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NHA’s North Carolina Schools Gather for Team Building and Planning Day

NHA Communications Team  |  August 13, 2021
It’s “All-Hands-on-Deck” for National Heritage Academies’ (NHA) North Carolina schools. On Aug. 4, principals and deans gathered at Gate City Charter Academy for a day of team building and planning.

The goal of the day was to strengthen connections between school leaders and all the departments who support our leaders and teachers, such as Curriculum & Instruction (C&I), School Leadership Development (SLD), English Language, Special Education (SPED), and Admissions. “A day like this sets school leaders up for success because then all school leaders and support departments have clarified expectations and understand our common goals for support and teacher development,” said Lori Hill, director of school quality.

Adults gathered around a table.

This was the first time all key players were brought together, and school leaders enjoyed getting to know their support partners a little better and strengthening those relationships.

The day started out with leaders revealing their DOPE (Dove, Owl, Peacock, and Eagles) personalities and discussed ways to work with team members of differing styles. DOPE is a personality test and is a readily available tool for those who are earnestly interested in self-discovery. The questions are done in a fun yet introspective way. There were more than a few peacocks ready to strut their stuff, but the eagles kept everyone on task.

Three people reading from a notebook.

Then, North Carolina support teams shared their purpose and key factors to ensure a successful start to school. These teams included C&I, SLD, SPED, and Admissions. 

To wrap the day, school teams broke out into their “Team One” groups, which is the team leaders serve on, and planned how to integrate the new schedules into the 2021-22 school year. Team NC is taking the approach of “All-Hands-on-Deck” this year.

Learning poster.

North Carolina’s NHA schools live by the following purposes:
  • We are dedicated professionals who specialize in growing and developing the critical components that are fundamental to school success (Instruction, Leadership, Special Populations, and Enrollment).
  • We exist to partner with school leaders to develop, implement, and coach strategic solutions that will improve the overall health, success, and long-term stability of the school community.
  • We value proactive, relational, and intentional collaboration, attention to equity, respect for diverse expertise and knowledge, clear and timely communication, active engagement, and achieving results.

“The mission is the same across North Carolina and NHA, and that is to ensure our students are college ready when the leave us in eighth grade,” said Hill.