NewTech High--It is Personal!

Good afternoon, NewTech High listeners! Today, we hosted Ortonville's leadership team on the weekly podcast. I am so excited in the work they have done. They are working to be a transformative district. Kris Evje, Superintendent, and Trevor Keller, HS Principal, come from two distinct positions and experience with the District. Like me, Kris has been at a number of different places, in different roles, before becoming Superintendent. Trevor has mostly been at Ortonville and has built himself into this leadership position, mostly while living in the same house. Each of them has merged into a collective voice that can influence the District, staff and students for a long time afterward. Their decision to join NewTech High last summer was one I was really happy that they made, and I think you will find, one that they were also happy to have made.  Take a listen at their enthusiasm for the future of their District; their desire to have their strategic plan grow in their district. While...

Good evening, NewTech!  I had the pleasure of hosting Gina Morken and Rachel Udstuen, Superintendent and former Superintendent of Spring Grove public school system. SG is not a NewTech High school, but they certainly could be based on their merit. Spring Grove has been clearly a top performer for years. They have created an innovative district that has shown to be durable and sustainable. Watching their work and their district perform consistently over a number of years certainly speaks to their skills and passion as educators. In Music, this would be classified as a Superior rating.  This model is part of the genesis of how NewTech High even came about. Research suggests that schools that can apply effort and sustain a well-thought initiative can successfully create an impactful innovation. Smaller schools are probably easier to change, but also lack the experience, staff and capacity to make it happen. At one point, I was asked where innovation was happening, with the suspic...

NewTech High Podcast January 13, 2026 Good morning. I just finished a podcast with Rocori. We pre-recorded this for you due to conflicts in time tomorrow because of MSBA. I invited a select crew to listen and communicate with Ryan Hauge, MS/HS Principal and Nate Guetter, I'll just call him the Pathways Coordinator, both at Rocori HS.  If you look at Rocori closely, you will find a school that is an advanced status in terms of the change orientation. However, they would be the first to tell you that the journey remains. There are a number of things to do in the future, and they are purposely managing in that space. It is fun to watch. Just watching the podcast would provide you with a pretty clear picture of those things, both done and into the future.  This is the first NewTech school that I am podcasting with. I think it shows how thoughtful planning over a period of years can really make a difference with organizational change.  I have a plan to feature each of the seve...

Bill Sommers Podcast January 7, 2026 [ link to podcast ] What an amazing man to listen and learn from. I really hadn't had much interaction with him for over twenty years until the past few weeks when his blog caught my eye again. If you haven't been there, I  invite you to go to  Learning Omnivores . Bill was a professor of mine in the EDPA program at the University of Minnesota. He was a big influence on me because he was one of those rare birds who had actually been an administrator. You literally can't help to learn when you have a conversation with him. Just talking to him again after a long time is a call to me about the things I stole from him. He actually talks about this phenomena, bringing in a concept from John Dewey, "You don't learn from experience, but through reflection on that experience." We can't change anything by just being employed or by just being there; we have to consciously receive the stimuli, make a plan to change what we are doi...