Decide to make a difference
Shelly sat at her new desk and stared at the whiteboard. There were still two boxes on the conference table that needed unpacking, but the office was coming together nicely. Just last week, Shelly had been appointed as the new principal of this small midwestern high school—and now she was ready to rally.
A late opening, she had thrown her name in the hat—even though she only had five years of experience as an assistant principal. She wanted to make a difference, and this new school was in need of serious help.
“There’s something special about you,” the superintendent had said when he hired her. “Obviously, you care about kids and you articulate that fact well. We need someone who understands them. And they need to be connected; they need opportunities.” The superintendent then added, “That’s how you enact change. And that is why we chose you. We believe what you said—that you can indeed make a difference here.”
Shelly mulled over his words. It was true that she wholeheartedly believed what she had spoken, that it was gospel. Why? Because she had seen transformation firsthand. Shelly had been an assistant principal at a high school in a neighboring city—and watched it go from a place of mediocrity to a school people were itching to get into, and all in just a short period of time. However, the change was not because of one person or one policy change.
Success is a team effort
The reason for the significant and positive jump began with a newly hired assistant director who brought along a program called Rally. He swore this process would help drive the school from all angles, and he said Rally wasn’t just about sports, but that it was something the whole school could get behind. Investing in athletics and activities, he said, could actually steer school culture and improve academics. He showed the admin team the research regarding the five Rally practices, as well as testimonies of people around the country who had seen this process produce successful results.
The Rally practices help team members approach educational leadership holistically, with the end goal of driving culture and achievement within their campuses. 
The five practices are:
- Raising the standard
- Alignment
- Learning communities for ACTs (advisors, coaches, and teachers)
- Leading through students
- You’re never done celebrating
When students support one another, they support themselves too
Those hopeful words spoken to Shelly by the hiring superintendent now made sense. She remembered that when she had been on the speech and debate team as a student, she wasn’t particularly social. But being a part of that team had developed skills that led her to becoming an educator.
After the AD established the five practices—and the administrative team created a plan on how to integrate them into their everyday operations—gradual growth began. At first, it was seen in little pockets of the school, such as chorus.
For example, after Shelly showed up for choir concert duty, she was amazed to witness both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams attending the concert. When she asked one of the players why they all showed up together, that player simply replied, “We wanted to support the chorus since they sing the national anthem at our games. So, it’s only cool that we return the favor. They work hard and we want them to feel supported.”
Experiencing the Rally difference
It wasn’t long until supporting each other became the norm. The ripple effect grew bigger and bigger throughout the school. Teachers saw discipline referrals decrease, while grades improved. And students began regularly showing up to class—because that was the standard set for their program, and they wanted to follow it.
Over the next few years, the school steadily saw progress in all areas—and what once was a C-rated school became an A-rated school. Shelly loved going to work every day and wanted to be part of the culture, and most teachers and students did as well. She knew the idea of the Rally model was a game changer because it unlocked tools for leaders to connect with kids. And although those leaders had always wanted to connect with them, they just didn’t know how.
So what was Shelly’s plan now as principal? She was going to rally!
Are you ready to rally?
Shelly’s journey is but a brief glimpse of the impact of Rally practices. The ideas and tools presented in Rally!: How Outstanding Activities and Athletics Improve Academics and School Culture are game changers.
As authors of this book, we used our 20+ years of experience as superintendents, administrators, and coaches to break down the use of best practices into five action-driven elements that can be used to enhance school activities and athletics—to move from something ordinary to a new and extraordinary school identity.
Are you an elementary teacher? You can still rally!
This program is not just for high schools. Every level of education can benefit from the Rally model. This book offers tools, stories, examples, evaluations, and more to guide you through the process of seeing athletics and activities as ways to drive your school forward. So, there’s only one question now: are you ready to rally?
Looking for more resources on how to empower and support students through a positive school culture and activities? These books should be on everyone’s must-read list:
About the educators
Casey Reason, PhD, is an award-winning author, speaker, coach, and thought leader in the areas of leadership development, digital learning, and the deep and substantive implementation of professional learning communities.
Brandon Larson is an award-winning athletic director, speaker, and leadership consultant. With over 20 years in education and athletics, he specializes in building leaders and strong cultures. He founded OakStrong Performance and Leadership to inspire lasting success in organizations.
