The Founder & Creative Director of The AM Project on using digital art and music to prepare young people for success in school and life. 

Our first episode of Season 2 features Abigail Cram! Abigail has spent the past fourteen years working for architecture and design firms on education projects Spanning PK-12 to higher education for both public and private schools. Abigail is passionate about designing flexible and enlivening spaces for 21st century teaching and learning. She designs to encourage critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. It’s pretty obvious why she was the perfect guest for this podcast. 

Ryan York tells us about his proposed K-12 Public School, The Gathering Place, and why it seeks to celebrate every child's inner-brilliance. We cover the importance of creativity to self-actualization, social-emotional well being, community building, and authentic & valuable learning experiences in school. 

Gabbie Gamez is the founder of Annie Creative Studio for Wellness. Annie’s is a the coalescing of her experience as a teacher, an artist, and art therapist! She’s worked in classrooms, art studios, and hospital units. Gabbie is passionate about using the arts to serve students of all ability levels. I’m excited for you all to hear more about who she is and the impact of her work on student’s lives! Enjoy. 

Paul Morrissey is the Founder & Executive Director of Compass Rose, a tuition free public charter school network in San Antonio with an innovative approach to college and life readiness. Compass Rose offers  computer programming, engineering, and entrepreneurship programs that set it apart from other college prep charters. Paul is super in touch with how his own story and how it informs his work as an educator. he’s reflective about his leadership, a quality that comes through in our conversation, and he’s passionate about building schools that support kids in blazing their trail and building their dreams. 

This episode features artist & arts educator, Katie Pell. Katie has a way of speaking that's direct, incisive, raw, and just FUNNY. If you've seen her art, you know it's all those things, too. Katie was super willing to get abstract, which I love. We talked somewhat philosophically about education and the act of making art. And, most importantly, she's comfortable with the vulnerable. I thank her for opening up about the hard things in her life and how she's moving through them. I hope you enjoy! Check out Katie's work at katiepellart.com.

Hi Everyone! Welcome back to the school stories podcast. This episode of School Stories features Alejandro Perez-Segnini! Alejandro is the co-founder and creative director at Chamoy Creative, a advertising & marketing agency in San Antonio with a knack for connecting with the hispanic & millennial market. Alejandro is a ball of creative energy, he seems to vibrate with excitement about the work he's doing at Chamoy, and It's contagious. Enjoy! 

In this episode, I interview Blanca Luna, the administrator at The Circle School. The Circle School is a co-op style school in San Antonio, Texas. Blanca discusses the importance of trust in building healthy communities, viewing kids and parents as whole people, and the power of empathy in leadership. Enjoy!