The CharacterStrong Podcast

Today our guests are 5th Grade Teacher Julie Hannan, & Administrator Brett McDaniel from the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District. We talk to Julie & Brett about the ways that they have worked to develop servant leaders in the 5th grade classes at their elementary school. Julie shares how from the beginning of the leadership program they have invited all of the 5th grade students to participate, and how this has changed the way that students think about what leadership is. As an administrator, Brett shares about the positive ways that this program has had an impact across all areas in the school. Julie Hannan is a Washington State native who will begin her 19th year of teaching this fall. In this time, she has had the pleasure of teaching and learning alongside students from many countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Most of her experience has been in middle school, but Julie transitioned to upper elementary in 2018 and is loving it! Partnering with her administration, colleagues, and community to facilitate an environment of servant leadership and growing student leaders is her favorite part of the job! Julie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law & Justice, a Master's Degree in Teaching, and has been National Board Certified since 2008. She mentors new teachers, facilitates National Board Candidate cohorts, and has served in many leadership and coaching capacities. In her spare time you will find Julie with her husband Dave and their 2 dogs, Kyle and Sage. Brett McDaniel is entering his 24 year in education as the Vice Principal at Sumner Middle School in Sumner Wa. Brett has had a unique opportunity to have taught character education at all levels of education serving 17 years at the high school, 3 years at the Junior High and 3 years at the elementary. Throughout his career he has partnered to develop and hone in on building servant leadership programs within his schools to develop the whole child.

Today our guest is Jamie Brown, Assistant Principal at Bluffton High School in South Carolina. We talk to Jamie about the importance of blending SEL w/ Character Ed to build the Whole Teacher, so you can develop the Whole Child, and then in turn, partner with the Whole Community. He also shares ways that we can continue to remix the soundtrack of education by putting a focus on relationships. A champion of Social-Emotional Learning & Character Education, Jamie's dedication to School Culture Revitalization and Whole Child Development supported NJ Public Education for 20 years as a teacher, PEER Leadership Coordinator and district administrator. He is an author with Road to Awesome Publishing, speaker, coach and promoter of empathy and inclusion among educators, students and the community. Jamie is the founder of Accept University, a presentation series promoting inclusion and empathy in schools, which earned a National Promising Practice from Character.org. Residing in the Hilton Head Island area, Jamie is the proud Assistant Principal at Bluffton High School, SC.

Today our guest is Justin Bradford, Superintendent, of Prescott School District in WA state. We talk to Justin about how he has used school wide assemblies to shape the culture and climate with students from Pk-12th grade. His motto of "We get what we honor" has created some big positive changes with students and staff. Justin also gives some helpful tips on how to communicate and lead staff through effective implementation of a school wide initiative. Justin Bradford just finished his 32nd year in education. He started as an elementary teaching assistant in the Los Angeles Unified School District, then became a special education teacher, working primarily with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and mental health challenges. Justin has taught general education classes and university classes, as well. He has worked in small, private schools and large, public schools in California and Washington and has also been a bus driver, a paraprofessional, a teacher, a dean, a behavior specialist, a special education director, a principal and a superintendent. Justin is currently the superintendent in Prescott, WA – a small, rural P-12 school in southeastern Washington, with about 250 students. He has a BA in Political Science, a specialist teaching certificate, a principal certificate and a Masters in Educational Leadership.

In this episode, CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin shares 3 powerful stories from the work. Through these stories he reminds us of the importance of understanding the Law of the Lid, that there is always a reason for every behavior, and that even though this work is hard it is worth it.

We talk to Dr. McMillan about the importance of staying student centered and how based on student voice, they have modified a period each day to create space for student choice. He shares about the impact that asking for input from students and staff can have on in building culture, and gives practical ways that they intentionally invest in staff culture at Chapman. Growing up in a home with parents who were educators, Dr. Andrew McMillan knew education was in his blood. Identifying education as his career path in third grade, Dr. McMillan is now an accomplished educator with seventeen years of experience including ten years of administrative experience in grades K-12. Known as a well-respected and collaborative team member, Dr. McMillan has a reputation for promoting fairness, integrity, and honesty, while maintaining a strong work ethic to motivate faculty, staff, and students to achieve their maximum potential within an ever-changing education environment. Dr. McMillan's core values are simple: love kids, be professional, and lead a school the community is proud of. Within those core values, Dr. McMillan fosters an environment at Chapman High School that supports the Profile of the SC Graduate, preparing students for life after high school in what he calls the 4 E's: serving their community as an Entrepreneur, Enrolled in a two or four year college or technical program, Enlisted in military service, or graduating as an Employable adult in a competitive, 21st century global economy. Named an Emerging Leader by the SCASCD, Dr. McMillan was also selected as the 2019 Outstanding Principal of the Year by the South Carolina Art Education Association. A firm believer in the importance of academics, arts, and athletics, Dr. McMillan currently serves as the South Carolina High School League Class AAA President. Additionally, under his leadership, Chapman High School was named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School, recognized as an Exemplary High Performing School. Dr. McMillan and his wife, Dr. Shelly McMillan, have one son, Ellis, who is 3.

Today our guest is Ryan Marshall, Lead Counselor, at South Salem High School, and the 2021 Oregon School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Ryan about the power of finding joy inside our work and he gives 3 steps to help us intentionally do this: 1. Knowing Thyself, 2. Building opportunities into our work schedule, and 3. Go and Do it. Ryan Marshall just wrapped his 9th year as a school counselor, 7th at South Salem High School in Salem, Oregon where he's served as the department lead. South is a three-time ASCA Ramp school and a home Ryan considers the kindest school in America. His focus areas are grief and loss counseling, crisis management, and suicide prevention and intervention. When he's done finding joy on the job for the day, Ryan's an avid sports fan - Go Ducks! - and loves hanging out with his wife and two daughters. He's the 2021 Oregon School Counselor of the Year and is currently headed into a yearlong Sabbatical aimed at identifying ways to serve students and their families more effectively.

Today our guest is Dr. Julie Hartline, Associate Director of Professional Learning for Hatching Results and 2009 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. We talk to Dr. Hartline about the impact that school counselors can have and the need for admin and staff to understand how school counselors can support staff and students. She also shares resources that can help bring more awareness and education when it comes to the important role that school counselors have in our schools. Dr. Hartline became a teacher and then school counselor after discovering as a parole officer that over 85% of her caseload had not completed high school. Julie served as the Campbell High School counseling department chair for 14 years where her department became the first high school in Georgia to be designated as a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) for having a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in 2008. She served as the Cobb School Counselor Association President in 2009-2010 and was named the 2009 ASCA School Counselor of the Year. She earned her doctorate in Professional Counseling and Supervision in 2011. In 2012, Julie transitioned to the Cobb County School District where she helped supervise K-12 school counselors for five years, serving as the 2014-2015 Georgia School Counselor Association President during that time. She became a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of North Florida in 2017 before joining Hatching Results in a more dedicated role as the Associate Director of Professional Learning. She is the co-author of The Use of Data in School Counseling, second edition.

Today our guest is Dan Wolfe an Assistant Principal at Sunray Elementary. We talk to Dan about the importance of purpose and how being connected to our purpose is so needed today. He shares how finding our purpose isn't a destination, it's a journey and gives ways that we can help others put a focus on purpose in their own lives. Dan Wolfe has served as an educator in Pasco County, Florida for more than 20 years. During this time, he has held roles as a teacher, instructional/district coach and administrator. He is currently an Assistant Principal at Sunray Elementary. He was selected as Pasco County's District Teacher of the Year in 2011-2012 school year. He is a part of the district's Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee that recently established Pre-K through Grade 12 SEL standards. For the past two years Dan has written a blog and recorded a podcast called Becoming The Change (formerly Our Moral Compass) which focuses on a different quote each day and how we can best apply it towards becoming the change through our own moral compass and the five areas in SEL.

Today our guest is Becky Arway a School Counselor, STUCO Advisor, at Polo R-VII Schools We talk to Becky about the intentional partnership that she has together with her principal, and how this has led to some really creative outcomes that support students. She shares about the Book in a Bag resource library and the impact that this has had in their school and community. Becky Arway has been a school counselor at Polo R-VII Schools in Polo, Missouri for the past twelve years. Through her work as a school counselor, Becky strives to be an advocate for all of her students, their families and support systems. Working in a rural school district has granted Becky many opportunities to connect with community resources in order to help meet the increasing needs within her school building. One of her most important relationships is the working relationship she has built with her elementary principal. Their brainstorming sessions have resulted in some amazing outcomes, one of their most favorite being the Book in a Bag resources. Becky has served on her regional school counseling association (Northwest Missouri School Counselor Association), her state level association (Missouri School Counselor Association) and is also a member of the American School Counseling Association. She serves on various local committees working to serve the student's and families of her school district. Becky and her husband have two children, who keep them on their toes, and two dogs!

CharacterStrong Co-Founder John Norlin shares an experience from a past training, and talks about why we can't wait to infuse social & emotional learning and character development into the daily fabric of our schools.