When Teachers Lead, Schools Lift: The Power of Ownership and Trust

When you step inside Skinner Road School in Vernon, you know immediately that it is a special place. Almost palpable are the sense of belonging, the joy of learning, and the unmistakable energy of a community that believes in its children. At the center of it all stands Principal Bryan Kerachsky, the 2025 Elementary School Principal of the Year. In this conversation, Bryan shares how his school turned belonging into a coherent, schoolwide system that strengthens relationships and accelerates learning. He offers a clear look at the structures, leadership practices, and cultural habits that sustain meaningful improvement beyond any one person. 

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hi, and welcome to the Linking Leaders Podcast. Linking Leaders Podcast features tandem 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. Welcome to the Linking Leaders Podcast. I am your host, Dr. Alicia Bowman, and today I have the pleasure of speaking with Brian Karashki, Principal of Skinner Road School in Vernon, Connecticut, and the Connecticut Association of Schools Elementary School Principal of the Year. Brian, it's my pleasure to welcome you to the Linking Leaders Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Thanks, Alicia. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

So let's begin with some context.

School Context And Community

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Can you describe the Skinner Road School community in a few sentences?

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Sure. We are a pre-K to five school in Vernon, Connecticut. Like you said, there's five elementary schools in Vernon. We have a very diverse group of students. And from the state's point of view, uh 65% of our students are considered high needs. So very diverse, very eclectic group. I will say when I first uh took the job here, I was walking the hallways before I even started in June. Kids were in the hallway and they came up and they said hi. They were hugging me. They were just, it was such a loving community from the start. So feel very lucky to be here. And it's been a great eight years so far.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Wonderful.

Building Belonging With B3 Advisory

SPEAKER_01 1:46

So, Brian, when I read the press release announcing your award, one of the ideas that stood out was your belonging committee and the B3 advisory program. Can you share some details about them and how have you seen it take root in the culture of your school?

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Yeah, so one thing that I really want to do is obviously create a sense of belonging. You know, I think that's one of the things after COVID, um, really trying to get students back to school was to have an opportunity for kids to have another adult that they can connect to besides their teacher. So we have committees and we we started like a belonging committee, and this committee of teachers came together and they created B3, which is the here, be you belong. And what that is, it's almost like an advisory group if you think of it at the high school level. We just brought it to the elementary level. So all of our certified staff, plus my school safety officer, he has a group as well. So we have about five or six kids, and it's first grade through fifth grade, and they become kind of like this little team, and they connect and they meet um Monday afternoons and Friday mornings. We try to connect it to the weekends. So before they go, they have that opportunity to, you know, connect, talk with another adult. And as they continue through, they'll have that person in their advisory until they leave Skinner World School. So it's a great connection. We try to make as many connections as possible. And through B3, we've had an opportunity to do that over the last two years.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Wonderful. So, Mr. K, which you often refer to, what leader shift are you most proud of and how has it impacted the Skinner World School community?

Distributed Leadership And Committees

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Yeah, I think one of the biggest shifts that we've made is that we've actually flattened our leadership team. I think if you look at we have an instructional leadership team here at Skinner World School, but through our committee work, through having the sustainability of uh teaching faculty that has been here, you know, I think it's probably like 80 to 85% have been here for over three, four, five years. They've been able to take over some things. And it's really an unbelievable opportunity for distributed leadership. And that's really what's at heart here at Skinner Road. And all the decisions we make are through these committees to ensure our kids are having a great opportunity to succeed academically, socially, uh psychologically as they continue to grow and develop. So I think that's one of the things that has been huge for us, and just stakeholders having the opportunity to be a part of the decision-making process. And I think as a leader, I think we should be growing that. And that's one thing that really has happened over you know the last two, three, four years. So really that has been a great shift for us.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Wonderful.

Culture, Themes, And Values

SPEAKER_01 4:31

So, Greg, if your school had a theme song, what would it be and why?

SPEAKER_00 4:37

Every year, uh, I like to start things new. So every year we always have a different theme, you know, whatever it is. We use Roger Federer's uh commencement speech this year. Uh, we've used a lot of things before, and one of them we used was in my third or fourth year, maybe right after COVID. We used the Andre Day song Rise Up. Um, so that has been really something at the heart of what we do. And if you don't know much about us, our whole thing, our whole belief is around love, care, trust, value. And I think that's that song Rise Up really goes really well with it too. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

So, what's one invisible thread that connects everything that's happening in your school?

The Invisible Thread Of Community

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Yeah, I think as you'll hear throughout the podcast, you know, there'll be that streamline of a sense of community in the collective. You know, I think the collective purpose of everybody, all the arrows are, you know, in the right direction, pointing in the right direction, and from our goals, from what's happening at Central Office, through the mission and vision of Vernon Public Schools, uh, you see it through here. So that sense of community. I have a great community, great families, great partnerships, and and a staff that understands that and really works for the collective purpose. And, you know, I don't think the things that we've been able to achieve here would have happened if that wasn't the case. So I definitely think that's a quiet, you know, sense, you know, an underlying theme here at Skinner Rode.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

That's great. Sounds like that invisible thread is keeping that coherence and also providing some direction, which is fantastic.

Influences: Schmoker And DuFour

SPEAKER_01 6:12

So is there a book or resource, or maybe even an expert that has had a lasting impact on how you lead?

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Yeah, actually, I think this might you know tell the audience how old I am, but um Mike Schmoker's book on results, you know, uh results now back in 06. That and I actually went to one of the first trainings that they had in Hartford, Connecticut. This is pretty funny, through um professional learning communities. Uh Richard Dufour was in town and I was still a teacher, and I was going to the professional learning day. So I'm dressed in jeans, you know, just looking, and of course I show up late and I open the door, and everybody's wearing suits and ties, and I'm like, wow, I am definitely out of place for whatever's going on in here. And I, you know, I wouldn't believe, you know, 20 years later that that has, you know, changed between Schmoker and DeForce work has changed, you know, not only my life, but the kids that we've had and the teachers and the work we've done there, but really the opportunity to keep things simple, focus, coherent, authentic, and just really explicit. I'm a simple guy, and that's really helped lean keep things simple for everybody else. And I really think that's led to a lot of our success. But uh yeah, those two definitely for sure.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Those are good. Those are two throwbacks. Um Smoker DeFor, I love it. And yes, having some simplexity is very helpful in an organization that can feel like sometimes people, you know, educators feel like there's so much coming at them. So if as leaders we can kind of help to create that clarity, like, you know, it's very powerful.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Yeah, and sorry, just one more thing is just from the part from initiative, right? Fatigue, you know, I think we we don't experience that because everything builds off year to year. And I I learned that in a previous district from one of my superintendents who really keep things coherent and just moving forward so it doesn't feel like, oh, it's one thing and then exactly. Uh and that's really been a benefit to you know my staff and and myself

Avoiding Initiative Fatigue

SPEAKER_00 8:18

too.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

That's awesome. So thinking back, what advice would you give your first year principal self?

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Well, I think the first word that comes is to relax. You know, I think you tried to uh take over the world. You know, I was writing emails at morning, night, everything, and just didn't have a balance. And even myself, I had two young kids at, you know, under the age of three at that point. And it's just was wild. And just to understand that that work-life balance is so important, and just to be driven to succeed, but create the parameters for that to work during a contractual day, you know, and understanding that people have lives and there is still enough room through what's going on in our school day to make everybody successful and the things you want to happen, right? Hear about time, hear about you know opportunities. There's

Advice To A First-Year Principal

SPEAKER_00 9:11

enough time to do that. You just have to be creative and hope that you have a central office that agrees with that as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Yeah, that's true. That alignment is important, it's got to start at the top. For sure. So let's dream for a second. If you had an innovation grant with no restrictions, what dream project would you launch at Skinner Road?

SPEAKER_00 9:34

When I first started, you know, teaching and things like that, I was like, oh, I want to do something like health wellness. Like I uh I coach, I played sports in college, so I was like, oh, I want to make a school that's all about, you know, at this point, you'd say like mental health and healthy habits and at the elementary level, because there really isn't like lots of that at the elementary level. But as I've been able to kind of evolve, I I I just want to create pathways for all kids to be able to do that. And we actually kind of do that here. We have these things called IBUs, which are interest-based units for our third, fourth, and fifth graders to get them into phases because I think you start to really understand what you want to do, even at a young age, eight, nine, ten, you start to get interests in just trying to pique those interests, which obviously goes back to belonging, but like create a STEM or a medical health service kind

Dream Projects And Student Pathways

SPEAKER_00 10:25

of pathways for kiddos, even at a younger age. That's been my whole goal is to kind of make elementary school not feel like elementary. Obviously, we need those foundational skills for whatever we're gonna be, but we also have to create an environment where kids want to be. Anything to create pathways where they have an opportunity to do whatever they want, wherever they want, and how they want to do it. I think that would be awesome.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Wonderful. So sit up a little taller. We're gonna move into the ignite round, okay? So we're gonna pick up our pace, and these quick answers will give us a rapid glimpse into your leadership style and your personality. Are you ready, Brian? I am all right. Leadership and one emoji.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

Yeah, I think it's

Ignite Round: Leadership Snapshot

SPEAKER_00 11:08

the crazy eyes one where the eyes are going sideways. You know that one? I don't know the names of them, but whatever that one is, where you the eyes are kind of looking at each other, and that besides the head explosion one, which sometimes happens too. But uh true.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

That's true. It doesn't matter how long you've been in leadership, there the mind can always be blown, right? And for many different reasons. A phrase that you say so often, your staff could mimic you.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

Yeah, those are the choices you make. You know, I think when talking to staff or kids, those are the choices you make. So there's obviously gonna be consequences with those choices too.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

So a leadership mantra you live by.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

I call it In Between the White Lines. I actually wrote about this in my application. I played soccer at the University of Hartford and I played with a lot of talented people there. And so that was the first time I stepped on a field where everybody was so demanding, but yet afterwards, just like it didn't even happen. Like friends hung out. So between the white lines, I use that as the field. Here's the expectations. Everyone's got to live up to these expectations and drive to succeed. But then after, once those things were done, we would do things that every college kid would do. And I've actually kind of kept that going as we go through. And we talk about that as a staff a lot. Is the expectations here, you know, once it's 330, we're still friends. It's that respect and that demand for you know greatness. That's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

That's a great metaphor. You can't start your workday without running in the morning, every morning I run.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Gotta get the mind right before I come to work. So running is a big thing. Exercise for sure.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

The app you use the most.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Actually, Parent Square. A lot of opportunities to communicate to make sure that everybody knows what's going on, and and that's a great app just from the fact that you can singular message, you know, families all the time, whether it's about attendance, whether it's about how great the kid's doing, all those things. It's really easy to use and it's great for us to have.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Great. If you weren't a principal, you would be a uh I think I'd be a coach.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

I'd be coaching something. I I feel like I'm coaching now. That's that's the job, right? We're here to coach people to launch people to make them feel great about what they're doing and to set up the environment for them to do well. So definitely coaching something.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

An underrated leadership skill is saying yes and saying sorry.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

And a little side note here is writing handwritten letters or notes to teachers or to staff and to families. I think those things really go far and beyond what you think.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

You recharge by I think just hanging with my family.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

You know, I have you know four kids and just trying to catch up with them with the busy lives that they're in. I think anytime that we get to sit around the dinner table or just have an opportunity to be together, which doesn't happen often. You know, I got middle schoolers and high schoolers and one who lives in Texas. So anytime we get together, it's just nice to relax, charge, and be a family. I think that's hard these days. So anytime I get that, that's a way to recharge from it.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

Wonderful. Thank you, Brian.

Pride, Wins, And Teacher First

SPEAKER_01 14:18

So what's something you're secretly proud of, but rarely get asked about? And this can be something personal or professional.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

I do have two here. I think one of them is the effort that I put into to treat my teachers like gold. I think that's been one of the things that I'm really proud of is the sustainability that we've had here. Success comes with sustainability. I try to do, like I said, you know, anytime you can say yes to anything that they need, uh they have to leave early, you know, the kids like just you know, that work-life balance and think that's something that I'm really proud of is just trying to be as teacher forward as possible. Um, and then personally, I I was able to win like two state championships with my kids, one with one of my daughters and uh my son, you know, back-to-back years. I think anytime you get a chance to win anything with your kids, you know, because those are such small time frames in life. Yes. Uh, that you don't realize how small they are until they're gone, which they are now. So uh definitely proud of that and the work that we did to make that accomplish that.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

Was that also in soccer?

SPEAKER_00 15:23

It was in soccer as well, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:25

Yeah, wonderful. Crowd dad moments for sure.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Brian, is there something you'd like to ask me?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Yeah, so one of the questions I have is what is your go-to leadership move in times of maybe we'll just call it um chaos? You know, if there were some things that were going on, what was kind of the thing that you would do to kind of alleviate that or handle that?

SPEAKER_01 15:48

It's great. So I think two things. One is in times that feel like chaos, really trying to lean into a curious approach, so asking more questions rather than telling, and really trying to get to like, I would call it like what's the song beneath the words? Like, why are people

Host’s Playbook For Chaos

SPEAKER_01 16:06

really feeling anxious or stressed out or feeling like this is one more thing? And so really leaning in and listening and asking a lot of questions so that I could figure out what was at the heart of whatever that, you know, was creating this feeling. And I think the other one is one of my little sayings was always go slow to go fast. And so sometimes like taking a step back or just taking one piece of something that feels very challenging or overwhelming in a time of chaos and build some success. So whether it was like piloting something in one grade level or with one team who was ready to go, and then slowly scale up. I think those are two things I leaned on when it felt like you know it was chaotic or in times of uncertainty.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

So Yeah, that was a great, that's great advice and a great quote. So true.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Thanks. So where can listeners go to learn more about you and your work?

Where To Connect And Closing

SPEAKER_00 17:03

Yeah, I think we're just getting started with all the success we've had here. But obviously, LinkedIn, you know, you can find me on LinkedIn, and that's pretty much it from social media's perspective now. But I'm excited about the future. I'm excited about the work that we've done here, and hopefully we can continue that at the elementary level as we continue forward.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Awesome. And and this conversation is just another great way to celebrate both you and your school community. Brian, thank you so much for joining me on the Linking Leaders podcast. Um, your insights and your leadership is truly inspiring. Congratulations on being our Connecticut Association of Schools Elementary Principal of the Year. And we wish you continued success as you lead Skinner Road School with heart, vision, and purpose.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Well, thanks so much for having me, Alicia.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Thanks 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.