TEACHING SERIOUS LEADERSHIP

Teaching Serious

Teaching Serious Leadership

Who is Matt Powell and why does he lead? Our Student Body Co-Presidents asked what brought him to Justin-Siena

CT: How has the experience as President been for you up to this point? MP: It’s been great! It’s been wonderful meeting all the teachers and getting to know as many students as possible. I love the culture here. I think everybody is open and warm and I like that so many students participate in activities. I’ve enjoyed going to volleyball and football games, as well as water polo matches, not to mention, Let Us Dismember. The community is really strong and Lasallian. The students get our Five Core Principles. That was on full display at the Kairos retreat I participated in.

HB: How does the Lasallian mission guide your leadership? MP: It’s why I do what I do. You’ve probably heard me say that I was introduced to the Lasallian mission when I was 14-years-old. During my four years of high school, I was the class president. Service was always important to me. The Christian Brothers’ spirituality, hospitality, and welcoming nature are what guide me. I went back to teach when I was twenty-three because I wanted to be like my teachers. When I left teaching years later, I served on the Board of LaSalle High School in Milwaukie, OR. Soon after, I was called to start what is known as a Cristo Rey School in Portland. Not tuition driven, these schools serve only low income families. The core principles of service, concern for the poor, and the spirituality of God being present in all that we do, have always been strong beliefs of mine. EM: Out of the Five Core Principles, which one is reflected the most on our campus? MP: That’s a great question. I’m influenced by what I see and hear on our Brave for a Day. The Student Ambassadors consistently refer to our school’s inclusive community. They talk about why they come here and why they stay, and the emphasis on inclusivity is very evident. I love hearing stories from students who decided to come here alone - not knowing anyone - and integrated quickly into the community.

HB: You often ask students why they chose Justin-Siena. So why did you? MP: I stayed for 14 years at my school in Portland. I was proud to be part of that founding group, but when I was asked to go to the Lasallian Christian Brothers Foundation in Napa, my wife, Jamie, and I decided to relocate. I worked at Mont La Salle from 2014 until last June. While I was with the Foundation, I ended up taking on the role of interim president at three Lasallian schools within our District. In doing so, I was reminded how much I loved being around students, teachers, and being part of how a school operates. I just felt so energized and fulfilled. The work I did at the Foundation was important–we raised money for low income children to attend our 22 schools in the west, but again, working directly with students is what I enjoy. So when there was an opening here at JustinSiena for a permanent presidential position, I felt I needed to apply. Hunter actually showed me around and the rest is history. Hunter was my tour guide; he talked about the size of the chocolate chip cookies.

HB: Speaking of chocolate chip cookies, what’s your favorite thing from the Bassett’s in the Dining Hall? MP: The chicken wrap.

CT: We look up to you and so do a lot of other students. I was wondering what kind of leader do you hope to be for the students here? MP: That’s another great question. In contemporary leadership there’s a buzz term–being a “servant leader.” I don’t believe in being a hierarchical leader. I would never ask a teacher or a student to do something that I wouldn’t do. I think being a leader means making tough decisions in the best interest of the school; sometimes as a teacher you’re balancing the individual versus the institution. Often tough choices force you one way or another. A top priority for me is to make this school accessible to lots of different people. I believe in raising funds that will allow access to students regardless of their socio-economic capabilities. This is incredibly important to me.

HB: We just had our Just-in Service Day. All the different sports and co-curricular clubs did a day of service in Napa. As students we are told on the first day of freshman year, “We enter to learn and we leave to serve.” In your experience, how does leadership inform service and vice versa? MP: That’s great. That phrase is used throughout the world and it was first discovered when the Brothers made an international video. They were filming at a school in India and at the door’s entrance it read, “Enter to Learn,” and at the exit, “Leave to Serve.” That appeared on the video; it became our tagline and now it’s used all over the world. When we started the school in Portland, we intentionally designed the entrance so that when you went in the door you saw “Enter to Learn’’ and when you left you saw “Leave to Serve.” It’s why we have schools like ours. You can be college prep, you can engage in academic excellence, but to me, how we are framing folks to leave here and enter the world is of the utmost importance. The mission statement at Justin-Siena is really interesting to me. It talks about how we are a Lasallian Catholic school and we are preparing students to serve in an everchanging world. I hope that’s what we’re doing in and out of the classroom. As faculty, we started the school year with our annual beginning of the year retreat and we went out into the Napa community and did service. It’s another example of modeling leadership–not just talking about it.

The Christian Brothers’ spirituality, hospitality, and welcoming spirit are what guide me.