School Culture By Design

In this episode, Phil Boyte and Steve Bollar, a.k.a. Stand Tall Steve, an educational thought leader and former superintendent and principal, share IDEAS TO CONNECT VIRTUALLY with staff and students as many of us begin the school year with remote learning. One approach Steve recommends is to go "old school" during these virtual times to help build connections… from picking up the phone, defining c...

During Episode #60, Phil Boyte talks with Jimmy Gleich, Director of Activities at Bishop Gorman High School, about re-thinking how we return to school this fall. While the start of every school year is important, this fall we have a tremendous opportunity to change how we welcome back students and staff! In their conversation, Jimmy shares ideas and activities to build connections as you kick-off...

Listen in as Phil Boyte and Hans Appel discuss ideas to cultivate positive culture. Hans reflects from his recent book, "Award Winning Culture" to bring you real life examples of where to start to impact your school and what he does to make himself approachable to students. As we think ahead to fall and what returning to school may look like, Phil and Hans share a reminder of how we can check-in a...

Join Phil Boyte as he and his good friend, Phil Campbell of The Green Room Podcast, talk about the power of cultivating relationships during a virtual time. They share thoughts on the using social media, creative ways to connect with those who feel disconnected, and offer approaches to help shift mindset even from afar. Looking for ways to expand your perspective and find the possibilities in the...

Phil welcomes back Heather Garcia to dive deeper into "Staying Positive in an Ambiguous Time" - Part II. Heather pulls from her vast experience and shares ideas for administrators and teachers to carry a mindset of HOPE, JOY, and COURAGE in their lives. Listen in as she shares her thoughts on using this time to focus, provide clarity for teams, and encourages you to consider the "boomerang" challe...

Join Phil as he welcomes Heather Garcia to the podcast. Heather has played many different roles in education including teacher, coach, activities director, principal, and eventually at the district level as an associate superintendent. While her roles have evolved overtime, one thing has never changed… her contagious attitude and way of staying positive even in the most challenging of days. During...

Join Phil as he welcomes back Kristin Patten, for a second interview on the podcast as she shares an amazing idea they rolled out at Antelope High School in April called "Titans ALL IN Virtual Spirit Week." Many schools have been rolling out virtual spirit weeks, but what makes this one unique is the idea that Kristin, the Activities Director at Antelope High School in Antelope, California had to...

During this episode, Phil talks with Rochelle Whellams, a motivational speaker and leadership facilitator about the mindset she lives by and how it impacts her everyday life. During their conversation, Rochelle shares how being intentional with what she gives her energy has been life giving and shares the 5 questions she recommends using to filter thoughts. Looking to hit this week with a new dose...

On this episode, Phil interviews Christiana Kraus about the importance of intentionally building relationships as a new administrator. Christiana views her role as an educator as an opportunity to serve others well, with heart and with intentionality.  She believes as leaders; we must foster and build clear communication, processes, and practices that focus on relationships, which is the building...

Join Phil Boyte and his guest Dean Whellams as they talk about the power of building trust over time and the concept of Psychological  Safety. Dean spends his life helping cultivate incredible leaders, so you won't want to miss as he shares very practical ways he has seen educators cultivate the culture they want through organic change.

Listen in as Phil interviews Tamara Givens, the Activities Director at Granite Bay High School about a few activities they do in the spring to build culture with both their staff and students. Tamara is passionate about finding ways to include people from across campus, so we hope you walk away with even one simple idea you could pilot in the spring. 

With only a few weeks before the end of the semester, how can you support staff during an often busy season? Phil Boyte and Jason Jedamski talk about why taking the time to check-in is so important, share a few ideas that could be easily implemented, and leave you empowered to find even just one thing to do over the next few weeks.

During this podcast, Phil Boyte interviews Steve Moos, the lead custodian at Country Lane Intermediate in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Steve has become the heartbeat of his campus and through this highly inspirational interview, we hear why he believes his role is simply a "mentor with a mop." Phil and Steve talk about creative ways he builds relationships across campus, how he empowers students to hel...

During this podcast, Phil Boyte interviews Robby Riggs, a dynamic consultant focused on unlocking the potential in the 4-generation workplace. Robby shares quick examples of each generation, why great managers take the time to stop and listen, and how people can think about using counter mentors at the school level. Ready for a fast and furious look at building even more trust and communication ac...

When we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week back in the spring, we pulsed our School Culture By Design Facebook group followers for teachers who are doing incredible culture work on their campuses. Out of all the great nominees, Kelsey Graham a teacher from Middle Township High School was selected! During this podcast, Phil Boyte interviews Kelsey as she shares a few of the great ideas she implem...

Join Phil Boyte as he interviews Allie Snyder as she reflects back on this past year as she started her teaching career at Weaverville Elementary in North Carolina. During this podcast, Allie shares simple things that were helpful to her and things she wished she would have known from the start. Looking to support your brand new teachers, take a listen and maybe you will walk away with one more th...

When was the last time you took a tour of your campus with culture on the brain? Phil Boyte and Jason Jedamski both know there are some limitations on what can be changed within physical spaces, but during this podcast they share simple ideas for making people feel welcome from the moment they step up to the curb. It is a combination of what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like... so listen...

On this mini podcast episode, Phil Boyte and Jason Jedamski talk about the power of the first day back for faculty. They talk about what a typical first day is expected to look like and contrast that with a variety of ideas that will get your staff excited to be back! Many of the ideas they share don't take too much time or energy, but can truly set the tone for the rest of the year. Looking to re...

On this mini podcast episode, Phil Boyte and Jason Jedamski talk about why welcoming new staff members strategically can have such an impact on culture. Throughout the conversation they share a variety of ideas (some big and some small) that will leave your team re-thinking your on-boarding model. Looking to create a school where no one will ever want to leave… check out this brand new podcast tod...

On this mini podcast episode, Phil Boyte and Jason Jedamski share ideas on how to use your graduation ceremony to support the culture you want using the "look like, sound like, feel like" filter. Phil and Jason also discuss the power of traditions at graduation and offer several easy-to-implement ideas to communicate who you are and what you believe as a school. Ready to be more intentional with y...

On this episode, Phil interviews Corissa Stobing, the Director of Activities at Ygnacio Valley High School in California, about the 4 things that "make it or break it" for a Week of Welcome. Corissa has learned so many valuable lessons when designing a great week for both staff and students! Listen in as she shares things they have learned about what activities to include, how to involve staff in...

On this episode, we interview Dr. Amy Besler about the 5 actions that create new norms on campus. Amy began her career as a high school English teacher and has since served in the roles of dean of students, assistant principal, and principal and is now a director of secondary education for Elk Grove Unified School District. Her passion for school culture led to her dissertation on the topic, throu...

On this mini podcast episode, Phil Boyte shares 4 books he would highly recommend picking up to build a great culture. He shares a simple concept he found helpful from each book and reasons to pick them up today!   Want to keep growing? Listen today! 

On this mini podcast episode, Phil Boyte shares three simple ideas to kick-off a new semester. He shares 2 simples ideas for the classroom and 1 idea for the hallway. Looking for easy, yet impactful ways to create connections? Check this podcast out today.

On this episode, Phil Boyte and Jason Jedamski share the importance of building great relationships in the classroom. They talk about the design for a brand new resource called Connected Classroom ;  a strategic online course (which provides a simple system), that equips teachers to build relationships through PLAY which grows TRUST and engages students to LEARN. To learn more go to www.learningfo...