Schools have a responsibility to promote and support the mental health and well-being of both students and adults, which leads to deeper learning and success. As a school leader, you’ll want to attend Ignite 2023—NASSP’s National School Leader Conference—July 12–15, in Denver, CO. The conference will offer dozens of sessions that will help you learn […]
Category: Mental Health/Wellness
Creating an Environment That Supports Whole School Wellness at Ignite 2023

Reflecting on the Principalship This Mother’s Day
I recently came across another principal’s tweet: “Relationships during the day, and paperwork at night.” As a veteran school leader, the notion of principals being the first to arrive at school and the last to leave, while working well into the evening has caused me much angst.

The Use of Restorative Practices: A Work in Progress
In honor of AP Week, School of Thought asked me to reflect on work that I’m most proud of as a school leader. I have chosen to share about implementing restorative practices, which many of my colleagues are also working hard to get right in schools across the country.

Transgender Day of Visibility Brings Voice to School Leaders
Every day, I lead a community of students, teachers, and families who come together to create an environment where holistic, rigorous instruction is intertwined with a deliberate approach to empowering students to make the world a more just place. At the International Community School, a K–5 public charter school in Decatur, GA, we believe that […]
Harnessing the Positive Power of Social Media
Telling a school’s story on social media can be powerful. Just ask principal Michael Randolph. Randolph is in his sixth year leading Leesburg High School in Leesburg, FL, and he has helped to transform the community’s perception of the school simply by using social media.

Elevating the Importance of Teen Mental Health
Today is World Teen Mental Wellness Day. In honor of it, I want to share how school budget cuts inadvertently led me to take a closer look at the importance of mental health. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Spreading Joy at School This Holiday Season
School leaders are finding extra ways to celebrate their staff members this holiday season. We have gathered some of the best ideas from Twitter to share with you.
How School Celebrations Can Boost Staff Morale
When NASSP 2021 Digital Principal of the Year Cindy Sholtys-Cromwell presented on creative ways to hold staff celebrations at a state conference in 2019, she was shocked by the level of interest she received from fellow school leaders.

Promoting Kindness and Preventing Bullying in Middle School
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and I want to share how I have worked hard over the years to promote kindness in school. It started about 15 years ago, when I first became principal of Colony Middle School in Palmer, AK. At the time, it was pretty apparent that we needed to work on […]
“I Can Promise You Right Now We Will Listen”
The stoic sheep presided above the fray in her latest regalia as down below old friends and new ones broke into intense discussions about the state of education. While it might be a strange sight to outsiders, the woolly mascot “Betsy the Sheep” is a familiar friend to members of Region 7, NASSP’s western affiliates. […]