EdCircuit Staff 
Getting to know the presenters at FETC 19 FETC 2019 is almost here, and we are continuing our series of interviews with conference presenters. Reflecting on past conversations with featured speakers is a perfect way to roll into 2019’s premier edtech event.
The ever-enthusiastic Joe Sanfelippo, Superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Wisconsin, believes in telling the positive stories of his district. He is an inspiring educator who has relayed his positive messaging in keynote addresses, interviews, and social media posts. He has established a platform on social media with other superintendents around the globe, and the results have been extraordinary. As a result of his social media success, the district has increased its engagement with students, staff and the community.
Enjoy as we revisit this interview between Sanfelippo and Dr. Berger, and read below to get a preview of the sessions Joe will be presenting at FETC 2019 in Orlando.
Joe Sanfelippo’s Sessions at FETC 2019:
Session C118 | Changing the Narrative
- Room: SOUTH 310EF
- Tuesday, January 29, 2019: 2:00 PM – 2:40 PM
Description
When is the last time something amazing happened in your school? How many people knew about it? The work done in schools all across the globe is spectacular. Kids gather…learn…leave…and make the world we live in a better place. So…amazing things happen all the time. School perception is often based on the narrative of those who attended years ago. Telling the real story of schools helps create a narrative that builds culture and gives everyone in your community an identity. Empowering those around you to be the storytellers of your district is a great way to celebrate the success of students with parents and the community. FIND YOUR AUDIENCE…BUILD YOUR BRAND…CELEBRATE KIDS!!
Session C005 | Hacking Leadership
- Room: SOUTH 310BC
- Tuesday, January 29, 2019: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Description
Water is amazing and always finds a way. It has the ability to form, replenish our system, and power equipment. Leaders have the same properties. The best leaders take little openings and create space for those they lead. They find the smallest cracks of opportunity and create a path that was not there before. They shape the land. They find a way. Hacking leadership is about finding innovative solutions to issues that have plagued the system for years, and implementing them tomorrow. Utilizing the tools in Hacking Leadership will allow you and your team to find the openings and create space for those you lead. Space to learn. Space to teach. Space to thrive.
Session C224 | Leading the Learning
- Room: SOUTH 220B
- Wednesday, January 30, 2019: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Description
Ever feel like you arrive at school, go through the day, and wonder if anything actually got done? The day-to-day operations tend to impede our opportunity for administrators to grow and learn in their position. The administrator in a school is responsible for leading a learning organization. If we are going to lead the learning in schools, we need to find a way to do it together. Too often administrators are left on an island because they are the only person in the building with a particular role. This session provides a road map for taking ownership of your learning, while still leading the work done at the building level.
Session $W129 | Creating a Culture of Yes
- Room: SOUTH 220A
- Monday, January 28, 2019: 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Description
Dr. Joe Sanfelippo is the Superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, WI, named an Innovative District in 2016 & 2017 by the International Center for Leadership in Education. Come hear how he employs a mindset that enables opportunity for growth. YES invites opportunity; NO closes the door on it. YES creates value; NO destroys it. The leader who wants to transform schools looks for ways to exchange mutual value with others; to find opportunities to respond to what others desire. To serve others in a way that will create long-term relationships that prosper both the organization and the individual. Creating a culture of YES helps leaders see the opportunities for those they lead as opposed to the reasons why ideas won’t work. Learn how to develop an environment where trust and YES are the default to transform the learning for students and staff. Hear how to model a spirit of “yes” and reinforce a spirit of “yes.” Finally, create ideas about how to reward a spirit of “yes” and make your staff heroes. The choice is yours to create a culture of “yes” — and it makes all the difference!
About
Dr. Joe Sanfelippo is the Superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, Wisconsin. The Fall Creek School District was named an Innovative District in 2016 and 2017 by the International Center for Leadership in Education.
Joe co-hosts the Hacking Leadership Podcast and co-authored The Power of Branding: Telling Your School’s Story, Principal Professional Development: Leading Learning in a Digital Age, and Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love. He was 1 of 50 Superintendent selected as Personalized Learning Leaders by the US Department of Education in 2016 and named 1 of 5 K-12 administrators to watch in 2018 by Education Dive.
View Joe’s full edCircuit interview A Passionate Superintendent Inspires with Positivity
Hear more from Joe Sanfelippo and other innovative analysts, thought leaders, and educators at the 2019 Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC), January 27-30 in Orlando, Florida. Learn more here.
- FETC Blog – Smart People Talking About Smart Things | Lori Jackson
- Getting Smart – 26 Can’t-Miss Education Conferences for 2019
- edCircuit – Meet Your Favorite EdTech Authors at FETC 2019 (Part 3)
