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Leading Change that Lasts: Turning Vision into Results · At the Table

• 0:08
  Speaker: Welcome to At the Table, a podcast by the Ohio Leadership Advisory Council.
• 0:13
  Speaker: I'm your host, Dr.
• 0:14
  Speaker: Elizabeth Lolli, director of OLAC.
• 0:17
  Speaker: This is a space where Ohio education leaders come together to explore timely and relevant topics, shaping leadership, learning, and school improvement across the state.
• 0:27
  Speaker: Whether you're a superintendent, principal, coach, or classroom teacher, there's a seat for you here.
• 0:33
  Speaker: On our last episode, we were joined by Dr.
• 0:36
  Speaker: Denetris Hill, who is principal of Middletown High School.
• 0:39
  Speaker: He was sharing with us about the incredible transformation work going on there, and we wanna continue our conversation.
• 0:46
  Speaker: Let's get started.
• 0:48
  Speaker: Thank you for being with us again, Dr.
• 0:50
  Speaker: Hill.
• 0:50
  Dr. Hill: Thank you.
• 0:51
  Dr. Hill: Happy to be here.
• 0:52
  Dr. Hill: It's good to see you.
• 0:53
  Speaker: Let's talk about your role at Middletown High School.
• 0:55
  Speaker: Okay.
• 0:55
  Speaker: You took over as, as principal.
• 0:57
  Speaker: Mm-hmm.
• 0:58
  Speaker: What was the culture like at Middletown High School when you arrived?
• 1:03
  Dr. Hill: Um, so what I found when I arrived at Middletown High School was a community that cared deeply or cares deeply about the students, um, but had experienced some really significant challenges over time.
• 1:19
  Dr. Hill: Um, there were pockets of excellence throughout the building, but, uh, there wasn't always a shared sense of direction.
• 1:30
  Dr. Hill: Um, expect- expectations varied from classroom to classroom.
• 1:36
  Dr. Hill: Um, academic urgency wasn't consistently present, and some people had kinda begun to accept the circumstances.
• 1:45
  Dr. Hill: Like rather than challenge them, they accepted them.
• 1:49
  Dr. Hill: And, uh- It's one of those scenarios where your job as principal, especially in a situation like that, is to try to build some coherence in that campus.
• 2:05
  Dr. Hill: So and that's a pain point for people, especially when they've had the autonomy to do it their way for so long.
• 2:13
  Dr. Hill: Um, so one of the things that myself and my team introduced, and when I say my team, um, I, I brought in, uh, Karen Cicchetti to serve with me as one of my assistant principals.
• 2:26
  Dr. Hill: Um, and we did not-- We, we kept the team in place, but I did add a member to the team, Karen Cicchetti.
• 2:32
  Dr. Hill: We've, we've worked together before in Dayton, and she's an established principal.
• 2:36
  Dr. Hill: Um, and one of the things we introduced was an academic framework that just kinda started to build some coherence across the campus.
• 2:47
  Dr. Hill: Um, we introduced, uh, or we, we, we, we, um, required teachers to spend time developing learning targets that really spoke to a know and a show, kinda embed that success criteria.
• 3:03
  Dr. Hill: Um, it was mer-- it was very important for kids.
• 3:05
  Dr. Hill: I think it's Marzano who speaks about kids knowing where they're going in this lesson helps them to stay focused on the end goal.
• 3:14
  Dr. Hill: So changing the culture by building some coherence where every teacher is expected to be at their door during passing periods to make sure that students are to class on time, an urgency around, um, being present, an urgency around attendance, an urgency for families to send their kids to school, an urgency around dressing for success.
• 3:39
  Dr. Hill: Um, you know, if you don't set expectations and if you don't speak to those expectations, then people just kinda get-- They kinda do it how-- what they wanna do, and that's just not how schools are, were designed to work, especially high-functioning, high-performance schools.
• 3:55
  Dr. Hill: Um, there has to be a focus.
• 3:57
  Dr. Hill: And so the culture at Middletown High School is full of potential, and the potential is still there.
• 4:05
  Dr. Hill: We're j- we're, we're just now beginning to really crack the surface.
• 4:09
  Dr. Hill: I mean, there is so much potential at this school, so much potential in our district.
• 4:14
  Dr. Hill: I mean, it's, it's just such a rewarding place.
• 4:17
  Dr. Hill: But there is now a belief system in what our kids can do and what our teachers can accomplish.
• 4:22
  Dr. Hill: Um, and I brought some data to share at some point, I don't know when we'll get to that question, but to share just how the culture is improving.
• 4:31
  Dr. Hill: I'll just share a few nuggets now if that's okay.
• 4:33
  Speaker: That's wonderful.
• 4:35
  Dr. Hill: But, like, you know, because we have built such expectations for our kids- Our suspensions, for instance, are down 49% in one year.
• 4:46
  Speaker: Oh, that's phenomenal.
• 4:47
  Dr. Hill: Our suspension days are down 60%.
• 4:53
  Dr. Hill: Fighting on our campus because we have built a system again, where mutual respect and the opportunity to engage respectfully with each other through dialogue.
• 5:03
  Dr. Hill: Um, you know, we followed the governor's mandate where we, we removed cell phones.
• 5:08
  Dr. Hill: Like, there is an expectation that you have no electronic devices during the day.
• 5:13
  Dr. Hill: And we didn't do the pouches or anything like that.
• 5:15
  Dr. Hill: The expectation, again, is that teachers will manage their classrooms effectively and following, you know, the limits that have been set for the school.
• 5:25
  Dr. Hill: And so as a result of that, um, fighting is down 40% in our building because you don't have all that social anxiety now.
• 5:33
  Dr. Hill: Kids aren't setting up fights and things of that nature through their phones, you know?
• 5:36
  Dr. Hill: So our truancy, again, we put an expectation around students getting to school on time and students getting to class on time.
• 5:46
  Dr. Hill: Now, based on the data, that had been a challenge for Middletown High School.
• 5:49
  Dr. Hill: Truancy is now down 78%.
• 5:53
  Dr. Hill: Um, our attendance rate is up, our chronic absenteeism rate is down.
• 5:57
  Dr. Hill: Um, and, and our classroom walkthroughs or classroom learning walks, I mean, we conducted over 700 learning walks this year at Middletown High School, not including the evaluations.
• 6:11
  Dr. Hill: And again, it's all about that relentless focus on the school improving because kids deserve that opportunity from teachers, and teachers deserve the opportunity to teach in a stressless environment where you're not worried about what's going on in the hallway and you wo- what's going on, how come kids got their heads down, why are kids on their phones or listening to music and not engaging?
• 6:36
  Dr. Hill: We eliminated all of that, and we didn't do it aggressively.
• 6:41
  Dr. Hill: We were just clear about what we expected, and we never deviated from what we expected.
• 6:47
  Dr. Hill: And as a result, our school is beginning to thrive.
• 6:51
  Dr. Hill: So now all of those, those pieces that were kinda disjointed are now coming together.
• 6:58
  Dr. Hill: And so we're starting to see this beautiful display beginning to, to form and shape at Middletown High School.
• 7:06
  Dr. Hill: It truly is an oasis of learning, um, that is just at the beginning phase.
• 7:12
  Dr. Hill: We're at our infancy stages with this.
• 7:14
  Dr. Hill: And again, because we have people that care about kids in our building and, and we have kids that care about their own education.
• 7:21
  Dr. Hill: I mean, you'd be surprised the conversations I get from kids.
• 7:25
  Dr. Hill: "Dr.
• 7:25
  Dr. Hill: Hill, thank you so much." Like, I mean,"I'm really learning this year," or,"Dr.
• 7:29
  Dr. Hill: Hill, I feel safe.
• 7:31
  Dr. Hill: Dr.
• 7:31
  Dr. Hill: Hill, I love coming to school.
• 7:32
  Dr. Hill: Dr.
• 7:32
  Dr. Hill: Hill, you're my best friend." You know?
• 7:36
  Dr. Hill: I mean, those are the things that you, you can't fake that.
• 7:40
  Dr. Hill: You can't fake it.
• 7:41
  Dr. Hill: You can't make it up.
• 7:42
  Dr. Hill: I mean, these are authentic experiences that kids feel because the culture is improving.
• 7:49
  Dr. Hill: And it doesn't mean that people didn't care prior to It just meant that they just may not have known how to really put it all together.
• 7:58
  Dr. Hill: And that's why there are people with different skill sets on the, on the planet.
• 8:02
  Dr. Hill: Everyone doesn't have to know how to do everything.
• 8:04
  Dr. Hill: There are things that I'm not good at, but I know how to rely on others, and I know what it means to say,"Hey, can you support me in this?" And that's what we try to be for our teachers, our staff, our students, and our community, a resource so they can feel the support they need.
• 8:20
  Dr. Hill: So the culture is improving, and the academic outcomes are improving, and the metrics are improving, and Middletown is just We're on the move, you know?
• 8:32
  Dr. Hill: We're having school today.
• 8:33
  Dr. Hill: That, that, that statement matters, and I'll speak a little more to that a little later, but we're having school today is a real thing.
• 8:40
  Dr. Hill: And so
• 8:42
  Speaker: Well, I'm, I'm impressed by the, the, uh, metrics that you shared so far.
• 8:46
  Dr. Hill: Yeah.
• 8:47
  Speaker: The, the culture definitely is improving with those types of metrics because of the way that you're managing the focus and making sure that students are first, but that students understand the expectations as well as the staff.
• 9:01
  Speaker: So that's, that's something to applaud.
• 9:03
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 9:03
  Speaker: You know, you talked about the change in the culture, academically changing the culture.
• 9:08
  Speaker: What are your results?
• 9:10
  Speaker: What are your, what are your test results looking like right now?
• 9:13
  Dr. Hill: Yeah, it's a great question.
• 9:15
  Dr. Hill: So, um, you know, yesterday we, uh, caught a glimpse at the preliminary report card, and I won't go into that.
• 9:23
  Dr. Hill: But what I do want Uh, everyone listening to this podcast to know is that every indicator at Middletown High School is green.
• 9:34
  Dr. Hill: There are no red indicators.
• 9:35
  Speaker: Excellent.
• 9:36
  Dr. Hill: Every one of them.
• 9:38
  Dr. Hill: Um, from a proficiency rate, uh, our ELA, ev- every one of them is up.
• 9:43
  Dr. Hill: I mean, some two-digit gains.
• 9:47
  Dr. Hill: I mean, American history up seventeen percent, you know.
• 9:50
  Dr. Hill: Just, just algebra, ELA, there is not one red indicator.
• 9:55
  Dr. Hill: Um, there's not one red indicator as it relates to some of the more, uh, operational pieces like we talked about with, um, like the suspensions and things of that nature.
• 10:06
  Dr. Hill: Everything at Middletown High School is improving, and it's because I have a staff that care about kids, and I, I have a, a, a set of students that care about their opportunities.
• 10:20
  Dr. Hill: It's like I say all the time, we, we cannot prepare kids for our past.
• 10:25
  Dr. Hill: This is about their future.
• 10:27
  Dr. Hill: And so we have to make sure that we keep the focus on kids.
• 10:32
  Dr. Hill: Um, you know, I, I, I come from the Lone Star State, where we don't, we don't really have teacher unions and things of that nature.
• 10:39
  Dr. Hill: There are teacher organizations.
• 10:41
  Dr. Hill: Um, and you know, what I'm most proud of is the relationship that, uh, that I've tried to maintain with our teachers union because our union president is actually in our building.
• 10:53
  Dr. Hill: And, uh, for the most part, we engage on things.
• 10:56
  Dr. Hill: And I tell her all the time that,"Hey, if there's something that we're doing that's, you know, in violation or close to violating, all you have to do is let me know." Because one of the things I try to be is respectful at all times.
• 11:10
  Dr. Hill: I'm very professional, very formal, but I'm also very respectful.
• 11:14
  Dr. Hill: And people have rights, and I do my best to make sure that we don't infringe on those rights.
• 11:20
  Dr. Hill: But I also wanna make sure that people don't forget that kids have rights too And they have rights to a high-quality education, and they have rights to be able to, to learn, grow, and thrive and develop.
• 11:34
  Dr. Hill: And so as a result, I try to find that synergistic balance between making sure that teachers are respected in their work and that they can have the working conditions that they need, while also making sure that my kids, my students, are actually getting what they need because it's about their future at this point.
• 11:55
  Dr. Hill: So striking that balance and then being able to get these types of results is a testament to everyone at Middletown High School.
• 12:03
  Dr. Hill: It is not just about me.
• 12:05
  Dr. Hill: It is not just about the principals.
• 12:07
  Dr. Hill: It's not just about the teachers.
• 12:09
  Dr. Hill: It's not just about the students.
• 12:11
  Dr. Hill: It's about everyone working together, believing in one another, trusting one another, and not majoring in the minors.
• 12:21
  Dr. Hill: We love to major in minor things.
• 12:24
  Dr. Hill: Let's keep the focus on kids.
• 12:27
  Dr. Hill: Let's keep the focus on their opportunity, and let's give them the best shot forward so that they can then in turn invest in their community and watch it continue on the path that we started for them, so.
• 12:42
  Speaker: So what's next for Middletown High School?
• 12:44
  Dr. Hill: Oh, man, the exciting part about it is that we're just getting started.
• 12:48
  Dr. Hill: I mean, now we wanna go from improvement to excellence.
• 12:51
  Dr. Hill: You know, we are-- Like I say, we're moving.
• 12:54
  Dr. Hill: Um, we wanna continue to strengthen the instructional core, we want to expand experiential learning opportunities for kids, um, we wanna improve college and career readiness pathways, we wanna build systems and ensure sustainability long after any one person leaves.
• 13:13
  Dr. Hill: Again, it really is about trying to build a school that is not just a school where people matriculate in and out of, it's a destination school.
• 13:24
  Dr. Hill: It's the school where you wanna stay, you want your k- I, I was a Middie, and I want my kid to be a Middie because Middletown is, is, is, is, it's a safe place, um, it's a place where academically they are strengthening.
• 13:40
  Dr. Hill: Athletically, you all know that we j- uh, had a s- we were regional champions for the first time in football.
• 13:48
  Dr. Hill: Um, we have an amazing fine arts program.
• 13:52
  Dr. Hill: We have an amazing arts program, uh, robotics program.
• 13:58
  Dr. Hill: We have great offerings, phlebotomy and CNA.
• 14:03
  Dr. Hill: I mean, this a place that we really are trying to build a culture at Middletown High School where students can get what they need at the place where they get educated.
• 14:14
  Dr. Hill: It's a place where they can find themselves, it's a place where they can grow into who they are intended to be.
• 14:23
  Dr. Hill: We, uh, we don't discourage creativity, we don't discourage innovation, and we don't discourage voice.
• 14:30
  Dr. Hill: That's teacher voice, that's student voice, community voice.
• 14:34
  Dr. Hill: I mean, we have some of the best business partners, very close to Rick Pierce, who is the chamber president.
• 14:41
  Dr. Hill: Um, I mean, people want to invest in our school.
• 14:45
  Dr. Hill: So what's next?
• 14:47
  Dr. Hill: We don't wanna just produce graduates.
• 14:50
  Dr. Hill: We're trying to produce leaders, we're trying to produce thinkers, we're trying to produce innovators, we're trying to produce contributors who are prepared for life after high school One of the drivers for me, Middletown is a, um, an industrial city, manufacturing city, and there's a place for that.
• 15:16
  Dr. Hill: And I know that we have students that will fill those roles, but I also wanna make sure that we produce students who can also manage those roles, and students who are not afraid to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit, and students who aren't afraid to go out there and create the next app that's gonna do the most amazing thing and take the pain away from people in the future.
• 15:39
  Dr. Hill: That's what we're trying to build at Middletown High School.
• 15:42
  Dr. Hill: So what's next?
• 15:44
  Dr. Hill: We're just getting started.
• 15:46
  Dr. Hill: This is just the beginning, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can produce from here
• 15:52
  Speaker: You know, as a high school principal, I, I've listened to you speak about all the things that you do on a daily basis, and, and I know that high school principals are at all the events that occur.
• 16:02
  Speaker: Concerts, they're, they're at the, um, athletic events on a regular basis.
• 16:07
  Speaker: The, the day is not, um, a six-hour, seven-hour day.
• 16:11
  Speaker: No.
• 16:11
  Speaker: The day is, the day is a 12-, 14-, 15-hour day at times.
• 16:16
  Speaker: It is.
• 16:16
  Speaker: So what do you do to delegate?
• 16:20
  Speaker: How do you delegate?
• 16:22
  Speaker: What do you delegate?
• 16:23
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 16:23
  Speaker: And what do you keep for yourself?
• 16:25
  Dr. Hill: So one of the most importance that I've learned is that leadership, it's a team sport.
• 16:32
  Dr. Hill: Like, you might be the team captain, but it is a team sport.
• 16:37
  Dr. Hill: So, like, a lot of the operational responsibilities, um, when possible, you know, I, I, I delegate those to people, um, because I need to build the capacity of my staff.
• 16:51
  Dr. Hill: I need to build the capacity of my principals because they have aspirations to go out and lead buildings of their own, and I encourage it.
• 16:58
  Dr. Hill: I, I do not want anyone to ever think that I would hold them back from an opportunity, and the way I do that is by investing in them.
• 17:06
  Dr. Hill: Um, people that have administrator licenses on our campus, when somebody's out, I deputize them.
• 17:13
  Dr. Hill: "Hey, we'll get you a sub for the day, and I want you to come and serve with us." And it gives them just this eye-opening experience to say,"Oh, wow, so this is what it's like on the other side of the wall." Yeah, yeah.
• 17:24
  Dr. Hill: It's, it's not all s- you know, smoke and mirrors on this side, and it's not all fun and games.
• 17:30
  Dr. Hill: You know, there's, there's real work, so, you know.
• 17:33
  Dr. Hill: And I have so many talented professionals that work around me that I try to delegate the things I can that make the most sense.
• 17:41
  Dr. Hill: Um, I have a building leadership team that, uh, I'm going, that I'm beginning to understand that process and understand, learning more about how to engage them in some of the heavy decision-making.
• 17:52
  Dr. Hill: Um, when you talk about delegation, one of the other things that I wanna do this year, and I've, uh, been working with our counselor, we have the Lighthouse program on our campus, and what I want to do is I really wanna turn the building over to the students, um, of course, with, you know, a lots of, of structure.
• 18:11
  Dr. Hill: But what I mean by that is I want the students to know that this is the place for them to tap into their ability to speak in public or their ability to make decisions or their ability to, to be that role model to other students that are incoming.
• 18:26
  Dr. Hill: Um, so we wanna try to engage students more in the process of delegation as well.
• 18:31
  Dr. Hill: Like, you lead this opportunity or you come up with a great design.
• 18:35
  Dr. Hill: You know, we're talking about doing a podcast at Middletown, so I'ma put kids over that.
• 18:39
  Dr. Hill: Um, so there are a lot of things that I like to, to delegate out, um- N-n-not because the work is something that I can't do, it's because it's the work that's gonna build their legacy.
• 18:52
  Dr. Hill: It's the work that's going to build their capacity so that they can go out and do the things they want to accomplish.
• 18:57
  Dr. Hill: But with that said, there are certain things that I do keep very close to, to me, that I keep close to.
• 19:03
  Dr. Hill: I do not delegate out.
• 19:05
  Dr. Hill: Vision Culture, communication, um, and instructional leadership.
• 19:12
  Dr. Hill: Those are the areas that I choose to remain highly involved, um, especially the communication piece and the instructional leadership piece.
• 19:21
  Dr. Hill: Um, the vision is clear.
• 19:23
  Dr. Hill: People know what to expect.
• 19:24
  Dr. Hill: There's not a person in the city of Middletown that you cannot ask,"What are they having at the high school?" And they're gonna say,"School.
• 19:33
  Dr. Hill: They're having school at the high school." Like, that is the community-- That's the community phrase, you know.
• 19:40
  Dr. Hill: "They're having school.
• 19:41
  Dr. Hill: I don't know what they're doing, but they're having school doing it." And, uh, so that's the vision pieces.
• 19:47
  Dr. Hill: The communication piece, I call my families probably three to four times a week.
• 19:53
  Dr. Hill: I utilize the, the one call system.
• 19:56
  Dr. Hill: I keep them updated.
• 19:58
  Dr. Hill: I speak to them about current events at the school.
• 20:01
  Dr. Hill: I speak to them about expectations that I need from them.
• 20:04
  Dr. Hill: I speak to them about some of the discipline things that may be surfacing.
• 20:08
  Dr. Hill: I speak to parents about,"Please stop texting your children at school because-" uh, we have a mandate from the governor." I speak to them about attendance.
• 20:18
  Dr. Hill: I truly believe in engaging the community.
• 20:21
  Dr. Hill: And so the communication piece, one of the things that no one at Middletown High School or the Middletown city can say is,"We don't know what's going on at the high school." Um, and those are the things I'm very proud of, and I keep those very close to me because I've been in a sit- situation where people say,"We never know what's going on.
• 20:39
  Dr. Hill: No one includes us.
• 20:41
  Dr. Hill: No one asks our opinion." I have parent meetings.
• 20:44
  Dr. Hill: Um, they're not the best attended, but we get some parents that are pretty faithful and loyal, and they come out.
• 20:51
  Dr. Hill: And hopefully my ask that they start to bring someone else because again, like, we have more than fifteen hundred students in our building, and I, I should see at least fifteen hundred people because it's your school.
• 21:03
  Dr. Hill: And so the communication piece and then the instructional leadership piece.
• 21:07
  Dr. Hill: I have to be the lead educator on that campus.
• 21:12
  Dr. Hill: My email signature, my business cards all say principal educator, not just principal.
• 21:18
  Dr. Hill: I am the principal educator on that campus, and I have to model instruction.
• 21:24
  Dr. Hill: I have to model excellence.
• 21:25
  Dr. Hill: I have to model respect.
• 21:27
  Dr. Hill: I have to model resilience.
• 21:29
  Dr. Hill: Um, and it's not always easy because you know how it goes.
• 21:33
  Dr. Hill: When you're in this role, you're not everyone's favorite person, even though they're your favorite and you truly care about what happens to them.
• 21:42
  Dr. Hill: But they're not always most excited to see you, and that's something that you can't internalize that.
• 21:47
  Dr. Hill: What you do is you learn from it, and you try to figure out,"How can I impact this person?
• 21:52
  Dr. Hill: How can I change this person's mentality?" And then sometimes you recognize that it may not even be worth it, and that's okay too.
• 22:00
  Dr. Hill: Um, but yeah, I, I, I truly believe that there are just some things that must remain with the principal I'm responsible for the results of that building, though.
• 22:10
  Dr. Hill: It's very clear to me.
• 22:11
  Dr. Hill: No superintendent has to tell me that.
• 22:13
  Dr. Hill: When I was an area superintendent in, uh, Colorado, I used to share with my principals,"You can make whatever decision you wanna make as principal.
• 22:22
  Dr. Hill: I'll support you as long as it's ethical and legal, but you own the results.
• 22:27
  Dr. Hill: You are responsible for the outcomes." And so with keeping that in the forefront of my mind, there are some things that I just can't delegate out, and I have to keep it close to me and then just communicate out.
• 22:39
  Dr. Hill: These are the expectations.
• 22:41
  Dr. Hill: This is what we will or will not be allowed to do for these reasons.
• 22:45
  Dr. Hill: Because again, the same manner that I want my son educated is the same way I try to educate the fifteen hundred that I'm responsible for.
• 22:56
  Dr. Hill: And that same expectations that I would want any student or family to have of me as a teacher and a principal is what I expect of my teachers and my principals.
• 23:07
  Dr. Hill: So yep, there are some things that we can delegate out, some things you just can't,'cause it's too important to the success of the organization
• 23:17
  Speaker: You know, Dr.
• 23:18
  Speaker: Hill, you have a lot of talent.
• 23:21
  Speaker: Um, you've done a lot of things to prove that, uh, you're very skillful.
• 23:27
  Speaker: What are your hopes for the future as far as your own position?
• 23:31
  Speaker: Um, I know that being a high school principal may be something that you love.
• 23:36
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 23:36
  Speaker: But typically leaders want to move into other positions.
• 23:40
  Speaker: What, what are your hopes?
• 23:45
  Dr. Hill: My aspirations, um, have never really been about titles.
• 23:51
  Dr. Hill: Um, it's always been about impact.
• 23:54
  Dr. Hill: Um, I've had the opportunity or opportunities to serve in district leadership, uh, district leadership roles, and perhaps there will be opportunities in the future to serve as a superintendent.
• 24:09
  Dr. Hill: Um, and if that path opens up, I would welcome that opportunity.
• 24:16
  Dr. Hill: But what matters most to me is impact, effectiveness, difference maker, change maker, transformational leader.
• 24:29
  Dr. Hill: Those are the titles, and then at the end of the day, servant Well done, thy good and faithful servant.
• 24:40
  Dr. Hill: That's what matters most to me.
• 24:42
  Dr. Hill: Um, do I have those different aspirations?
• 24:46
  Dr. Hill: Yes.
• 24:47
  Dr. Hill: Do I know that I can make a change at the systems level?
• 24:51
  Dr. Hill: Yes.
• 24:53
  Dr. Hill: But the system I inhabit right now, I'm loving the changes that I'm seeing there.
• 24:59
  Dr. Hill: And, uh, as long as I am given the ability to affect change, that's what we're going to do.
• 25:08
  Dr. Hill: So yeah, I, I, I love what I do.
• 25:14
  Dr. Hill: Um, I love doing it at the systems level, but I also love doing it at the ground level.
• 25:19
  Dr. Hill: And so I welcome the opportunity to discuss these different opportunities.
• 25:25
  Dr. Hill: But right now my focus is to keep Middletown High School on the path to bigger and better things and, uh, higher degrees of excellence, higher degrees of excelling as kids begin to develop their critical thinking skills and critical application skills, and begin to just show just how prominent education in Middletown actually can be.
• 25:53
  Dr. Hill: So.
• 25:53
  Speaker: Well, Middletown High School's lucky to have you.
• 25:55
  Speaker: The Middletown City Schools are, are fortunate to have you as, um, the high school principal leader there.
• 26:01
  Speaker: I know things will continue to change.
• 26:03
  Speaker: Um, I do have one last question.
• 26:05
  Speaker: I know that you've written a couple of books.
• 26:06
  Dr. Hill: Hmm.
• 26:07
  Speaker: Um, could you talk a little bit about those books, and what motivated you to write those books?
• 26:12
  Dr. Hill: Yeah.
• 26:13
  Dr. Hill: Um- writing has always been another way for me to teach.
• 26:18
  Dr. Hill: I had a, uh, pastor friend many years ago, and he said, he asked me, he said,"Why do people write books?" And I said,"Well, they wanna share information, or they wanna get their message out." He said,"All that's true and all that," and he said,"You're right, but there's one overarching reason." I had to ponder that for a second, and he said,"Your words live on even after you're gone." And that was deep to me.
• 26:47
  Dr. Hill: And, um, I never had the aspiration to be an author.
• 26:53
  Dr. Hill: It's one of those things that I remember being in grade school when the teacher, the English classes, they would make us write in our journals.
• 27:00
  Dr. Hill: Oh, I couldn't stand that part of the day.
• 27:02
  Dr. Hill: I mean, I rejected that part of the day, did not wanna write in the journal.
• 27:07
  Dr. Hill: Um, and then here I find myself now the author of three books, and, uh-
• 27:13
  Speaker: Three now
• 27:14
  Dr. Hill: three, yes.
• 27:15
  Dr. Hill: Um, so, and my writing is, uh, it's really about inspiration.
• 27:21
  Dr. Hill: It goes back to, again, my core, my faith, belief.
• 27:24
  Dr. Hill: Um, and it's, it's one of those opportunities that I get to speak into somebody's life and not be there People that read my books, they say,"It's like I'm talking to you.
• 27:37
  Dr. Hill: It's like it sounds just like you." I said,"I think that's the point." You know?
• 27:42
  Dr. Hill: Uh, my most recent work is"Today's Prince, Tomorrow's King: The Faithful Prince," and this is a book that focuses on leadership, it focuses on character, purpose, and personal growth.
• 27:58
  Dr. Hill: Um, the book encourages readers to understand that preparation precedes opportunity, and that who we become matters just as much as what we achieve.
• 28:14
  Dr. Hill: Um, like I say, my writing is inspired by my faith, and it is also inspired by my experiences as an educator.
• 28:23
  Dr. Hill: And the overarching for me is that it is a desire to help people discover their own potential.
• 28:31
  Dr. Hill: Um, my, my books are very mission-driven, and I say books, but the most recent work,"Today's Prince, Tomorrow's King," if you get that one, you've got the other two, because that one there is like, I, I put it all in that one.
• 28:47
  Dr. Hill: Um- And is this where I can say where they can get it?
• 28:53
  Dr. Hill: So if you're interested, uh, you can check my website at www.todaysprince, P-R-I-N-C-E, todaysprince.com.
• 29:04
  Dr. Hill: That's one word.
• 29:05
  Dr. Hill: And on there you can also reach out to me.
• 29:07
  Dr. Hill: Um, uh, I'm also on LinkedIn.
• 29:10
  Dr. Hill: I really have a lot of engagement on LinkedIn.
• 29:15
  Dr. Hill: Um, but my website will get you to me.
• 29:18
  Dr. Hill: But yeah, I, I just love inspiring, you know?
• 29:21
  Dr. Hill: And if I can do that through spoken word, through presentation, uh, through engagement, or through my writing, I, I, I can, I...
• 29:30
  Dr. Hill: That's a blessed day for me.
• 29:32
  Dr. Hill: That's a blessed opportunity for me.
• 29:33
  Dr. Hill: Um, truly, you know, I'm only as good as the gifting that, that God has endowed me with, and I'm only as effective as the people that I get the opportunity to engage with.
• 29:46
  Dr. Hill: And so keeping that at the forefront of everything I do, it guides me and it keeps me humble, and it keeps me grounded.
• 29:53
  Dr. Hill: And, um, I'm just thankful for the opportunity to, to be a blessing, uh, to so many families, students, teachers, staff.
• 30:03
  Dr. Hill: And even when they don't realize that the approach to excellence is a form of love, um, that's okay.
• 30:13
  Dr. Hill: Sometimes people just need a little more time with you to understand your heart, and I'm okay with that.
• 30:18
  Dr. Hill: So if you wanna know more about me, and if you wanna see what I'm really all about and get behind the veil, www-.todaysprince.com.
• 30:32
  Dr. Hill: So.
• 30:33
  Speaker: Well, I wanna, I wanna thank you, and by the way, we're gonna charge you for that advertisement.
• 30:37
  Speaker: Oh.
• 30:38
  Speaker: We'll send you the bill.
• 30:38
  Dr. Hill: I got it.
• 30:39
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 30:40
  Speaker: Um, I do wanna thank you today for your time and for sharing your expertise.
• 30:44
  Dr. Hill: Yeah.
• 30:44
  Speaker: As I said earlier, you've done an amazing job in many locations, and you have a lot of talent and skill.
• 30:51
  Speaker: And I, and I'm so glad that you were able to share, uh, processes and procedures with us today.
• 30:56
  Speaker: Yeah.
• 30:56
  Speaker: So thank you for being on the podcast.
• 30:58
  Dr. Hill: Thank you for having me.
• 30:59
  Dr. Hill: And thank you for your investment in my life.
• 31:04
  Dr. Hill: Um, you and I go back now 10 years.
• 31:07
  Dr. Hill: And, um, I just wanna say thank you for always taking my phone call, for inviting me into your space, inviting me into your world, um, inviting me to, to have a seat at the table and to actually demonstrate or, or fine-tune my own skill set, um- I just wanna thank you for your leadership, your mentorship, your guidance, your support, your prayers, your love.
• 31:37
  Dr. Hill: Um, thank you.
• 31:39
  Speaker: You're quite welcome.
• 31:40
  Speaker: Thanks for joining us At The Table.
• 31:43
  Speaker: I'm Dr.
• 31:43
  Speaker: Elizabeth Lolly, and it's been a pleasure to have you with us.
• 31:47
  Speaker: If you found today's conversation valuable, be sure to subscribe and share with your colleagues.
• 31:52
  Speaker: For more leadership tools and professional learning resources, visit ohioleadership.org.
• 31:59
  Speaker: And until next time, keep leading with purpose