LM December 2015

hold their hands and lead them to their classrooms. That image was priceless. The planning and teacher cooperation had turned a bad situation into a community engagement win. I could not have been more proud of our staff, our students and our community. The Next Month The repairs to the HVAC system took almost a full month. During that time, new

narratives began to emerge. I was able to witness our teachers working together and learning about the differences at various grade levels. Though it was inconvenient to be displaced, the narrative demanded that everyone cooperate. Our community remained supportive. The IASA communications director again created a statement to be announced prior to our return back to the building. The statement again was released simultaneously to everyone involved including media.

realize that there are takeaways from every situation we face. Sharing our successes and failures help all of us to move forward. I recognized that in moments of stress, we tend to react rather than take the time to game plan how we communicate. In this instance, I firmly believe that our strategic communication created a narrative that led us to a meaningful outcome that everyone can be proud of. If I had to give advice associated it would be the following:

Be humble and



willing to ask for help when needed Involve the IASA from the beginning when statements need to be created  honestly, consistently and intentionally Utilize narrative and images to craft messages and perception   Communicate

When the time came, our high school students did not want the “little Vikings” to leave. My favorite part of our

Lessons learned

 Be humble and willing to ask for help when needed

 Involve the IASA from the beginning when statements need to be created

 Communicate honestly, consistently and intentionally

 Utilize narrative and images to craft messages and perception  Realize that amazing things can happen when nobody cares who gets the credit

situation involved the Saturday we moved everyone back. Our PTO and fire department had coordinated an effort that brought in more than 40 trucks and trailers and volunteers from our community. We had planned an eight-hour day, but the move was completed in 50 minutes. In addition, during the entire displacement, our administrative team did not receive one negative e-mail or communication. Not one! Takeaways When I was recently approached to share our story in an article, I began to reflect on the situation we had experienced. I thought about how our situation was so minor in relation to tragedy that has been experienced in other districts. I also came to

 Realize that amazing things can happen when nobody cares who gets the credit Looking back, I’m proud of the resiliency that we exhibited as a leadership team and staff. I’m thankful for the willingness of our community and students to choose to make the best of a tough situation. Most importantly, I’m thankful that our youngest students had the opportunity to experience first hand how communities can come together to create amazing outcomes.

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