The principal who merged two rival high schools (and lived to tell the tale)

Imagine two high schools. Decades of rivalry. One legendary football trophy that defined Friday nights for an entire community.

Now imagine being tasked with merging them into a single school.

Oh, and by the way — you graduated from one of them, spent seven years as principal of the other, and now you have to lead both communities through the biggest change they've ever faced.

That was Derek Cantrell's reality.

Most leaders would've played it safe. Followed the playbook. Avoided rocking the boat. Hoped for the best.

Derek did something different.

He asked two simple questions:

• "What are you excited about?

• What are you concerned about?"

Then he actually listened. And acted on what he heard.

Students from Covington were anxious about the new building? He organized shadow days so they could walk the halls before school started.

Parents needed reassurance? Summer movie nights with cornhole, pizza, and free gear.

Teachers worried about losing their identity? He celebrated small wins publicly —painted lockers, new door stickers, early schedule pickup — and made culture the foundation of everything.

The result?

By year two, an entire floor of math, science, and special ed teachers were eating lunch together every single day. (If you know high school teachers, you know that's basically a miracle.)

Here's what Derek taught me: Culture doesn't happen by accident. You have to lead it, shape it, and live it every day.

And when you get it right, teachers recruit teachers, students show up with pride, and your community rallies behind you in ways you never imagined.

If you want to hear the full story — including how Derek uses AI chatbots to help teachers personalize learning and analyze student data — check out this week's episode of the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast.

Keep Making a Ruckus,

Danny