Linking Leaders PodCASt
Linking Leaders PodCASt features candid conversations with top educational leaders who come together to share experiences and explore pathways to success. In each episode, we engage with dynamic leaders to uncover real-life stories, practical strategies and bold insights on timely and relevant topics. Listen up to link up and let us help you expand your network of innovation and support!
Linking Leaders PodCASt
Principal of the Year Kurt Ogren on the Power of Positivity
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What makes a truly effective leader in the world of education? Join us for an engaging conversation with Kurt Ogren, principal of Woodland Regional High School and 2024 High School Principal of the Year, as he shares his insights on what it takes to foster a thriving school community. Kurt opens up about the power of collaboration, positivity, and diverse perspectives in leadership, revealing how these elements have shaped his successful career. Learn about his strategies for creating an inclusive environment where every voice counts, and discover the unique traditions that make Woodland an educational powerhouse.
Hi and welcome to the Linking Leaders Podcast. Linking Leaders Podcast features candid conversations with top educational leaders who come together to share experiences and explore pathways to success. In each episode, we engage with dynamic leaders to uncover real-life stories, practical strategies and bold insights on timely and relevant topics. Listen up to Link Up and let us help you expand your network of innovation and support.
Speaker 2Welcome to the Linking Leaders podcast. I am your host, dr Alicia Bowman, and today I'm talking with our 2024 Connecticut Association of Schools High School Principal of the Year, kurt Ogren. Kurt is the proud principal of Woodland Regional High School, serving students in the communities of Beacon Falls and Prospect home of the Hawks. Kurt, it's my pleasure to welcome you to the Linking Leaders podcast.
Speaker 3Thank you, alicia, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2So, Kurt, to get us warmed up, if you had to name just a few of the qualities that have led to your successful career as a school leader, what would you say they are?
Speaker 3Yeah. So I would say one of the qualities is that I'm always positive. So just by nature, I'm the type of person I'll wake up in the morning, my two feet hit the floor and it's already a good day. So that's just kind of how I'm wired. But because of that I always look for and try to celebrate successes of our students and our staff. So I think that's definitely one. Also, I'm always all about team. You know, I think you know many years ago being a coach and an athlete, things like that I've always been about team. So we definitely have a culture here of collaboration and I think that makes us highly successful. And then one more I try to look at things from multiple perspectives. So you know they talk about you look at the situation from the balcony as well as the dance floor, and I try to keep that in mind, that you know the teachers in the classroom. They may have a different view of things than I have, so I try to look from both angles at least.
Speaker 2I love that, thank you. Sometimes celebrating is one of those things we forget to do in the busyness of our work as school leaders, and it really is vital to the organization. And then, you know, hype fits in. Linsky's balcony and dance floor is one of my favorites, and I think it's true, the best leaders can shift and they can get up and build perspective, but they can get down on the dance floor and also be working side by side, and so I totally agree with those. So, kurt, as I read your press release and spoke to colleagues about you, they consistently described you as having a collaborative leadership style. Can you share a specific practice that demonstrates your collaborative approach to school leadership?
Speaker 3Yeah, sure, so I definitely.
Speaker 3You know we talked about team philosophy already, and when I say team philosophy for a school, I think about teachers, students, parents, bus drivers, food service workers, custodians, paraeducators, secretaries, security guards, and I think they know that I appreciate them and I respect what they do and that we truly are part of a team, and I think that's very helpful.
Speaker 3So one thing to answer your question I think it's important what I do is I try to lead from the front, for sure, but there's definitely times where it's very important to lead from the middle. What I mean by that is we have so many talented people here in this building every day and they have great ideas, so I want them to run with those ideas, try to foster that leadership, and I'm including, you know, students as well as staff when I talk that. So definitely, I want to make sure everybody has a voice. So if we facilitate like if you came to one of our leadership team meetings and you know we have 12 people sitting around, for sure all 12 people are speaking uh, it's definitely not just me, so I might facilitate it, but it is that team and people know, like, if it's a faculty meeting, it's not my faculty meeting. It's our faculty meeting, so the team helps set the agenda, the teachers can add things to the agenda, and we always try to do things that way.
Speaker 2Excellent, thank you. So Woodland is a regional high school serving two great communities. Upon reflection, what are the unique joys and challenges of leading a regional school?
Speaker 3no-transcript. You know, through leadership of our superintendent and all the administrators, you know where. We have two towns, we have four schools, but we're one region. So we're definitely united, we're definitely aligned and from the students's perspective, they go to their elementary experience. There's one school in Beacon Falls, one in Prospect. They get together at the middle school which happens to be in Prospect Long River Middle School. So they're together grade 6, 7, and 8. So before they come to the high school they're already together. Once they get here, we really try to, you know, have that family philosophy.
Speaker 3We are together and you could see it, you know, sometimes like athletic programs you know, bring things together because you know we're Woodland, we're the Hawks and probably you know if it's the baseball team. 10 students live at Prospect and 10 live at Beacon Falls anyway, so it works itself out. But another strategy that we use to make sure that we're together we have an advisory program. It's just foundational of what we do and you know most schools have a good advisory program. I feel like we have one of the best in the state and I give credit to when they opened the school in 2001,. Dr Arnold Frank was the first principal of Woodland and he kind of set things up. So we meet with our students every single day for 20 minutes and every teacher and administrator has an advisory. So you have those same students from the time they enter the building as freshmen until they graduate. In fact, a nice tradition we have is if you're the advisor, you hand the student the diploma at graduation.
Speaker 2Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 3So it creates that small tight-knit family where they look out for each other. But we purposefully select the students, so it's not random, it's not by the alphabet, any of that. So we say, okay, we want to have five students from Beacon Falls and five from Crossburg, or maybe it's six or four, however it shakes out. But it's going to be a good representation. So we definitely do that on purpose.
Speaker 2That's awesome and that's been happening since 2001?.
Speaker 3Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah.
Speaker 2It really is.
Speaker 3This is the start of my 12th year here. We've had a fair number of schools where administrative teams have asked hey, can we come and talk to you about how you run your advisory program and kind of see it in action? And we welcome that. We've met with different people and it's really a solid program.
Speaker 2It sounds that way. That's wonderful. So, over the past year, what leadership are you most proud of when it comes to elevating student leadership, and why?
Speaker 3So I think the leadership, you know, that we really have is to be progressive in our thinking and keep creating new opportunities. So we're always aware of that and it's always one of my core values and I speak to the students, you know, when it's orientation for the eighth graders coming in. I really want to promote leadership among our students and, no matter what path they choose, that's going to definitely help them. And we do have leaders who really thrive, but I want them to, you know, to have a voice and come up with some ideas, some new opportunities, and they do, and then we try to embrace that change. Change is not always quick, but we definitely try to embrace that change.
Speaker 3One thing I do want to give a shout out. I'm proud of speaking about leadership. So our student government here at Woodland, it's phenomenal. I really think of those students as our goodwill ambassadors. We have a large program and they've been recognized it's been 11 consecutive years nationally the Gold Council of Excellence. They're the only school in Connecticut that's ever earned a letter for 10 years or more. So that's something to be proud of. And our Woodland students they've hosted the CAST Student Government Convention for the past two years.
Speaker 3And they did a phenomenal job. There's, you know, student groups coming from all over the state and it was really impressive to see and they led that from start to finish planning execution. They did a great job.
Speaker 2That's awesome. I've definitely seen your students here at Cass and interacted with them and you should be proud, and that sounds like another example of a tradition that you've established at your school that there's a lot of pride behind that student leadership and it's being recognized, which is wonderful. Thank you, so we know, because you just spoke to to it, that you're deeply invested in fostering student engagement and voice. I'm sure you have lots, but what's the best piece of advice you've received from one of your hawks?
Speaker 3So the kids are great. We definitely have open dialogues all the time. Several students came to me and they suggested we should have more hands-on classes. So we're a small school we have 600 students but, that being said, we're very comprehensive. We have great opportunities. So we listen and we want these hands-on classes. Some of our students that may lead directly to a career.
Speaker 3So recently, many schools have a CNA program. You just started one five years ago and you know we've been very successful. It's a collaboration with Naugatuck Valley Vitae College. Every student who's gone through the program has passed the state certification, so we're proud of that. This year we're starting an EMT program and that's really coming from and there's schools that have that as well. It's not so easy to get up and running. Definitely need the collaboration from the town, but that's really listening to the students and listening to the community. There's a need for EMTs right now. Students can gain certification and you know right off the bat they're going to be making $25 an hour or more, so they can definitely do that. And some other things are manufacturing classes We've grown those based on listening to the students and drone courses. We have two new drone courses. We had it last year, and then we're starting an aviation course.
Speaker 3So I think, that's exciting as well. So we do listen to the students. They did want more hands on. So you know, sometimes it takes a little while to get things going, but I think we're going in the right direction Again, trying to be progressive and open to these ideas. And those classes are full.
Speaker 2Yeah, as a mother of sons, I can see a lot of interest in some of those electives you just mentioned and I think that idea of the hands-on approach and that purposeful engaging learning experience and then to have some different trainings and kind of experiences to figure out what is it that you want to do as you continue down this learning journey is excellent.
Speaker 3And in align with that, we also have a very robust internship program. So we have his titles are experiential learning coordinator, so he works, and so if you're a junior or senior, you can do a job shadow, which is a shorter version, or an internship, and they do them all over and you know, in many, many different fields. And one of the best parts, I think, is for the students and the parents, the student, just to give an example, let's say they're a junior in high school and they say I want to go to college to be a physical therapist. Well, after doing the internship, they may be more passionate about that. Or they they say I want to go to college to be a physical therapist. Well, after doing the internship, they may be more passionate about that. Or they may say you know what? That's not what I want to do. And instead of spending all that money and finding that out a couple of years down the road, they're fighting it out early through their internship experience.
Speaker 2It's wonderful, and all the other skills about you know that come along with experiencing internship, about being a part of the workforce. How do you show up? How do you communicate? Those are, you know, some of those are priceless and so I would agree that.
Speaker 3So the soft skills you're talking about, you're 100% right. So we try to actually teach that purposefully during advisory. You know those small things and I love when it comes back to me. I could tell you that at graduation this past year someone who was on the stage a new Board of Ed member they said every student looked me in the eye and shook my hand, gave me a firm hand and shake and, you know, spoke well, just as they were walking across the stage. And you know those small things, those soft skills go a long way.
Speaker 2Absolutely so, kurt. With every new school year, new opportunities come. It's one of the great joys of education. In your opinion, what is something our schools need to get right in 2024?
Speaker 3So I feel like you may have gotten this answer from other people that you've spoken to, without a doubt, ai.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3We need to get things correct for our staff and our students with AI. So, to that end, this year we're focusing our professional development on really understanding generative AI, the fundamentals, the AI. So, to that end, this year we're focusing our professional development on, you know, really understanding generative AI, the fundamentals, the relevance, the impact on education. So our goal is to really teach the teachers this year about AI so that we all are hearing the same message. We're all in the same playing field, you know, even though some people are more advanced than others right now with their exposure to it. And then next year we're all in the same playing field, you know, even though some people are more advanced than others right now with their exposure to it. And then next year we're really going to shift the focus on our students how can they benefit from AI, really incorporated into a meaningful way for what they're doing?
Speaker 2Sounds like a good approach. You know, I heard something or and maybe you've heard this too that idea that it's not AI that's going to take over our jobs, but it's the people who are using AI. So, without exposing our faculty and staff and kind of dipping our toe and moving forward despite maybe some uneasiness, we're really doing a disservice. So I'll be interested in hearing how that goes.
Speaker 3Yes, definitely.
Speaker 2All right, you ready to pick up the pace?
Speaker 3Sure.
Advocating for Mental Health Support
Speaker 2All right. So here's our night round. We're going to go a little faster. As high school principal of the year, what will you advocate for on behalf of your principals across the state of Connecticut?
Speaker 3Yeah. So in thinking about this I said what would I be passionate about? What's going on right now in the world and in schools, and I think I would make it an advocate for putting resources out with the many mental health issues that our schools face. And so our school counselors, our school psychologists, our social workers, the administrators, the teachers, our school psychologists, our social workers, the administrators, the teachers, you know, collaborating with the parents, that's real and that's changed really over the years where the number of issues have grown. You know it ties into so many other things, but you know I really want to make sure that there is a focus on the mental health and the support for it. So you know, budgeting's tough every year and cuts need to be made, but I would advocate that superintendents and boards of ed really take a look at those support services and make sure that they're in place in every school, because they're needed now more than ever.
Speaker 2I would agree. Who inspires you? So who are you listening to, or following, or reading?
Speaker 3So you ready? Honestly, I'm ready. Hold on, I'm building up my wife, alicia, I would say, first and foremost, she inspires me every day. She's been an educator for 35 years, so she's been here number 36, was regular education teacher and a special education teacher, was elementary and is high school now. We really bounce ideas off each other and it's great and she's 100% honest, so I think that is very helpful to somebody in my position, so I have to lead off with her. I'm also as far as listening. Who am I listening to? I'm recently chat EDU, ai and education. I've learned quite a bit in a short amount of time, so that's a podcast. It's Matt Mervis. He's the skills 21 and AI strategist at Advance and Dr Liz Raday, director of Research and Innovation. So it's definitely worth a listen. They haven't paid me to promote anything, but I think you won't be disappointed. Also, they're going to be facilitating our professional development in Region 16 during the year, so on our opening convocation and starting school for our PD, they will be there.
Speaker 2Good, that's good to hear. Matt and Liz are. You know our colleagues at Ed Advance and so we know them well and I'm sure that'll get it going for your school and your district. If you were to pick one or two of your best pieces of compression, so like a condensed thought or saying something, you, you know, I'm sure maybe Alicia, or your way for your faculty or staff, I'd say you say it again and again. What would you say they are?
Speaker 3So two things One thing that I say and I've used this at our commencement speech and things like that Hopefully, my hope for people is that you only have two kinds of days good days and great days and you know, I think that's part of being a positive mindset Good days and great days and you know, I think that's part of being a positive mindset, but I think that's really, really important. It helps you keep things in perspective and that's very important. Another one is and I think that comes from my background as a runner- I like to run Tim.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's a great stress relief, no doubt about it, but I want Woodland to make relentless forward progress. Yes, so that's something kind of an ultra runner, ultra marathon runner would think about is you have to keep moving, you have to be progressive, don't settle, stay focused. So really, between those two things, those are in my mind a lot.
Principals' Collaborative Leadership Challenges
Speaker 2I like that because we do have a sense of urgency. Our roles are important. We need to make relentless progress. Is there something about leadership you've thought recently?
Speaker 3Well, in thinking about that, I would say just that we have to be more collaborative than ever. So I've been a high school administrator, thinking about it, for 22 years and you certainly can't be in a silo. You know you want to be the coach, you want to be the manager, but you have to engage with every team member without a doubt, and I think if you are a very good collaborator and a very good active listener, your chances of being highly successful go up exponentially. You know, here at Woodland, you know leadership team, my administrative team, we're together all the time and it's to everybody's benefit.
Speaker 2So, kurt, what's your superpower, what's that hidden talent that aids you in your role?
Speaker 3So in thinking about that and I've heard this from other people I think it's my ability to stay calm so it doesn't matter if I'm engaged with an upset parent or there's an emergency situation with a student. You know I definitely handle situation appropriately. But I'm calm and professional and I've heard that from some people where you know where different things happened and they were like you were so calm. You just kind of directed people, led people, took care of the business, and I think that's just something that's, you know, more innate for me.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, it's that calm presence, because we know, as soon as you step into a leadership role, people are watching your every move and listening to your every word, and so that's you know that's definitely a superpower. Is there something you'd like to ask me?
Speaker 3So I'd like to know you work with many principals and education throughout the state, I'm sure the nation, but what do you think the greatest challenges that principals would face coming down the pike, like maybe the next five years or so?
Speaker 2That's a great question. I think there's a few things. One I've been thinking a lot about this idea of civics leadership. I think a lot of that used to land on the desk of superintendents but I think more and more it's becoming part of the work of our school principals. So, thinking about how do we support principals when it comes to civic leadership, how do we kind of create the networks to maybe role play or talk through scenarios that come up? It kind of reminds me, kurt, of years back when we really lifted our skills around safety and security at schools and we kind of had to say, okay, let's practice this right, how are we going to get better and we learn from each other. So that's one area, just that, addressing those community issues that, like you said, mental health, all of that we can't do it alone and I think more and more it's coming to our principals. Another one is just supporting our principals with their personal leadership, that idea of continuous leadership, growth, taking responsibility and advocating for their own development and continued growth.
Speaker 2So sometimes it's like we're the forgotten middle child. There's superintendents and there's teachers, but what about us? And how are principals continuing to have the opportunity to learn and grow? You know, sometimes we'll hear from principals they can't find the time to step away, but then when they do, they're like, oh, this was the best day, or, you know, I'm so glad we're a part of this cohort, so continuing to be responsive to that. And then I would say, really, the retainment of a multi-generational workforce. We have five generations in our workforce right now and our leaders are multi-generational. So how do we help leaders recognize the different generations, their values, what's important to them, and how do you respond to all those different needs? And sometimes, just having the awareness and understanding that what one generation may value or have experience is very different from those that are entering, and we have to be mindful of it. And I think the more we know, the better we can lead, and that'll help us in that retainment of our you know, that team and that family that you described.
Speaker 3I appreciate that feedback. All good, and the last one you spoke to, I didn't think of that Degenerational.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3Thinking of that. So you know again, Woodland Small, we have, I think it's, 114 employees here on any given day, and our youngest is 22. And our oldest will turn 84 in a couple months.
Speaker 2So there you go, there's your five.
Speaker 3Yeah, so we do have. Two of our most popular people in the building are going to turn 82 and 84 this year.
Speaker 2It's amazing, and it's not a right or wrong. It's really again recognizing values, communication styles, things like that. So I think it's something we need to pay attention to and be mindful of and again support our leaders to have the opportunity to think that way. Well, this has been a great conversation, kurt. Where can people go to find out more about you and your work and the Hawks?
Speaker 3So I am not all over social media Me either. But, like I said, people can feel free to email me A-O-G-R-E-N at region16ctorg. They can certainly call me at Woodland anytime. I definitely like collaborating. So you know, our league for sports is Nog Tug Valley League and you know sometimes we tend to reach out to those closest to us. So I do sometimes talk with colleagues in the NBL, people that I've known from over the years. But it's very helpful doing that. So you know, feel free to reach out to me at any time and I appreciate reaching out to others as well.
Speaker 2Thank you, kurt Cobran, principal of Woodland Regional High School and the 2024 Connecticut Association of Schools High School Principal of the Year. Thank you for this honest and engaging conversation. The mission of the Linking. Thank you for this honest and engaging conversation. The mission of the Linking Leaders podcast is to connect the amazing educational leaders across our small state, one conversation at a time, and I'm confident that your positive and team-oriented approach to leadership will spark ideas, create conversation and inspire action from colleagues throughout Connecticut. Ideas, create conversation and inspire action from colleagues throughout Connecticut. My sincere gratitude for this great day conversation and to our listeners. Stay connected to Cass and listen up for our next episode of Linking Leaders.
Speaker 3Thank you, alicia, it's been a pleasure.
Speaker 1Thanks so much for joining us for this episode of the Linking Leaders podcast. This episode is brought to you by the Connecticut Association of Schools, serving schools and their leaders since 1935. You Thank you.
Speaker 3Thank you.