Stay ConnectedThe CharacterStrong Podcast: Weekly conversations for anyone in education.
CharacterStrong provides an evidence-based, multi-tiered solution to support whole child success. Curricula and trainings that improve behavior, increase safety, and support mental health.
For more information visit our website: characterstrong.com
Esteban Gast is Colombian, grew up in Puerto Rico and Illinois, and currently lives in LA. He toured as a comedian at the age of 23, taught creativity and design thinking at the college level, co-authored a book on creativity, and was President of a sustainability-focused institute in Panama. He is co-founder of Scriptd, a script database and story platform that elevates underrepresented creators. Most recently, he was the star of the tv show Jungletown, airing on VICELAND. He's been profiled in WBEZ, Huffington Post, Hollywood Reporter, Brooklyn Magazine and others. With his background in comedy and his years in the classroom, Esteban is a gifted communicator who loves breaking down complex issues. He has spoken at middle schools, high schools, colleges, corporations, and conferences all over the world about the power of kindness, the importance of storytelling, and how to create a more connected and empathetic world.
We talk with Carla about how her district has put a focus on belonging, the importance if having these tough conversations, and some of the strategies and resources that have helped the staff in the Columbia district.
Carla London is originally from Columbia, MO, but moved often as a child and got to experience the excitement of such diverse places as New Orleans, LA; Dallas and El Paso, TX; and Stamford, CT. After beginning her career in education in north Georgia, she returned to Columbia where she was privileged to create the Aspiring Scholars program for At-Promise youth. In 2006, she followed her husband's career back to Texas and spent 7 years in Round Rock, just outside of Austin, as both a classroom teacher and in educational leadership for a student body that included 1500 middle school students. In 2013, Carla returned to Columbia as the Supervisor of Student and Family Advocacy, for Columbia Public Schools. She was subsequently promoted to Director of Student Services, and is currently the Chief Equity Officer for CPS, where she wears many hats including supervising several district programs. Carla has a combined 16 years of experience in education, nine years as a Social Worker, including four years as an Emergency Room Medical S.W. at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, in Dallas, TX, and three years as a small business owner, Dallas, TX. Her passion is working with children, families, and staff to provide a safe, nurturing, and stimulating educational experience! She continues to advocate for ways to assist youth in acquiring the skills they need to be successful and reducing discipline disproportionality among minority youth.
Happy World Kindness Day!
John Norlin is a Co-Founder of CharacterStrong, a Servant Leadership trainer, and motivational speaker. He was Washington Advisor of the Year, taught 5 leadership classes per semester for 10 years at Sumner High School, and was a Program Administrator for the Whole Child for five years.
Houston Kraft is a Co-Founder of CharacterStrong, a professional speaker, leadership consultant, and kindness advocate who speaks to middle schools, high schools, colleges, and businesses nationally. He has spoken at over 500 events and counting. Student Body President in High School, Class President at Bowdoin College, Leadership Camp Staff for 12 years in Washington - he is a lifelong learner of character, culture, kindness, and leadership.
Nick Mann is a Veteran of The United States Marine Corps where he served 8 years as an Infantry Officer. Since moving on from the Marines, Nick has been working with individuals and groups to change their lives through health, fitness, and nutrition. Nick is the owner of Occoquan Bay Fitness in Woodbridge, VA, runs an after school fitness program at Fred Lynn Middle School, and is the founder of TeacherFit, an online health and wellness program for educators.
Jeff Gerber is a Leadership teacher and Student Council Advisor at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, 5 minutes from his home in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada. At Waterloo-Oxford he leads one of the largest and most impactful student leadership programs in the province of Ontario. He is passionate about servant leadership and character development and travels across North America speaking about Leadership, Love and Belonging. He was recognized as Advisor of the Year for the province of Ontario in 2013 and as a National Leader of Distinction by the Canadian Student Leadership Association in 2017. You can check out his TEDx talk on Belonging on Youtube and connect with him on social media @jeffgpresents
Dr. Bill Ziegler is the principal at Pottsgrove High School in Pennsylvania. He has served as a school leader for twenty years at the middle and high school levels and is the co-author of a Corwin book, Future-Focused Leaders: Relate, Innovate, and Invigorate for Real Educational Change. Dr. Ziegler serves on the NASSP Board of Directors and the Apple Distinguished Schools Advisory Board. Dr. Ziegler was honored to be selected as the 2016 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year, the 2015 NASSP Digital Principal Award Winner, and as a member of the United States team of Principals to present at the Great Leaders Summit in China. Bill has also served as the President of the PA Principals Association on two separate occasions, 2014 and 2016. Dr. Ziegler is an adjunct professor for Temple University, and served on the rewrite team for NASSP's Building Ranks framework for schools. Bill resides in PA with his wife Kim and two children.
Dalton Lemert is a graduate of Purdue University and formerly worked as the Director of a nonprofit organization that aimed to make the world a better place, one act of random kindness at a time. Together, he and his team traveled more than 35,000 miles around the U.S. in their RV performing acts of kindness, ranging anywhere from buying coffee for a stranger, to throwing a senior citizen prom, to taking a Boys and Girls Club to Disney World. His work has been featured on the Today Show, Steve Harvey Show, USA Today and others. Dalton has also led digital, social, and print marketing initiatives for companies like PayPal, Fifth Third Bank, Amway, and Boxed Water, and has recently joined the CharacterStrong team to help bring social-emotional learning into more schools across America.
Todd Blake Finley, PhD, is a tenured Professor of English Education at East Carolina University and an assistant editor and blogger at Edutopia: George Lucas Education Foundation. He has taught elementary and 7-12th grade English and co-developed the Tar River Writing Project. Also, he was selected as one of the Top 12 Global Teacher Bloggers of 2014 and again in 2016 by Cathy Rubin for the Huffington Post. He has written Dinkytown Braves, a teaching memoir available on Amazon and Rethinking Classroom Design (Rowman & Littlefield) with Blake Wiggs. And he writes a free newsletter for educators.
Zachariah is the Next Generation Director at One Church in Columbus, Ohio. He is also a speaker, and writer for his company Heartbeat Strength which is inspired by his story of overcoming a life threatening heart condition. Heartbeat Strength helps students and professionals step into their potential by becoming "heart centered" so they can lead with more passion, purpose, and love. Prior to this, he worked at a private K-12 school as a Sports Performance Coach and Assistant Athletic Director. Zachariah is a former college baseball player, is an aspiring ametuer ukulele player, and passionate dog dad.
Todd Nesloney is the Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). He has also served as an award winning principal of a PreK-5th Grade campus of over 775 students in a rural town in Texas. He has been recognized by the White House, John C Maxwell, the Center for Digital Education, National School Board Association, the BAMMYS, and more for his work in education and with children. He is a best selling author and host of the podcast series "Tell Your Story" He is passionate about doing whatever it takes for our students and helping others tell their story.
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