Grounds For Conversation: Education leaders unite to share barriers, successes, & support

The first Grounds for Conversation event brewed up more than just coffee — it sparked connection, reflection, and a like-minded commitment to student and educator well-being. 

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The inspiration for the new monthly virtual meetup came from Sown To Grow team member and former school administrator, Francisco Castillo-Fierro, who understands the many rewards of leadership, as well as its challenges.

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“I wanted to create a safe space to unite educators in thought-partnership, share barriers and successes, and support one another in this work,” Castillo-Fierro explained. “Combine that idea with some caffeine and our company’s ‘always growing’ motto, and from there came Grounds for Conversation.”

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During the March 20 peer-led panel, more than a dozen leaders who partner with Sown To Grow from across the country gathered to share stories, insights, and actionable takeaways to improve social, emotional, and academic well-being in their schools and districts.

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Here’s a deeper look at the heartfelt discussions and ideas that emerged, and the true sense of community that took root. 

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Steeping In Insights: Key takeaways from the panel

After setting intentions for the conversation to be interactive, authentic, and mindful, Castillo-Fierro introduced the two administrators who led the first segment: Courtney Mackey, Mental Health Coordinator at South Hadley Public Schools in Massachusetts, and Shelby DeMitry, Principal at Canaseraga Central School District in New York.

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Both leaders shared their journey to providing more proactive student support. For Mackey, she observed the “disjointed” nature of the four schools in South Hadley, as well as the absence of an SEL curriculum and very few Tier 1 interventions.

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In order to promote more districtwide community and continuity, Mackey searched for a student-centered survey and curriculum solution with a realistic, low-lift implementation.

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“I had many, many, many vendor meetings…but I saw Sown To Grow won a Supes’ Choice Award,” she said, “...and after a deeper dive, it checked all of our boxes.”

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Since rolling out the platform in August 2024, South Hadley students have written more than 20,000 reflections. Along with this achievement, Mackey also discussed the other positives, as well as challenges, of implementation, both of which were relatable for many in the Grounds for Conversation group.

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As for DeMitry, she sought a way to meet New York State’s SEL Benchmarks while also serving the “extremely high” needs of Canaseraga’s rural student population. Having positive experiences with Sown To Grow in her previous district, DeMitry gave it another go.

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“We've been able to catch those students that would normally fly under the radar,” she said. “They feel this is a safe platform.”

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As seen in the data slide above, Canaseraga had an impressive drop in alerts over the years, which DeMitry credits to students feeling comfortable to ask for help from any adult in the building. 

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Both of these leaders’ inspiring progress on student well-being provided a solid starting point for the remainder of the Grounds for Conversations dialogue.

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Blending Perspectives: Highlights from the whole group

Following the compelling introductions by Mackey and DeMitry, the group split into breakout rooms to further discuss insights related to four key areas:

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To wrap up this segment, the whole group returned to discuss how they handle crucial SEL-related issues for leaders like parent approval vs. resistance, teacher buy-in, chronic absenteeism, and hard-to-reach students.

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On the topic of culture, Jonathan Sison, Principal at Frank Ledesma Elementary in California, recalled how he pitched a new perspective to staff at the beginning of 24-25.

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“I just said to my teachers, ‘we measure what we treasure, right? Math, reading, writing…oh, and if we have extra time, let's think about social-emotional learning and behavior,” Sison quipped. “So basically, I flipped that around and said, this year, let's start with kids feeling good about coming to school, and then we’ll talk about academics. And it’s made all the difference.”

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This change not only resulted in fewer office referrals and less discipline-related parent meetings, Sison said, but most importantly, students can see and feel the positive impact.

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Pouring It Forward: Next steps and reflections

Saving what some may argue is the best for last, Castillo-Fierro raffled off a $25 Starbucks card and announced that the panelists would share copies of their resources and templates, including a couple linked below:

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Whether you joined Grounds for Conversation live, or you just caught up here and now, we look forward to continuing to host opportunities for Sown To Grow partners to collaborate and support one another.

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We wish you the best in navigating the rewards and challenges of this vital work, and our team is here to have your back throughout every step of the process.

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☕ 🪴 Interested in joining or leading a future Grounds For Conversation event? (Next date TBD) Email francisco@sowntogrow.com to connect!