In this vault episode of Transformative Principal, Jethro Jones revisits an interview with Amy Fast, then assistant principal at McMinnville High School in Oregon, originally recorded for the Transformative Leadership Summit. Amy shares how a tragic college shooting in nearby Roseburg prompted her and her principal to proactively survey all 2,100+ students about their wellbeing, connectedness, hopefulness, and sense of significance — rather than simply reacting with more security measures.

Host: John Mihalyo | Guest: Deacon Dave Kerski, Former Catholic School Principal, Diocese of RaleighWhat does it actually mean to be a Catholic school — not just in name, but in everything you do, every single day?Deacon Dave Kerski knows the difference. He spent ten years turning around a Catholic school in New Bern, North Carolina that was on the brink of closing. He earned his master's from Notre Dame's ACE program, served as a deacon, and built the kind of school culture that students, families, and teachers genuinely wanted to be a part of. Not by accident — by being relentlessly intentional about it.In this episode, Deacon Dave and John have a real conversation about what authentic Catholic identity actually looks like in a school building. Not the surface stuff. The deep stuff. The kind of culture that changes how kids grow up, how teachers show up, and how families understand what they are signing up for.Here is some of what they get into:Why Catholic identity is an anthropological question, not just a checklist of Catholic stuff you do How to build a school playbook that ties everything — from morning drop-off to the awards you give out — back to your root beliefs and core values What to do when a fourth grader asks you something you have no idea how to answer Why your eighth graders may have been at a Catholic school their whole life and still have a malformed conscience — and what to do about it The difference between Catholic culture and Catholic identity, and why getting that wrong will cost you How to build teacher formation that actually prepares your staff for the hard conversations kids are already having Why it is better to be a year too early than a minute too late when it comes to forming your students in the faith What AI in the classroom has to do with Catholic pedagogy — and why Catholic schools may have the upper hand if they take it seriously The one thing every Catholic school principal has to have in place before they can lead anyone elseIf you are a principal, pastor, superintendent, or school leader who has ever looked around and wondered whether your school is actually Catholic or just kind of Catholic — this one is going to give you a lot to think about and a lot to go do.Connect with John If you want to talk about your school — enrollment, advancement, culture, or whatever is keeping you up at night — head over to elementaryadvancement.com and let's set up a time to connect.If this episode was helpful, subscribe and share it with another Catholic school leader who needs to hear this. Thank you for everything you do for your students, your families, and the mission of Catholic education.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we access information, complete tasks, and even create work. But what happens when the things technology can do begin to overlap with the things we once believed were essential to learning?In this conversation, Professor Troy Jollimore explores the difference between knowing and understanding, how learning alongside other human beings shapes not only what students know but what they come to value, and why education may be about far more than acquiring information or producing outcomes. Together, we examine what becomes most important to teach—and most important to preserve—as education enters the age of AI.