Where the Ripple Began: Borrowing Excellence and Building What Lasts
The ripple didn’t begin with a symposium.
It didn’t begin with a book.
And it didn’t begin at The Seaside School.
It began with my dissertation.
Fifteen years ago, I traveled across North Carolina, walking the halls of the highest-performing charter schools in the state. I observed classrooms, sat in leadership meetings, studied culture, and asked one central question:
What separates schools that sustain excellence from those that struggle to survive?
I wasn’t interested in theory alone. I wanted evidence in practice.
Borrowing Excellence with Humility
What I discovered was not a single program or personality—but patterns.
High-performing schools shared:
-
Clear mission and vision
-
Disciplined leadership behaviors
-
Strong governance and systems
-
Intentional culture-building
-
Relentless focus on students
That research formed the basis of a principle I still follow today: borrow what works.
Borrowing isn’t copying. It’s learning with humility—recognizing that excellence leaves clues.
Building with Intention
Research alone doesn’t change schools. Implementation does.
Over the next 15 years, I continued visiting high-performing schools—three to four per year, across the country. In total, 45+ schools informed what we are building at The Seaside School in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
Every borrowed idea had to be:
-
Aligned to mission
-
Adapted to context
-
Implemented with clarity
-
Sustained through leadership habits
This is the build side of the equation.
Over time, these practices became embedded in our school—contributing to 30 years of excellence, including 22 consecutive years as a School of Excellence.
The Ripple Expands Through Leaders
Along the way, I began bringing leaders together.
Through school visits, convenings, and shared learning experiences, more than 500 school leaders have participated—each returning to their schools with ideas that worked in real conditions.
When a leader borrows wisely and builds intentionally, the impact extends far beyond one campus.
That’s how ripples form.
When Students Carry the Ripple Forward
In the last two years, the ripple has reached students directly.
This year, 14 students from the mountains of Brevard, North Carolina, traveled more than 600 miles to participate in our Amazing Shake program. They experienced leadership, professionalism, and high expectations alongside Seaside Neighborhood School students.
They didn’t just participate.
They carried belief back home.
Exposure creates belief.
Belief changes trajectories.
Borrow and Build Is the Blueprint
This journey—from dissertation to school visits, from borrowed ideas to built systems—became the foundation of my book, The Ten Indicators of High-Performing Charter Schools.
It is not a theory.
It is a blueprint shaped by research, refined by practice, and proven over time.
One school can start a ripple.
But when leaders borrow and build together, the ripple becomes a movement.
Want to visit a high performing school with us? Message or email me with Build in the subject line.
Join Our Daily Thought List!
Get daily inspirational messages and updates on our events and programs.
