The Power of Place: Rooting School Leaders in St. Louis
The Center for Education Leadership (CFEL), a program of the St. Louis Community Foundation, held its second annual School Leaders Retreat in July of 2026. Over the course of a week, a unique and driven cohort of school leaders representing our region’s public schools came together to develop their leadership skills, build connections and community, and perhaps most importantly, experience joy as a way to sustain themselves in their professions.
The choice to focus on sustaining and developing strong leaders is intentional in its design. Under the Youth Connections priority area of the Foundation’s strategic plan, CFEL strategically invests in principals and educators, who we believe are the highest leverage points inside a school¹; developing leaders directly influences teachers and students, as leaders shape school culture and climate, and affect student outcomes.
Cohort 2 of the School Leaders Retreat includes a diverse mix of experienced and more emerging principals, with charter and district leaders, elementary, middle and high schools, and city and county leaders represented. We were also thrilled to welcome back eight of the ten inaugural members of the retreat as presenters, facilitators, and peers. Through their participation, the inaugural cohort deepened and extended their own learning through new skill development and exploration, as well as contributed concrete, real-life examples and guidance to the next cohort. This provided an invaluable connection back to the reality of daily life as a school leader, which grounded the learning in a powerful way.
The theme of this year’s Retreat was Power of Place, rooting learning and experiences in the St. Louis itself. Through guided lessons, presentations, and explorations, the Retreat aimed to ground the group in the unique and specific history of education in St. Louis, and reflect on how that history informs and shapes our school system today. A highlight of the Retreat was hearing from Vivian Gibson, author of The Last Children of Mill Creek Valley, who shared her reflections on growing up in the now-demolished neighborhood. Vivian Gibson brought the Retreat’s theme, The Power of Place, to life. Her story began when her father moved to St. Louis to attend the newly constructed Vashon High School in the late 1920s.
More than one hundred years later, one of Vashon’s current school leaders reflected on how impactful the community he built at the Retreat has renewed his purpose in education leadership.
“The Retreat provides so much for St. Louis leaders. Personally, it came at a critical point in my leadership journey and gave me the clarity and strength to continue leading in my district. I can honestly say I’m not sure I would still be here without that experience.”
- Brandon Clay, Vashon High School Co-Principal
As a way to practice teamwork, build trust, and further ground ourselves in the power of place-based learning, the group took a guided canoe trip in the Mississippi River with parter River City Outdoors. We pushed off at the historic Eads Bridge and began with a short paddle upstream, learning about some notable historic landmarks and caught unparalleled views of some of St. Louis’s oldest riverfront buildings. The trip ended just south of the Arch, where we enjoyed snacks and refreshments on the historic cobblestone levee. This new experience really pushed each individual in the group to step out of their comfort zones, rely on and trust one another, and trust that they could figure it out as a team was a uniquely grounding and bonding experience- and included practicing skills that leaders can use in their schools daily!
With the 2026-2027 school year just around the corner, leaders will be focused on strengthening academic outcomes for students and fostering a welcoming school environment. Each principal is implementing a project at their school this year, rooted in reflections they had at the Retreat. These mini-grants extend the leaders’ learning to impact everyone in their building, including teachers and students, and are funded through a partnership between CFEL and the Innovative Technology Education Fund (ITEF). Leaders will gather quarterly to deepen their learning throughout the year.
The St. Louis Community Foundation is proud to support this unique effort that delivers a high-quality development opportunity for school leaders right here in St. Louis.
¹How Principals Affect Students and Schools | Wallace Foundation: https://wallacefoundation.org/report/how-principals-affect-students-and-schools-systematic-synthesis-two-decades-research