In this episode of Cool Coffee with Kansas Principals, host Rick Sola welcomes back familiar guests, as well as a couple new guests, to reflect on the recent USA Kansas Conference (2025). The conversation highlights key takeaways from the conference, including the importance of networking, effective leadership strategies, and the role of student leadership in shaping school culture. The principals share their insights on effective delegation, the challenges of leadership, and the significance of taking time to...
In this episode of Cool Coffee with Kansas Principals, host Rick Sola welcomes back familiar guests, as well as a couple new guests, to reflect on the recent USA Kansas Conference (2025). The conversation highlights key takeaways from the conference, including the importance of networking, effective leadership strategies, and the role of student leadership in shaping school culture. The principals share their insights on effective delegation, the challenges of leadership, and the significance of taking time to recharge during the summer.
Chapters (timestamps do not account for intro)
00:00 Introduction and Guest Introductions
01:33 Reflections on USA Kansas Conference
09:10 Keynote Highlights and Takeaways
15:10 Effective Delegation and Leadership
21:21 Working with Top Principals
26:01 Summer Plans and Unplugging
32:15 Final Thoughts and Networking Opportunities
Connect with this episode's guests:
Dr. Todd Dain -- Shawnee Mission South Principal (X: @SMSouthTDain)
Mr. Mark Mahoney -- Shawnee Mission South Athletic Director (X: @SMSRaidersAD)
Mrs. Kelly Whittaker -- Ottawa High School Principal (X: @kelwhitt217)
Dr. Johnny Lewis-- Ottawa High School Assistant Principal
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FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT (AI generated)
Rick Sola (00:01.932)
Hello and welcome to Cool Coffee with Kansas Principals in what will be our last official full feature episode of the 24-25 school year. We'll relaunch again in August. But we have some guests here today and it's appropriate to have a couple of these guests because they are friends of the show, been on here multiple times. And one of them was our very first full feature with Dr. Todd Dane, who is joined also by his assistant principal, Mr. Mark Mahoney.
Welcome, Todd Mark.
Todd (00:34.456)
Thanks for having us guys. Good morning. Happy to be here.
Rick Sola (00:38.144)
And then also on the other side, we have also frequent guests on the show. Mrs. Kelly Whitaker joined by her assistant principal, Dr. Johnny Lewis of Ottawa, Kansas. I should have mentioned Shawnee Mission South. I think we know that, but for Todd Dane and Mark Mahoney, but then Kelly and Johnny from Ottawa High School. Guys, thanks for joining.
Kelly Whittaker (00:58.799)
Thanks for having us on this gloomy Tuesday morning.
Rick Sola (01:04.31)
Well, the last time I recorded was with Brittenhart and the power literally was going out on us and it was much worse. So this, this isn't quite as bad, but we'll take it. So summer is in progress. We all just connected last week, just less than a week ago, we were at USA Kansas, which is what really this episode is really featuring is just the USA Kansas conference, which brought a lot of really good material and content.
I know there were some presentations that we were even a part of. But want to hear a little bit and share out kind of bragging on the conference, but debriefing the conference a little bit. And so we'll just jump right into it and kind of get into some of the more meaningful sessions. And we've got five of us here talking, so it can kind of just go free flowing. But I'll just open it straight up with.
You know, when you think back to USA Kansas 2025, the 54th annual conference, what was the number one takeaway for you? And maybe we'll start on the shiny mission Southside, either Mark or Todd, as you left USA Kansas.
Todd (02:20.408)
Well, I'll tell you what, I the thing for me every time, I think it's the same. It doesn't mean that this year didn't shine, but every year for me, it's just the ability to network, to connect, and learn from colleagues across the state, and get great ideas. I, you know, there's some...
really exciting sessions that we attended. But I think just getting ideas from others and sharing those ideas has been the most impactful for me. And as a first time guest there, one thing that I took away was.
was so well organized, it was very detailed. With the ability to go to a session and then be able to unwind with a group of people and talk to them about what's going on in their buildings and share different ideas was super impactful for me and something I can take into the summer and the next school year.
Rick Sola (03:18.252)
Kelly, Johnny, as you come back to Ottawa, and I know you're meeting Kelly, we're talking kind of before we hit record here that your 12 month contract, you're working all summer. A lot of those ideas that you get from conferences like this kind of percolate and then they develop and then they come to fruition in August. What was something that you walked out of the conference with?
Kelly Whittaker (03:41.313)
I walked out, so there was a student leadership group, was shared by Jerry Johnson, he's the high school principal at Holcomb High School out there in western Kansas, and I really enjoyed listening to him and Joe Coles talk about how Jerry has taken leadership, student leadership groups with his juniors and seniors and really just transformed the culture within his building and more importantly built the capacity through his students to be leaders. He made a comment that we always talk about and kind of grumble.
about how our kids don't know how to be leaders, but we don't teach them how to. And I probably am the queen of saying that around my building. So I was really excited to listen to him share a little bit about his journey and his story. And I've already emailed him and looking forward to connect with him and pick his brain a little bit about what that really looks like and how it might transition to a building that's about three times the size as he is. So just kind of curious on what that could look like for us.
I think for me, I left there feeling really hopeful about the state of education in Kansas and just some of the positive things that are happening there. Last session where we just kind of heard lots of good news about education in Kansas was good for me to hear and see and made me grateful. One of the sessions that I loved, I went to a session on our behaviors and our kind of emotional regulation impacts student regulation and so it was
talking about how to help teachers get emotionally regulated when they're dealing with students who are dysregulated. And so two minutes into that session, I was texting one of our teachers who's really passionate about that same kind of thing. And we're ordering books and planning professional development around ways we can help our teachers center themselves when students become dysregulated or tap out and find some help and just identifying some triggers and some skills that they need to help.
regulate themselves when they're in those moments. So that was just kind of some good nuts and bolts things that I took with me.
Rick Sola (05:40.12)
Kelly, you had mentioned seeing Jerry Johnson from Holcomb High School. I was in that session. I didn't realize you were in there, but exactly what you said is what I wrote down to come back to is how often we have leadership groups in our eighth grade, at every grade, but our eighth grade, we have some leaders. We want to have them be influential students. And I really asked myself, how do we teach them to be a leader?
other than say, you're a leader and here's some activities we're going to have you facilitate. How do we actually instruct them on what leadership means? How to be a leader at a middle school? That really stuck out to me and I really appreciated that session from Jerry and Joe. Johnny, you just mentioned you were connecting with your teachers. I guess a question for all of you.
Are you intentional about or do you or just kind of as you go to these conferences do you reach out to your teachers and kind of make it very publicly known what you got out of these conferences? Is that something that you try to do when you go away to these conferences?
Kelly Whittaker (06:56.291)
think when it's applicable, absolutely. Anytime that we hear a good idea or something we could bring back to whether it's our building leadership team, maybe a small group of teachers that could lead some future professional development, we always are processing and trying to do that when we feel like it's right. Not that you're going to try to emulate somebody else and you want to be just like they are, but if someone's got a great idea and we know that that's a gap or a point of struggle in our building.
And how can we take that information and build some capacity through our team to do some great things for our students as well and learn from their expertise in that area.
Todd (07:34.394)
Yeah, I would echo that and that when we go to the conference and bring back an idea or even just
sometimes you just bring back a question, right? And I oftentimes go back to my building leadership team with a question that I have from a conference and how can we apply this here at Shawnee Mission South or how can we make this relevant for kids? And I think one of the most prevalent pieces that we're focused on is making school relevant for teenagers in 2026.
Right? We have to continually evolve and make school relevant for young people. And the traditional high school, the traditional college-bound path and everything else that we all think about school is rapidly changing and evolving. And we have to continue to evolve and meet the needs of our learners. so those are the questions that I bring back to our building leadership team, oftentimes with different ideas and solutions from other principals, and then using that to fit what
we need here.
Rick Sola (08:41.08)
It's been brought up already a couple times, just the conversation that you have with other principals. You know, we all connected in this room last week at Wichita, not during sessions, but during in-between times or after times. And there's so much valuable PD, PLC, principal PLC that occurs kind of informally at these conferences. That's so great. I'm going to throw out a
I guess a subject from the conference last week and it just will just do reactions here. Let's talk keynotes.
Kelly Whittaker (09:21.078)
yeah!
Rick Sola (09:22.008)
Yeah, oh yeah. There were a few. We'll just start it off where the conference started. How would we, you know, just, we're debriefing the conference. Let's debrief the keynotes. Who wants to launch into that one?
Todd (09:44.27)
Yeah, so I, you know, I I was so excited to have coach with us and share that story of of his of you know his team and young man that made all those shots and I think. That's not a new story to me, but I think it's good to.
Kelly Whittaker (09:50.659)
the parade story.
Todd (10:05.366)
remind ourselves why we do this and what we're all about. if the answer to our why isn't kids.
then we're in the wrong business. so I always get excited and emotional whenever we bring it back to students with special needs and that hits home with my family and what we live with. So it's always powerful to me that it comes back to our why and why we get excited and fired up about this thing that we do in schools.
And I'll take a note from Johnny, I called a couple coaches Friday morning, getting ready for this week and camps and summer weights and just try to get the enthusiasm I took from kids and how powerful they are and what we mean to kids. How far it goes just by loving kids and telling how much we appreciate them and kind of just puts a little fire in your belly. And I wanted to share that message with some of our new teachers and some of our veteran teachers that are getting ready to interact with kids.
in the school but not really a school setting this summer and want to get them kind of excited about the summer and next year.
Kelly Whittaker (11:20.215)
And Rick, I always enjoy listening to Anthony McDaniel and Jessica Bernard, the two lawyers that presented at the end. mean, they weren't really a keynote, but they were a main breakout session for everybody. And I always enjoy going to their sessions because they talk about really tough and scary topics and they do it in a manner of which one, we can all understand. Two, they always make it very applicable to our everyday lives as educators and administrators.
And they just do it in a light-hearted but serious manner. So I really enjoyed kind of having that breakout at the end where they got to talk to everybody at the conference that last morning.
Rick Sola (11:59.648)
Yeah, the team that I was with, had several from our district and there were some other lawyer sessions specifically with AI and how it's being used and how it can be used from a parent to type up a message, questioning, challenging perhaps some of the things, decisions that are made and so forth. And you can ask AI to kind of beef it up and make it sound like it's written from a lawyer and how AI is getting used in that way.
just kind of that frontier of AI. But certainly, anytime we hear from attorneys and people who are dealing with this, it's certainly applicable. You said scary. It can be when we think about that. I'll bring up the first keynote, the drummer, Mr. Schulman. I'm going to bring it up because two reasons. One, I got to be featured during that
that speech because I was selected and I received a drumstick at the end of it. you know, there are different things presented, but there was something in particular that stuck out and I wrote it down. And just kind of in a nutshell, Mr. Shulman is a career drummer and has worked with really the biggest names in the music industry all throughout his career. He showed a clip from Pink and I'm not sure if you remember, he actually showed several, but there was one
Todd (12:57.294)
you
Rick Sola (13:25.932)
where she gives him credit for the work he does, but for being the most positive person in the room all the time. And he explained that it dawned on him at that moment that he wasn't asked to be on all these different groups, whether it was Billy Idol or Pink or Cher or whoever, because he was the best drummer, that it hit him that it was what he brought to the table.
as a person and beyond that. And I just thought that was really a really good kind of aha for him, I'm sure. But just some insight on, you know, the things that we bring to the table, kind of the old adage, like you don't have to be the smartest person in the room. But how we present and carry ourselves is really important. And so I really did appreciate that message that was shared in that first keynote. And then
Kelly Whittaker (14:08.527)
Mm-hmm.
Rick Sola (14:21.24)
kind of Todd to your point, the coach that came in. I've heard that story before. I've seen the video before. But oh my gosh, you talk about emotional. And I actually got a book from him afterwards. he just, I mean, there was a long line, but he just sat and kind of talked and just a very genuine guy. So some really, really strong keynotes and presenters that were brought into USA Kansas for sure. Any other sessions? I just want to kind of, you know,
be able to share out as part of, you know, that's something we do here in the building I'm at is we just, we sit down and talk about, okay, you went to this, okay, talk about it, let's share out. Is there any other, are there any other sessions that you attended that kind of for the good, not just for those in this room, but those who might be listening to this podcast that's worth sharing out?
Todd (15:10.412)
Yeah, you know, for what it's worth, I...
I want to give a shout out to Zach Murray and his team at Chanute High School. I thought they did a really nice job of sharing some of the changes that they put in place there, really to be very intentional about their purpose in navigating student leadership and student behaviors. Specifically, I love the idea of what they've done with their freshman introduction class, their freshman orientation course that they created for all
freshman that's required for them as an elective and that's one of those things that you talk to them afterwards and say hey how did you do this and who can teach this and where's the curriculum from and you just want to steal ideas and I've stolen a lot of ideas from other people I steal from Kelly all the time but that's one of those things that I thought was really a big takeaway for me and what they've done at Chanute and hopefully we can find a way to make that work here in Shawnee Mission.
Rick Sola (16:12.48)
Awesome.
Kelly Whittaker (16:13.967)
I went to one by this guy named Todd Daines, that was pretty good, it was on delegation and what I appreciated about that, we got to reflect on it afterward and one of the things I appreciate about Kelly is that she's really reflective and so after we were, you know, part of that session she was able to kind of be vulnerable and ask some questions about how she delegates and like asking me questions about how I perceive the way she delegates and just being reflective about it. So I think that was good for
Todd (16:18.222)
You
Kelly Whittaker (16:43.981)
to just think about how we work with our team and work with people in the building. So helpful stuff.
Rick Sola (16:51.584)
So we got the presenter himself right here, Dr. Dane, in a nutshell. Can you share a little bit about that delegation that you talked about in your session?
Todd (17:02.508)
Yeah, you know, a little bit we focused on how to build capacity in your team and specifically the delegation triangle. it's actually a piece from Model and Edix and
how to how to rotate that delegation triangle where you can release some of that control and a lot of times I think building principles struggle letting go struggle with letting go of control and most most building principles got that way got to that position by out working out hustling out studying their peers and as a building principle that
model doesn't necessarily work. Because you can burn out very, very quickly by trying to do it all. And you really have to be trust willing to trust your team, to trust your administrative team, your office team, your teachers, to build some of that leadership capacity in them to make sure that you maximize your opportunities there in the building. it's just really about how you can
leverage that delegation model and let go of a lot of the responsibilities and share that, share that leadership capacity and in the end empower your whole team.
Rick Sola (18:27.232)
Yeah, I'm curious, what would you say, Dr. Dane, as far as, you sometimes I see that, you you mentioned that burnout and, you because it's hard to delegate and sometimes it gets challenging to delegate when you feel like you've been burned by delegating before. It's almost like, I always feel like sometimes micromanaging is bred from
Todd (18:46.018)
Yeah. yeah.
Rick Sola (18:53.962)
inept or if someone not following through is like, I'm just going to do it. How do you recover from that or what would be your thoughts on that?
Todd (19:02.562)
Yeah, I take it all kind of with a grain of salt. And when I have conversations with principals, sometimes I'll say, why don't you delegate that to your athletic director? Or why don't you give that to an associate principal to do? And sometimes their response is, well, I would, but they'll screw it up. And I said, sometimes the best thing to do is to let them screw it up, and then
use that as a learning opportunity to help teach them through the process. And anytime we navigate one of those scenarios here, I always take the blame, right? So I shoulder the blame for any of those mistakes or errors or missteps and understand that it's my responsibility. And then ultimately, it is my responsibility because I didn't do...
I didn't do my job in making sure that I detailed everything in the delegation process. I didn't give them enough information on the front end. I didn't do enough check-ins. I didn't follow through with the reflection and the details at the end. So I think there's a process to effectively delegate. I've been on the end where I've delegated and I didn't give enough background and I didn't give enough structure. And then I had to
correct my approach as the delegator to make sure that those team members know exactly what the expectation is on the back end and why we have to do things a certain way or what the parameters are. So again, I do think as principals sometimes we're shy about delegating because we have been burned and
I've the one thing that I've learned. I've been the principal here for 10 years now and in that 10 years I've had 14 different associate principals and I've gotten better at delegating. I've gotten better at training them.
Todd (21:00.994)
But it's a process where I also know when I have new ones come in, I've got to allow them to make mistakes because that's when they learn too. And I got to keep giving them opportunities to grow in the process. that's one of my objectives as a principal is to help grow my team, to get them where they want to be.
Rick Sola (21:21.59)
Right, now that's really great and thanks for going into that a little further and I think that's something we all can relate to certainly. Question for Mark and Johnny, what is it like working with the principals of the year?
Kelly Whittaker (21:37.207)
you
Todd (21:39.15)
It's great. I've known Todd for 20 years. I come from a place where I know exactly what he wants and what he needs and his work ethic. So it actually makes my job very, very easy. He has an expectation. I know that if it's not met, he'll tell me. And that's OK, because that's how we grow and get better. And I'm constantly growing.
Kelly Whittaker (21:59.054)
Yeah.
Todd (22:04.002)
That's what was so great about the conference was to talk to other people that live in your world to kind of bounce ideas off of them, see how they learn from their mistakes and how to help me grow as an assistant principal in AD.
But it's an honor to work with Todd and our team. there's never a dull moment at school. And it's not work to me. I enjoy it. I'd like to go back to the conference because we're under construction right now. And it's real now. We're back to work. But it's pleasure.
Rick Sola (22:35.031)
Ha ha ha.
Rick Sola (22:38.634)
Awesome.
Kelly Whittaker (22:40.655)
I kind of ditto what Mark said. I really appreciate that the expectations are very clear. The bar is high.
And if you don't meet it, there's going to be a direct conversation about it. Not a mean one, but a helpful, reflective one. And I really appreciate that. I appreciate receiving feedback if I'm not doing well and also hearing when I'm doing well. And I get both of those things and I really appreciate that. I think one of the gifts that Kelly has that I really, that helps me want to come in to work with her every day, she does a great job of bringing our focus back to what is best for students in this moment and kind of putting aside.
listening to all the different sides of things, then to kind of pull us together and say what's best for kids in this moment. And you know, that's my own why every day. And so it makes me want to get up and come here every day and it's inspiring. And I also just want to mention that I have a couple of times when we were recruiting teachers this spring and we knew they were a little close on which school they were going to go to. Kelly has never mentioned it, but I have said, hey, just so you know, you got a job offer from the Kansas principal of the year. you know, any
Todd (23:49.198)
you
Rick Sola (23:49.44)
You
Kelly Whittaker (23:50.603)
thing we can do to try and get them, you know, I'll do it. So, but I do think it's reflective of this is a place where we take what we do seriously and good things are happening here. So it's a, it is a selling point when we're talking to prospective new staff. So I've tried to use that as well.
Rick Sola (24:07.544)
Well, those are both really nice answers for both of you. was like, you you put that out there and we're streaming, like, who knows what they're going to say? Like, I mean, I didn't know if we'd be 10 minutes in and like, another thing, you know. No, obviously two top notch principals and that I was admiring the rings that come with it at the conference. And so I wanted to bring that up, but obviously two top notch principals.
Todd (24:19.63)
you
Rick Sola (24:35.82)
But also having talked with Kelly and Todd, I know they speak often and very highly of their team, which is both of you. Mark, we had a chance to talk quite a bit at the conference. It was good to catch up with you. both shared a district in our past, but haven't really chatted very much. that's really the value. I think some of the biggest value of these conferences is just that networking and talking. Mark, you mentioned
wanting to go back to the conference and because of the construction kind of made my mind go to November, we have the KPA conference, which is a mini version of this and it's extremely powerful as well. And so just an early plug for that coming up. But yeah, the networking is just just an incredible piece and a lot to be to be brought back to our buildings. And I think all of our buildings are going to be better for those who attended this conference. So
A very critical piece, I think, in our world is really kind of at that time where we're at right now, which is summer. The pace is a little different. We're about to break for summer, if you will. At the same time, personally, I have found summer sometimes doesn't lend itself to that mental break because you're gearing up so rapidly and quickly for the upcoming year. But it is important to do so. So from each of you, just quickly,
What is it that you're gonna do to really kind of be intentional about allowing yourself time to unplug, recharge, because we hear that often, but I don't know how often we allow ourselves to do that, but what's something that you're gonna be doing this summer just to kind of let yourself get away?
Kelly Whittaker (26:19.065)
for me as a high school administrator. Our evenings are very busy and so we're constantly go, go, go, go, go during the nine months of the school year. And so my favorite thing to do just in the summer is that when I leave work, I can actually leave work and very rarely in the summer must I finish a task before tomorrow morning in order to walk in and feel good about where I am. So I tend to use my evenings more just to be with my family, to work out, to just kind of...
relax and unwind. One fun thing I am doing this summer, I bought my mother tickets to see Caitlin Clark play in Indianapolis. so I'm going to be, hopefully she gets her little hamstring healed so I can go and watch her play in Indianapolis with my mom. But that's just kind of what I try to do is connect with my family and do those things that we just don't have time for during the school year, especially as a secondary administrator, because we are at work all the time and at activities in the evenings and on the weekends.
Rick Sola (26:54.487)
Wow.
Kelly Whittaker (27:15.439)
I wouldn't trade it for the world, it's important to take advantage of that down time and that slower pace.
Rick Sola (27:21.889)
Absolutely.
Kelly Whittaker (27:22.851)
Yeah, kind of the same thing. have a almost, he'll be six actually next week. I have an almost six year old and then a 13 year old daughter. And so, you know, they, they miss me on those nights when I'm doing ball games and things. So just a lot of extra time with my kids, time at the pool. My daughter is a huge fan of the band, My Chemical Romance. So in August, they're doing a reunion towards first time they've toured in a long time. So in August I'm taking, Kelly's actually letting me miss.
one of those first days in August when teachers are back so that can do this. We're flying to New York to watch My Chemical Romance at Citi Field and my daughter is so excited that she and I get to do that together. So she's like super pumped. like talks about it every day. We've been planning it since that was her Christmas gift. So we've been planning it for a while. So yeah.
Rick Sola (28:11.254)
That's awesome. And that's kind of going back. mean, they're a little bit of a throwback band at this point. There we go.
Kelly Whittaker (28:17.219)
Yeah, she's old school. She's a cool kid. She's cooler than her dad at this point.
Rick Sola (28:22.008)
That's awesome. We'll enjoy that. What a special time with her. How about Shawnee Mission South over there?
Todd (28:31.822)
I'm super excited both my kids walked down the hill and are college graduates about three weeks ago. It's not gonna be relaxing cuz they're back home in the last four or five years, but we're super excited to have them home. And I'm a lot like Kelly at four o'clock for the most part. I don't take phone calls and don't have games to rush to so I gotta be back home with a.
dogs and my family and looking forward to just pool and relax and hopefully just try to unwind. But it never shuts off, but it's a little bit slower now.
Kelly Whittaker (29:05.967)
Mm-hmm.
Todd (29:08.27)
Yeah, I would say the same. I you know, I I leave work and I go home to my my real boss, the doctor Dane and I orders from her and but our kids are grown now and so it's actually a time where we can spend a little more time together as a couple and just unwind a little bit. I am going to spend a week in Seattle. So super excited about that with any SSP and illuminate. So we're going to go to Seattle and celebrate Kelly Whitaker and the POI is of 2025. And then I'm going to
Rick Sola (29:13.889)
You
Kelly Whittaker (29:34.639)
Woohoo!
Todd (29:38.176)
be presenting at the United Conference there after that piece. So I'm excited to present again at the national level and
went to Seattle last fall and. Spent some time with the Superintendent there from Tacoma and he said that it basically rains every day in Seattle, August through May, but June and July is nice, so I'm looking forward to seeing Seattle in July.
Rick Sola (30:03.96)
You
Rick Sola (30:10.006)
That's awesome. And that kind of Kelly, we brought up the principle of the year, but kind of in a nutshell, the next steps for you with that you're headed to Seattle. What does that look like?
Kelly Whittaker (30:20.055)
Yeah, I get to go to Seattle. I don't really know what it fully looks like because I've not experienced it before. Todd has been able to, but I get to go to Seattle to connect and network with other principals of the year from, principal of the years from other states. I've already been on some podcasts and been able to do a lot of really cool networking with them. So I've kind of gotten to meet some of them ahead of the experience. And there'll be some learning. There's a really cool gala, fancy dinner that we get to go to and you get honored.
They will select the national principal of the year at that banquet. And then I'm not, unfortunately, don't get to stay for the full conference because I'm going home to watch Katelyn Clark play. So going back to Indiana for that. then November 5th and 6th at our conference, we'll get recognized and honored one more time. I have told Carol Letty this multiple times. I think every principal should have the luxury of being a principal of the year at some point in time.
Rick Sola (31:00.216)
Hmm.
Kelly Whittaker (31:15.695)
You can take full advantage of it or not. The networking opportunities that have been afforded to me from the moment that I was named the 2025 Kansas Principal of the Year to right now have been honestly humbling. And I'm getting to meet and learn from some of the best administrators across the country and just very grateful for that process. I am a super reflective human. And so my team might get annoyed by all these great principals and leaders that I'm meeting and just trying to.
get ideas from them about how we can continue to make Ottawa High School a better place for kids.
Rick Sola (31:48.652)
That's great. Well, and what you get from them, bring it back to us and we'll just keep paying it forward, passing it forward. so to all four of you, thanks for joining today. I know it's summer, so it can be a slower pace, but there's no shortage of things to do and to take some time out of your day to jump on here with me. I do appreciate that. And I look forward to catching you all here again soon.
wherever that may be across the summer, whether it's the KPA conference in November, but hopefully sooner than that. Any other final thoughts before we go?
Kelly Whittaker (32:22.351)
Just hope to see all the listeners at the KPA conference in Wichita November 5th and 6th. It's a great opportunity. It's a networking. That is really where I feel like my journey as an administrator in Kansas took off. I went by myself. I didn't know anybody, got connected, met some people, got involved in the KPA Board of Directors and here we are today. So cannot encourage that moment for other administrators more. Just need to be there on November 5th and 6th.
Todd (32:53.176)
Same, I had the same experience. The first time I went I didn't know anybody. And then I ran into Kelly and look out.
Kelly Whittaker (33:00.399)
you
Rick Sola (33:02.296)
Well, 100 % because I still feel fairly new, but same deal. And I've said it on here before, but just joining, obviously doing some of this now, but it's all the connections that we've made. I have had texts with both Todd and Kelly on a candidate, either coming to or going to me or going to them or whatever. So that's just one example. But then the things that we learn from each other are just priceless. And it just helps.
Kelly Whittaker (33:28.249)
So.
Rick Sola (33:30.552)
and having that network, it's comforting too, because there's some challenging moments and we know that and anyway, before we...
Kelly Whittaker (33:37.511)
Rick and I think great friendships come from it and in our line of work it's lonely sometimes. We can't always have a lot of friends within our buildings just because of the nature of the work we do and so just being able to go a couple times a year and reach out to people and stay connected whether that's on social media or via text message or the occasional phone call like to me that fills my bucket because it gets lonely sometimes when you're an administrator because you just don't have a confidant.
to be able to problem solve. so the networking, the friendships, the learning, the reflective moments, I just can't encourage people to join Kansas Principles Association more.
Rick Sola (34:16.93)
Well guys, thank you once again. I appreciate you and all that you do. Look forward to connecting here sometime soon and hearing about how great your summer was. Otherwise, have a good summer and we'll see you around.
Kelly Whittaker (34:27.363)
You too. Thank you, Rick. Thank you for everything you do. Thank you.
Todd (34:29.836)
Thank you.
