky we do have someflexibility with performance
based credits we have someopportunities through
internships, apprenticeships,work based learning, work based
(36:48):
learning experiences.
If our students are working,that we work with our kids in
making sure that they're gettingthe not just that academic side
of things that they, that theyneed and the supports through it
, but also through the practicalskills that they need to learn.
Maybe it's now taking care ofthe families, right, and they
(37:09):
have to have a job.
So why can't school lookdifferent?
Why should it look like it usedto look?
You know that's that's schoolin this traditional sense isn't
for everybody.
So let's be creative in how weserve our kids and making sure
that they can still have anopportunity to be successful and
still have a great experiencein high school in and they're
(37:31):
ready for that next step, thatpost-secondary step.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
That rings so true.
I just had a conversation witha superintendent in New York and
he Dr Nagler in Mineola, who'sactually also on the same list
that you're on, so he's in goodcompany with you.
But he has this thing about andit's somewhat tongue-in-cheek,
but it's the content is deadmovement.
(37:57):
And he said, yeah, I'm probablygoing to get misquoted and
people are going to come afterme, but he said content in the
old, nostalgic way is dead,right, it's the skills of
collaboration and adapting tothe changing needs of an
industry and attaching to thingsthat are relevant.
(38:18):
That's the part that will carryus forward.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Yeah, and that's the challenge and one of the
fascinating things is I actuallyhaven't.
I went back and I think I saidI taught elementary school and
so I taught elementary schooland I wanted to be a teacher in
elementary school.
One, because my high school Ididn't.
I was unable to really fall inlove with a particular subject
because of self-inflictedchoices, right, like I was
(38:41):
catching up to try to make sureI could graduate on time.
But secondly, because I lovedthe development of kids.
Right, I coached, I wanted toteach elementary kids.
I didn't have a subject areathat I loved, necessarily, on
the high school side of things,they love their subject areas.
They've got passionate about it, right.
And so when you hear a quoteand I listened to that interview
(39:04):
and it was great, by the way ofsaying content is dead, he's
great.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
It was great.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
But when you listen to, content is dead.
But there's a definite point tothat quote and it's look, if
(39:34):
we're not teaching our kidsthese other pieces to the facts
of the content versus let's makea connection of the relevancy
because we're all going to be ina career one day, right?
So you talk about college orcareer and the stigmas that used
to be around people who didn'twant to go to college and wanted
to go go into some sort ofcareer preparation program, a
(39:55):
tech school.
Those things are of the past,or they should be, because
ultimately, we're all going tobe pursuing a career at some
point.
And I think that's where thatpoint of content is dead comes
from.
On, look, yes, the content isimportant.
However, if we're notconnecting with kids, with
making relevant connections letme be clear about that relevant
(40:17):
connections with them and theirinterest people just don't do
what you want them to do becauseyou told them to do it.
It's a very few people that dothat.
It's more along the lines ofhere's the reasoning behind it
and how it connects to yourfuture.
That's that relevancy piecethat we try to push here.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
What do you think is one of the most commonly
misunderstood elements ofleadership?
I mean, people come in, theysee you, you're smiling, you
clearly are passionate, you ownthis role, you're humble, but
you're also.
You have your.
What was the name of that book?
(40:54):
I'm going to check it out.
Actually the Unexpected, yeah,unreasonable Hospitality, I
think is the name.
There we go, yeah, unreasonableHospitality.
So you know your restaurant,right, like you know you're this
restaurant.
You know you're not anotherrestaurant, like you know your
position.
But what do you think peoplemisunderstand about leadership?
And this is really targeted,maybe, towards folks who are
(41:15):
considering educationalleadership roles, current
teachers who are toying with theadmin credential step, or you
know, what do you think weshould know about leadership
that's not commonly discussed?
Speaker 2 (41:30):
So there are a couple things.
Number one is being a leader isthe responsibility to have the
desire to protect people.
Like there has to be some sortof emotional protection,
physical protection Right,that's leadership, that's human,
and I believe Simon Sinek talksabout that in some of his stuff
(41:50):
in his books.
But that's true, right.
So you have to be trusted as aleader and be authentic, first
and foremost.
The misconception is that youhave to be somehow the smartest
person in the room.
Like, quite frankly, every roomI go into I am not the smartest
person in the room If I'm thesmartest person in the room,
then I've failed miserably ofhiring people around me and I
(42:11):
know some people.
That is a hundred percent true.
But your goal as a leader is doone of four things you can
either dictate or delegate.
You can dump or develop onthose around you.
Those are four things, the fourDs.
One of my mentors when Iarrived here at Bryan Station in
Lexington.
Her name was Debbie Tronzo andshe said that to me.
(42:33):
I was like wait a minute, thatis spot on.
And if you really think me, Iwas like, wait a minute, that is
spot on.
And if you really think about itas a leader, the misconception
is one you're not the smartestperson in the room.
Two, you have a moralobligation to delegate and
develop those that are aroundyou.
Meet them where they're at,develop them and delegate them
(42:54):
through, whether it beone-on-one coaching and feedback
conversations, whether it bethrough thought partners,
brainstorming activities,delegating some of the
decision-making right and thatdoes take time, but going into
it knowing you don't have toknow everything.
And one you really don't wantto be the smartest person in the
room and you don't need a bunchof yes people around you either
(43:16):
.
Now we all treat each otherwith respect and we challenge
each other from a sense ofurgency.
But going into leadership,there's a cost to it as well.
Right, there's a cost.
There's a time cost, there's anenergy cost, there's a stress
cost that goes along with it.
There's an energy cost, there'sa stress cost that goes along
(43:36):
with it.
I tell my assistant principals,my academy principals, my
academy coach, all the time is,you can leave here at 4 o'clock
or 4.30 and turn it off when youbecome the head principal.
There's no turning it off,there's a cognitive load that
stays on.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
you constantly Take away the switch.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
Yeah, I can't flip a switch off, it's just not how it
happens.
But understanding that goinginto it is really important for
people who want to get into aleadership role.
There are different componentsto it and it's the greatest.
It is an awesome role withheavy responsibility, right and
heavy weight, but you treatpeople right.
(44:18):
You try to delegate and developinstead of dictate and dump on
them.
People will grow and you're notgoing to be the smartest person
in the room.
You should not be that smartestperson in the room.
Trust your people to do whatyou've hired them to do.
Trust your people to do whatyou've hired them to do, but
through delegation anddeveloping, not just dumping on
(44:39):
them saying now you go, handlethis.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
That's not how it really needs to be, because then
they're not growing.
So the delegation thedifference between the dictating
and delegation has to do withthe support and the gradual
transfer of that task, ratherthan just go and do this.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
Yeah, it's like teaching.
It's a gradual release model.
It's just like what you wantyour teachers to do with their
kids.
They just don't assign tasksand say here, do it.
This is what we're working on,and let me provide that support
and that coaching through thisgradual release, so you can be
as successful as you can be andalso continue to grow in your
(45:19):
capacity and your skillset.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
Well, you've been very generous with your time and
I want to make sure we end thisbefore you do your daily drill
there on your campus.
But before I ask you the lastquestion, is there anything that
we haven't touched on todaythat you would like to share
about your work, your community,your hopes, your plans, your
dreams?
Speaker 2 (45:42):
I think for us, it's just making sure that we all
continue to understand this isan infinite game and we're going
to continue to chase.
I mean, you're thinking ofhuman behavior and humans who
are responsible for year afteryear after year.
There's never a place where youarrive and you're like, ok, I'm
(46:03):
done now.
Now that when you retire,that's the case, right, but you
can have 100 percentpost-secondary readiness, you
can have a 96 percent graduationrate, et cetera, et cetera, but
it starts over the next year.
So you're in like this infinitegame and it's the greatest
infinite game, and what we willcontinue to do here at the
(46:26):
Academies of Bryan Station is wetalk about our standards that
we have and we've established,and it's your presence matters,
you belong here, your presencematters, you belong here, your
presence matters, yourperformance matters Matters now
and it matters the rest of yourlife.
And, last but not least, yourpride.
And pride is in belonging tosomething bigger than yourself.
But, as adults, those are thethree things that are also
(46:48):
critical for success in any jobBe there, be consistent, show up
on time, perform.
That matters.
And then also, when you feellike you belong to something
bigger than yourself, regardlessof what business you get into.
You have a sense of purpose andthat relevancy piece and that
continues to help motivate youinto showing up every day and to
(47:10):
doing the work and you being atyour max capacity and continue
to push and do amazing things.
So my future and the future forour school, I just want to make
sure that our kids and ourcommunity knows that what they
are doing is amazing work andthey've always had that sense of
pride in the community andlet's continue to push forward
(47:33):
and continue to make adifference and help continue to
influence the next generation ofkids that we are ultimately
responsible for.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Thank you for that.
I think it's no accident thatyour enrollment's gone up and
your attendance has gone up andyour achievement so you're
clearly very successful andinspirational.
So thank you.
Very successful andinspirational.
So thank you.
The last question is ahypothetical and you might have,
(48:03):
if you listened to the wholelast one of the other episodes,
you might have heard me ask thesame question, but
hypothetically.
Let's say you have theopportunity to design a
billboard for the side of thelocal freeway or thruway I'm not
sure what you, how?
You refer to the thoroughfaresin Kentucky and California.
They're all freeways.
What does principal Halesbillboard say as people are
(48:25):
rushing by on whatever that isroute 70 or 80, 75 and 64, 75,
exactly 75 or 64.
What does principal Halesbillboard say about what you
believe in, what you hold dear,what you hold to be true?
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Well, I believe that love is ultimately the biggest
factor in building authenticrelationships loving and caring
for others and that would be onthere and then for our school
community.
That billboard would say,similarly to the sign behind me
imagine being us, as beautifullydiverse as we are from all
(49:06):
walks of life, that our kids whoenter this building come from.
This is a very special place.
Who enter this building comefrom.
This is a very special placeand everybody wants to be part
of it, but not everybody gets anopportunity to be.
All they get to do is imaginebeing us and the excellence that
we're achieving, and knowingthat we are absolutely good
(49:29):
enough and we absolutely belongat the seat in any and all
tables.
Speaker 1 (49:37):
Thank you for that.
You're making me inspired.
I kind of want to come visityour school.
I've been to Lexington one timeand I I made the mistake of
going for a jog on a Junemorning.
At about 11 in the morning Iwas there for a friend's family
event and I went for a jog, andboy you guys, humidity is no
(49:59):
joke.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
Humidity is no joke here.
It is no joke.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
It's a beautiful country, beautiful city and
beautiful rolling hills andgreen, so maybe I'll get a
chance to get out there andvisit your school.
Thank you, principal Hale, somuch for your time, for your
wisdom, for your inspiration,for your school.
Thank you, principal Hale, somuch for your time, for your
wisdom, for your inspiration,for your positive message.
I can see why you have beenrecognized the way you have been
(50:26):
, and it's precisely becauseyou're not trying to be
recognized that way that you are.
So thank you for yourgenerosity.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
Well, thank you for having me on and giving me this
platform to brag on our schoolcommunity, our kids and just me
being able to talk about how youcan go from being a
first-generation high schoolgraduate to the principal of the
year.
Speaker 1 (50:51):
Thanks for joining us on the Hangout Podcast.
You can send us an email atpodcastinfo at protonme.
Many thanks to my daughter,maya, for editing this episode.
I'd also like to underline thatthis podcast is entirely
separate from my day job and, assuch, all opinions expressed
herein are mine and mine alone.
(51:11):
Thanks for coming on in andhanging out.
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