Introducing the 'School District Superheroes' Podcast

What does it really take to lead a school district today?

In this trailer episode of School District Superheroes, host Nick Telford introduces the show and why it's dedicated to the leaders who carry one of the most demanding—and impactful—roles in education: superintendents. 

These are the individuals making high-stakes decisions, shaping vision, building teams, and ultimately influencing the opportunities available to thousands of students. 

This podcast shines a light on the innovation, resilience, and leadership driving school districts forward across California. Through candid conversations, you’ll hear directly from superintendents and district leaders about:

•  How they navigate complex challenges 
•  The values and mindsets that guide their decisions 
•  The unique paths that led them into leadership 
•  Their vision for the future of education 

Whether you’re a current or aspiring superintendent, educator, policymaker, or community member, this show offers an inside look at the people shaping the future of schools—and the students they serve.

Subscribe to School District Superheroes to learn from the leaders putting the SUPER back in superintendents.

Transcript

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superintendents the amount of work that they do, day in, day out, nights, weekends, and the, burden that they bear and they carry for their school districts. A lot of the time it's up to them to make those hard decisions. It's up to them to, put the right teams together. It's up to them to have the vision. And it's a really tough, it's a really tough job You're listening to School District Superheroes, a podcast that puts the super back in superintendents. In each episode, you'll learn how today's most innovative superintendents are re-imagining what's possible for students, staff, and their communities. And now for your host, Nick Telford. Hello and welcome to School District Superheroes, the podcast that puts the super back into superintendents. My name is Nick Telford. I'm the co-founder and Co-CEO at Elevo, and I started this podcast to shine a light on the outstanding work and selfless work that is happening around California. Uh, by superintendents and assistant superintendents and everyone else within administration, uh, within school districts in California, that are doing, that are really moving the needle students and. They don't sup superintendents the amount of work that they do, day in, day out, nights, weekends, and the, burden that they bear and they carry for their school districts. A lot of the time it's up to them to make those hard decisions. It's up to them to, put the right teams together. It's up to them to have the vision. For where the school, these schools are gonna go, and ultimately the, the chances that these students get and the opportunities that these students get, is hugely affected by the vision mindset, work ethic, and, uh, innovation of these superintendents guiding these school districts. And it's a really tough, it's a really tough job and, What I wanted to do was to take these stories and ask these questions to superintendents so that anyone else listening, whether you're a current superintendent or an aspiring superintendent, or someone from the community or a teacher or even a student, or someone who wants to connect and have a conversation with a superintendent, can get a better understanding of not just their work, but what their work represents for, uh, schools and superintendents around California. and by having these conversations, you'll get a better insight into what goes into this and what kind of personalities are shaping the future of education. Who are these superintendents? How do they get to where they are, uh, what do they value? And ideally, over the course of these episodes, we'll see similarities in their approach. We'll see what makes them unique. Um, and how their vision shapes specifically their schools, their communities. that's really what, why this podcast exists. Uh, a little bit about me. I started this company with a good friend of mine, Chris Murphy. Uh, about 20 years ago we started running soccer camps for kids in Southern California, bringing out coaches from Ireland to coach kids. And, uh, we had a, a vision for our organization that we would make every session and every interaction engaging and meaningful. And, organically the company grew from running, 20 soccer camps in California. To now serving over 800 schools around California, predominantly in the afterschool space. We care deeply about student wellness and we see the benefits of, non-classroom based instruction on the wellbeing of students. And so we're taking every opportunity, whether it's during the school day or after school, to find moments and times where we can hire. Mentors and coaches to work with kids, to create relationships and to, uh, deliver them really engaging programs and curriculum and activities that will help them fall in love with school and stay in love with school and want to come to school every day. But my parents are educators. my parents started a school back in 1986 here in Dublin, and so my life has always been deeply, uh, soaked in, in education. And my brother is a principal of a school here in Dublin too. So, I care deeply about. The formative years of kids and, uh, and how their interactions both inside the classroom and outside the classroom, can shape their futures. That's a little bit about me and, uh, if you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe on Apple and Spotify and you'll get notified if a new episodes publish. Follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube. And I look forward to seeing you next time on school district superheroes.