PMP465: Better Together with Derek Cantrell

Derek is the principal of Alleghany High School in Covington, Virginia, where he led the merger of two rival schools into a unified school community. Instead of allowing division to define the transition, he focused on building culture first, ensuring students, staff, and the community had a voice in shaping a new identity under a Better Together philosophy.

Beyond fostering a strong school culture, Derek is also known for leveraging AI to enhance leadership and instruction. He has developed AI-driven tools to streamline administrative workflows and support teachers, including using Julius AI to help analyze state testing data to drive student achievement.

By blending relationship-centered leadership with innovation, Derek is proving that schools can honor their past while embracing the future.

Unifying School Communities:

Merging rival school districts is no easy task. Having successfully done so, Derek Cantrell shares his experience with Will Parker, and talks about some of the outcomes he is the most proud of at his school. One of the outcomes Derek is the most proud of is his school’s undefeated football team, and the culture around sports in general at his school. Anyone who has worked at a school that has a sports rival knows how impressive it is that the students from both schools were able to come together and unite behind their schools sports teams. Part of what led to this success at Alleghany High School is the way that Derek Cantrell and other members of the AHS leadership team worked hard to incorporate community feedback when merging the two schools. Their hard work paid off, turning AHS into a school that students are excited to attend and that teachers are excited to work at. 

Utilizing AI: 

In his work as a principal, Derek Cantrell has learned how to utilize AI in a way that enhances his work in both administrative responsibilities and school operations. Each year, Derek attends the VSTE annual conference to stay updated on technology. He often uses ChatGPT to streamline day to day tasks, and to create practice problems for teachers to give to students. Similarly, Derek shares that he uses a program called Julius to analyze data from end of year testing. 

Advice for Veteran Leaders:

At the end of their conversation, Will asks Derek to share some advice that he has for veteran leaders who want to stay inspired in their work. Cantrell reminds leaders that they should avoid getting caught up in the grind of the day to day tasks of a principal, and to stay focused on their why. He highly recommends going to conferences, as finding ways to learn more and doing things outside of the day to day grind are excellent ways to stay inspired. Finally, he reminds principals to celebrate the small things throughout the school year. 

Staying Connected:

You can stay connected with Derek Cantrell via LinkedIn, Twitter, or email.

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