Click here to subscribe to the podcast

This interview is with Mike St. Pierre twitter, President of Morris Catholic High School in Denville New Jersey.

Part 1

President and principal model allows principal to focus on the principal duties (communicating with parents, instruction, etc.).
Recruits talent, feedback on how school can do better.
Strategic and long range planning for the school.
What makes us unique? Meeting with parents, students, other stakeholders to identify how we can stand out.
How to conduct strategic planning sessions. Involved a lot of people in a very organized manner. SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, outside facilitator, student, stakeholder, and teacher feedback sessions, board of trustees and bishop approval.
Slow produces a better product
I don't know of a lot of schools that really involve students in high-level meetings
How to whittle down from a large group of people down to a select few.
What personal invitations to stakeholders looked like.
How he determined who he wanted there at the stakeholder meetings.
Getting adult involvement representative of student demographics.
A committee is a really great way to test somebody out for a role you want them to have a few months down the road.
Faith formation of his students.
They want a community around those kids that helps them be the best version of themselves.

Part 2

What Mike is not excited about in technology in education - experimenting on kids.
What Mike likes: schools that change how kids learn and how teachers teach.
Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, for example.
Give kids technology and freedom to try things and then get out of the way.
Competition to redesign a space.
Chief Strategy Officer served as coach and mentor for Design Challenge.
Sometimes out-of-school-day activities can be more meaningful and beneficial than in-class activities.
Spontaneity is important to have for education.
Reconciling experimentation vs. failing forward.
risks that leaders can take vs. What risks teachers can take.
Techspiration podcast
How Mike keeps track of everything he learns - on his blog
DayOne journaling app.
The voices Mike trusts
Brad Lominic - director of Catalyst
Craig Jarrow Time Management Ninja
Michael Hyatt - Leadership Guru
Becoming minimalist by Josh Becker
Ron Edmonson - Pastor
Tony Schwartz - consultant on energy management
Michael Sliwinski - Productivity Expert
Will Richardson - Educator
I have to write in two languages, the language of education and the language of mission.
The importance of seeing both sides of a story.
What Mike suggests to be a transformative principal: Start your day thoughtfully.
What keeps Mike motivated: His kids.