Elevating School Culture in Contentious Times
Jun 25, 2025 4:00PM—Jun 28, 2025 10:00AM
Location
Nevada City, CA
Cost Early Bird Pricing (Available until June 4): $3,095 individual and $2,610 group-rate 2+
Categories Equity & Inclusion, In-Person, Leadership, Retreat, School Leaders, Social & Emotional Learning, Summer Institute
Elevating School Culture in Contentious Times
DAY 1: June 25, 2025 | Begins at 4:00pm
DAY 2: June 26, 2025
DAY 3: June 27, 2025
DAY 4: June 28, 2025 | Ends at 10:00am
ABOUT THIS IN-PERSON SUMMER INSTITUTE
As school leaders, we recognize the growing need to nurture a positive school culture and address the evolving challenges our schools and students face, including events on the world stage, a contentious political environment, the outsized influence of social media and the advent of AI. This retreat will focus on a range of practices, directed towards personal growth, honest reflection, and embodied presence, that can support educators to show up in these contentious times for our students, colleagues, and schools.
Held on a private property in the serene Sierra Nevada Foothills, this retreat will allow educators to share their experiences and find common ground; elaborate the connections between different cultural challenges involving students, faculty and staff, and parents, and identify root causes; develop a shared vocabulary around the key elements of a healthy school culture. The intentional setting is meant to inspire an interruption of routines and patterns, so that we can think creatively about our school communities and the power of culture and counter-culture. Throughout this process we will build community and share practices that participants can take back to their home institutions.
QUESTIONS WE WILL CONSIDER
- What is the inside work we each must do professionally and personally, to lead our schools towards a healthier way of operating?
- We will collectively connect the dots of our own internal leadership landscapes to consider our impact and place within our school cultures. How do we change, evolve and grow to create the change in schools we want to see?
- How do we maintain our strength and courage in times of contention so we can lead effectively and stay healthy and well?
- What are the prevailing trends or changes in your school culture that you have noticed over the past two years? How have they affected the way you do your work? The way you feel about the work that you do?
- How can we approach the culture work in schools as a collective, rather than in silos?
- What needs to be built or broken down to ensure that our schools remain or become counter cultural places where everyone thrives?
- What needs to be prioritized to ensure positive aspects of your leadership remain intact? What structures need to be put in place to allow for flexibility, risk taking, and yes…failure.
WHAT TO EXPECT
- Hiking and Solo Nature Time: Explore scenic trails, and immerse yourself in nature.
- Communication Workshop: Strengthen your communication and leadership skills with techniques that can be applied to both your professional role and personal life.
- Thanksgiving Address: Participate in a practice of gratitude to nourish a close, personal, relationship with the natural world.
- Council: Gather around the fire circle for relaxation, conversation, and reflection.
- Internal Self-Management: Consider the strategies needed to make lasting change in yourself as a leader and educator.
- Nourishing Food: Hearty and delicious meals will be provided from dinner on Wednesday through breakfast on Saturday.
LEARNING GOALS
- Think critically about culture - and school culture in particular - as a field of practice
- Reflect on their school’s culture, identifying patterns and trends that shape student behavior and outcomes
- Work collaboratively on creative solutions to concrete problems of practice in their school communities.
- Foster connections and network with other school leaders who are dedicated to building healthy school culture at their home institutions.
AUDIENCE
This is an excellent opportunity to regroup after the school year as we look ahead towards meaningful student life programming for the 2025-26 school year. This offering is intended for school administrators and faculty who want to take practical steps towards improving school culture within their scope as school-wide leaders (Heads of School, Division Heads/Directors, Deans of Students, DEIB Practitioners, Student Government mentors, Grade Level Deans, club leaders etc), starting with the internal leadership work required to lead authentically and effectively. Faculty and administrators invested in the work of student retreats, advisory, student leadership/government programming, faculty inservice and general start of the year tone setting and community building will find this retreat particularly helpful.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Participants will stay in single occupancy glamping tents. The tents are 12x10x8, and include a twin memory foam mattress, linens, elevated bed frame, rug, lantern and luggage rack. There is a large deck and small kitchen that is available for participant use throughout the week. We will cook meals together in a large outdoor kitchen. Participants will also have indoor access to bathrooms and showers, as well as the use of a private outdoor shower.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Dot Kowal is the Head of Upper School at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, CA. She is a licensed clinical psychotherapist, and has extensive experience as a long time independent school college counselor and DEIB practitioner. Dot is a frequent CATDC collaborator, having co-facilitated workshops about Equity in College Counseling, Unpacking the Model-Minority Myth, and co-facilitated a community conversation about Asian Educators for Black Lives Matter. Her work is and always has been about making a difference in individual lives through equity-minded and inclusive practices and policies.
Eli Marienthal is the founder and Executive Director of Back to Earth, a nature connection, leadership development organization based in Berkeley, CA. He has spent the last ten years guiding wilderness immersions and rites of passage journeys for teenage boys in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Eli has also collaborated with middle and high schools across the Bay Area to develop unique outdoor education, leadership training, and school culture-building experiences. His work as an educator, mentor, and coach focuses on supporting people to connect deeply with nature, spirit, and themselves.
RETREAT LOCATION
Cancellation Policy
Life happens. We understand that there will be times when you cannot attend a workshop that you have registered and paid for. We strive to be as helpful and flexible as possible when things out of your control happen. Please visit our FAQ page for detailed information about our cancellation policy and answers to frequently asked questions about enrollment and membership.