There are great things happening all over the country in schools, but nobody is really talking about it. It’s our job to do it.”

Leading with passion and enthusiasm is what Dr. Joe Sanfelippo is all about. If you’ve followed #SocialSchool4EDU for any length of time, you will already be familiar with Joe.

Joe is the superintendent at Fall Creek School District in Wisconsin. When I got started in social media for schools over four years ago, he was the very first person I met with. He is an open book when it comes to sharing the way he has empowered his community to tell their story to the world.

Joe is also an author, keynote speaker, podcaster, coach, dad, husband, and supporter of every educator in the world. Get to know him in this twenty-five minute interview.

Here are a few highlights of what Joe shares in the interview:

• The Facebook page in Fall Creek started in 2011. They were an early adopter!
• One simple rule: “Never give up the opportunity to say something great about your school!” You have to build a culture of storytelling. In the absence of knowledge, people make up their own stories in their minds. We have to tell those stories.



• If you’re just getting started, get consistent with your hashtag. It makes it easy for people to find out about your school and it allows everyone to be part of telling that story.
• Fall Creek makes social media very visible within the building. To learn more about the details behind this, check out this blog.
• Servant leadership is key, and each year Joe gives away personal days to staff – and he takes over for them. Check out this hilarious video when he becomes custodian for Shirley.
• Joe provides several ideas about welcoming new staff into your school. From creative job offers to #GoCrickets swag, their new teachers feel like part of the community from day one.

For all of this and more, check out the full video! And don’t forget to stay tuned to #SocialSchool4EDU for the latest tips, tricks, and inspiration for telling your story. If you’re not on our newsletter list yet, sign up now!