“Energizing, inspiring and refreshing”: These are the words Mount Adams School District Superintendent Curt Guaglianone uses to describe this school year as it soon comes to a close. But now it’s time for districts across the country to gear up for 2023-24, and what better way than to learn from some of the most inspirational leaders on how they’re doing just that?
Students and staff at Mount Adams are nearing the end of one of their most successful years to date, Guaglianone notes. And with that, he says, has come an abundance of appreciation.
“We are hearing, ‘Thank you,'” he says. “Thank you for a year that has been what high school students anticipate they will receive in high school. They are saying thank you for the rigor, the structure, the safety and the meals that we provide. They are expressing hope for the future opportunities in their lives for which we are preparing them.”
One of the most meaningful accomplishments the district was able to achieve this year, he adds, was being able to keep students in school in person all year.
“This brought new life to our students and staff,” he says. “The successes include meeting students’ academic and emotional needs. We have changed lives forever. That is what we do—changing lives and setting students on a pathway to success. We have provided new high-level learning opportunities in and out of the classrooms. More students at our high and middle schools are involved in extracurricular events than at any other time in the history of our district.”
While many districts saw radical transformations across the board, whether in instructional technology, meeting the emotional needs of students or staffing, Guaglianone says his priorities for the 2023-24 school year remain the same as any other.
“Next year we will have the same priorities as any other year in this order: financial solvency, safety for all members of our learning community, making sure that all students are well-fed and mentally cared for to the best of our ability, and we will provide high levels of learning for all students, all day, every day,” he says. “Preparation for these initiatives will be to hire the very best, well-qualified and well-prepared diverse staff to serve our students and community and make sure that all existing teachers and staff have the tools they need to best serve our students.”
The beauty of leadership is that one’s priorities may align with others, no matter how their roles vary. For this elementary school principal, like Guaglianone, it’s all about putting others first.
Kimberly Vaught, principal of Allenbrook Elementary in Charlotte, North Carolina will soon become executive director of school leadership for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Those who have ever had the chance to have a conversation with her would likely attribute this promotion to the overwhelming passion she has for her students and faculty.
Rebound, forward movement and inspiration are words she uses to describe the 2022-23 school year. Allenbrook, which was once one of the lowest-performing schools in the state, is now a nationally recognized model school.
“We have had quite a few leaders from across our state come in and learn best practice, and I think that when they leave our school they’re inspired just based on the work of our kids who have typically been labeled marginalized and disenfranchised,” she says. “They’ve just really focused and been able to rally themselves and grow in such an exponential manner.”
She also notes that staff members of all types are saying this is the best year Allenbrook has ever seen.
“Not one time have I heard staff members complain about the work, but what I do hear bursting from the seems of our school is that there’s more to be done,” she says. “I hear about this ‘all in’ perspective from staff and they’re excited about what’s next for them.”
While Vaught will soon make the bittersweet transition to a new leadership role in the coming weeks, she reflects on her more than two years serving as principal at Allenbrook Elementary, which she believes has transformed in three distinct ways: students can determine their next, they’re given learning experiences outside of the classroom and now, the community has gone all in to ensure the school and its students thrive.
“Back in 2020 when I first arrived, I got a call from the sister of Dale Earnheardt Jr.—his foundation is located here in North Carolina—and somehow, Dale Jr. was researching because he and his wife Amy wanted to give back,” she says. “He wanted to find a low-performing school and somehow he came across Allenbrook.”
After that phone call, Earnheardt came in September of 2020 with a check for $135,000 no strings attached. Last week, he took a surprise visit back to the school for a book reading and to see how the school has rebounded, which Vaught describes as a full-circle moment.
“To have him and his team—the same people—come in less than three years later to the same kids, the same community and the same building, and to be able to say to him what a good steward he has been with his generosity,” she says. “But most importantly, the narrative had shifted in such a grand way. The kids were no longer at the bottom of the list. As a matter of fact, they are now the school where everyone across the state, everyone, comes to see them for good reason. We were able to tell him about moving from an F to four points from a B.”
“We’ve actualized and put in motion a vision that not only blesses kids but has put this community on the map,” she adds. Earnhardt and the school community can witness firsthand the impact of good stewardship for kids.
“He came in as a contributor and left as a beneficiary of the blessing,” she says. “I had to stand in that for a moment.”
As for 2023-24, Vaught wants to boost the success of her school and community in four ways: by building the capacity of the school community, learning to lead, being advocates for what’s right in communities that look like Allenbrook, and supporting educators on all fronts to lead.
“Certainly, we can sit and make excuses for why things aren’t happening,” she says. “I want for Allenbrook to continue to be the model for why things are and can happen. Allenbrook, even without me long after I’m gone, the brick and mortar of this building will still cry greatness, will still bleed excellence and will continue to be a beacon.”
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