About this episode

Derek Cantrell discusses the successful merger of two rival schools and the importance of building a positive school culture during transitions.

→ How did a Virginia school principal help to merge two rival schools into one?→ How can we build positive school culture during times of change and transition?→ How can we translate our school mission and values into meaningful daily practices?Timestamps from This Episode 0:00:00 - Derek Cantrell was named the 2026 Outstanding Principal of Virginia 1:45 - The story of the merger in Better Together 5:08 - Honoring the traditions of both schools 8:33 - Including student voice during the transition 12:48 - Biggest lessons learned from the merger 14:47 - Retaining teachers, logistical challenges 16:57 - Improving attendance and engagement post-merger 22:36 - Reinforcing school values on a daily basis 24:00 - Using AI tools to improve lessons 28:00 - Using AI to improve efficiency as a school administrator 31:59 - One hope for the coming school year 33:14 - How and where to connect with Derek onlineAbout This Guest, Derek CantrellDerek is the principal of Alleghany High School and was named 2026 Outstanding High School Principal of Virginia. He is the author of Better Together: Building One School, One Culture, and One Community from Two Rivals, sharing lessons learned from leading a…

People in this episode

Host: voicEd Radio

Guest: Derek Cantrell

Topics covered

• school merger
• school culture
• leadership
• student engagement
• AI in education

Keywords

• school merger
• positive culture
• student voice
• teacher retention
• AI tools

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alleghany High School

Books & works: Better Together: Building One School, One Culture, and One Community from Two Rivals

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