Creating a More Connected School Culture through a New Podcast

Assistant Principal Shaneal Durr-Bello attended a wellness training earlier this school year that inspired her to tackle a recurring question: “How can we have more connectedness between teachers?” So, she enlisted the help of Mrs. Ashley Vabro to start a new staff podcast at Hampton Elementary School. While this podcast is still in its beginning stages, it has gotten off to a strong start in terms of strengthening relationships among the adults at Hampton. 

We caught up with AP Durr-Bello and Mrs. Vabro to learn more about their inspiration for the podcast and their plans for its future. Get to know more below. 

What are your current priorities for this podcast? 

We’re still getting it off the ground, and an important part of that process is to survey our staff and get their input on what topics they want it to cover. One topic that we know is important based on our conversations is finding work-life balance. Our educators want to know how to do their work well while still having time for themselves. 

How does the podcast connect with your school’s overall goals and mission? 

We know that our school could improve in terms of relational trust. That’s why we really want to build relationships between staff members. At the same time, we also have a lot of new staff this year as well. We definitely want them to know that they belong and have a voice at Hampton. 

What topics do you plan to cover in the future? 

Self-care is definitely one that we have in mind. We also see a lot of fun videos on social media for different recipes, so that has inspired us as well. We will send out a survey a little closer to the next episode so it’s fresh in everyone’s minds. It was important for us to make the survey anonymous so staff don’t feel like they will be judged for the questions they may have or topics they want to focus on. 

What advice would you give to other schools who may want to start a staff podcast? 

Start by assessing what your culture and climate currently looks like. From there, think about the challenges that your staff might be facing, both at school and in their everyday lives, and determine ways that you can bring everyone together. Promoting wellness starts with bringing people together. And when wellness is a priority, your staff is going to show up for your students in the same way. 

What is your message to the rest of the staff at Hampton? 

Join in and listen! We think you should give our podcast a chance because we’re a work family. It’s great to show up for each other, support each other, and remind each other that we got this!