Fantastic Fridays & TikTok Mornings: How Bill Gallagher Builds Culture at Northshore High School [b0KN7jW4LHa]
In this episode, host Karen Borchert sits down with Bill Gallagher, Principal of Northshore High School in Slidell, Louisiana, where a diverse community, a family feel, and a whole lot of creativity shape daily life. A former coach who stepped into the principal role mid-pandemic, Bill has spent the last six years building a culture rooted in belonging, recognition, humor, and steady leadership through change. From TikTok morning messages to “Fantastic Friday” phone calls, from empowering teachers to letting seniors bring a lawnmower on “Anything But a Backpack Day,” Bill shows what happens when school feels human, joyful, and connected. Together, Karen and Bill dive into culture-building that’s both intentional and fun and why talking to students may be the simplest, most powerful leadership move of all. 💡 Little Wins in This Episode: 1. About All Kids: Bill’s three-word culture mantra—and why inclusiveness is the heartbeat of Northshore. 2. Traditions That Stick: How post-COVID improvisation on the football field sparked new student-led rituals. 3. Empowering Staff: From eliminating mass emails to letting teachers run the school’s “Future Focus” night. 4. The Daily TikTok: Why a 60-second video builds connection, consistency, and joy across a 1500-student campus. 5. Fantastic Friday Calls: Celebrations that make parents cry happy tears—and are now spreading across the district. 6. Growing Together: How shifting the entire district to block scheduling became a collective exercise in trust and growth mindset. Key Moments 00:01 Introducing Principal Bill Gallagher and Northshore High School 04:22 A family of educators & the unexpected path to leadership 06:58 Becoming principal overnight… in the middle of COVID 10:17 New traditions & letting students lead the fun 15:02 Empowering a 165-person staff through ownership and trust 16:35 Northshore Notes & the zero mass-emails policy 20:02 Future Focus Night and letting teachers shine 24:29 The power of being “just people” with your team 25:04 Why Bill makes a TikTok video every school day 32:11 Fantastic Friday phone calls and spreading recognition 36:41 How student & staff culture fuel each other 37:15 Moving to block scheduling—and navigating it together 42:36 Lightning Round: About All Kids, alumni teachers, & what every educator can do right now Connect with Bill Gallagher LinkedIn: Website: Follow Us Karen’s LinkedIn: Alpaca LinkedIn: Alpaca Website: Alpaca Resources Library: 🧵 About the Podcast: Little Wins is the podcast that digs into the small, deliberate actions school leaders are taking to build strong, human-centered cultures. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Alpaca for more conversations on building powerful school cultures.