Episode 62: 2025 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year Laura Tobias on Restorative Leadership, Culture, and Student Engagement

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What if a high school could heal and improve at the same time? Principal Laura Tobias, 2025 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year, shares how she led a 2,400‑student campus through crisis into a culture defined by love, restorative practices, and relentless follow‑through. The story begins with hard truths: post‑pandemic grief, serious discipline incidents, and a community searching for footing. Laura didn’t double down on exclusion; she doubled down on connection, clarity, and student voice.

We dig into the daily moves that changed everything: a simple morning message, “We love you”, paired with visible, consistent expectations. Restorative circles became the default for conflict across students, staff, and even families, supported by the React process to surface harm and repair it with dignity. Instead of reflexive suspensions, students complete accountability projects that teach skills and rebuild trust. Discipline drops, belonging rises, and kids start asking for restorative conversations on their own.

Culture sticks when recognition is real and routines are predictable. Laura’s team leveled up PBIS with clear mantras, respect it, own it, advocate for it, represent SC, and Pride Coins that celebrate small, specific wins in the moment. Student-produced videos reinforce monthly themes, while school wide mental health summits give everyone two hours of choice-driven connection before high-stress breaks. Teachers lead sessions based on their passions, building relationships that make learning safer and stronger.

We also talk about the adults: designing teacher-led PD that people actually want, growing aspiring leaders through committees and shadowing, and recruiting the next generation of educators with honest optimism. The takeaway is practical and hopeful, compassion, and accountability aren’t opposites. When schools lead with love, set high expectations, and make consequences teach, communities transform.

Connect with Laura Tobias:

email: lst13@scasd.org

Phone: 814-574-1500

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