This post was contributed by Ed Seib, Principal at Christ the King Catholic School.
Being a leader requires having a vision and sharing it with your community. Coming into my first year at Christ the King Catholic School in Indianapolis, Indiana, I wanted to share my vision and make an instant impact with my community. I accomplished this through the use of chalkboard walls and our school theme. I selected the following Pope Francis quote as our school theme,
Let us protect Christ in our lives, so we can protect others, so we can protect creation.
With huge assistance from my art teacher, I created chalkboard walls in both my office and the school office. The wall in the school office contains the quote from Pope Francis and the signature of every member of our staff. It welcomes all visitors to the school with a clear message of who we are.
Then I brought the students from each school homeroom into my office to introduce myself and discuss our theme. We talked about what it means to sign your name to something. I compared signing the wall to signing a contract where each student and staff member promised to be a protector of one another and of the school. I then asked them to sign my wall.
Both walls are a constant reminder to me and the community of our connection to one another and shared goal of nurturing the students we are blessed to work with. I am already looking forward to wiping the wall clean over the summer and starting it anew in the fall with the students and staff I am lucky to serve.
