Name: Christopher Medinger

Title: Principal

Organisation: Culver City Unified

Christopher Medinger is the Principal of Farragut Elementary School in Culver City, California, where he has focused on fostering a positive school culture and building strong relationships with students, families, and staff. In addition to his role in education, Chris is the owner and founder of Blue Moon Dolphin Cruise, a boat chartering company that takes passengers on breathtaking tours to observe dolphin migrations off the coast of Santa Monica.

Chris began his leadership career as founder of Everest Value a K-8 charter School in urban Los Angeles in 2014. He spent 10 years hiring and developing staff and building a shared value within its community.

In 2023, Chris transitioned to leadership within Culver City Unified School District as the Principal of Farragut Elementary. There, he applied his skills in community-building and communication to restore trust among parents and teachers, running a successful messaging campaign to foster collaboration and shared values.

Alongside his work in education, Chris has been running Blue Moon Dolphin Cruise for over two decades, offering unforgettable experiences for families and visitors seeking to see the dolphins migrating along the Santa Monica Bay’s underwater canyon. The business has also been a popular destination for movie shoots, advertising, and game shows, even earning a feature on CBS's The Talk.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Educational Leadership!

I hope Christopher's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as an Educational Leader?

Educational Leadership, maybe more than most industries, requires trust. Parents trust you with the most precious thing in their lives. Teachers and Staff must trust you to persevere through the obstacles of the classroom. After 20 years with the Values Charter organization, I had forgotten the challenges involved in developing trust. My first few months in Culver City last year was an awakening. Teachers were not ready to change their routines and procedures no matter how I framed the need. Parents were not ready to trust me as I gave feedback on student behaviors and creating a safe space. It was only through a series of collective challenges in our school community, that I eventually earned this trust. It was through sincerity

2. How did you become an Educational Leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Chris’s career began as a teacher at Downtown Value School, a charter school serving low-income students in urban Los Angeles. There, he developed a unique approach combining data-driven instruction with student empowerment, which led to significant improvements in student achievement. His success in the classroom earned him the opportunity to design a mentorship program for other teachers, a role that helped the school more than double its student performance metrics by 2006.

This success laid the foundation for his next venture: founding Everest Value School, a new K-8 charter school in Los Angeles. Starting in 2014, Chris secured a temporary space in a local church and launched an extensive recruitment campaign, bringing in 120 students and hiring a dedicated team of 30 staff members. Over the next eight years, he worked tirelessly to secure a permanent campus for the school, managing to retain key teachers and steadily increase enrollment. His efforts culminated in a successful capital campaign to purchase and build a new campus, securing the school’s future.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Routine has always been a cornerstone of my career. I’m a firm believer in taking small, deliberate steps toward a bigger vision over time. My daily routine remains fairly consistent throughout the school year, though it evolves as my children grow and their needs change. My mornings begin with making coffee and breakfast for the kids, setting a calm, focused tone for the day ahead. After getting ready, I drop my eldest daughter off at school, where we enjoy our daily “car talks.” These moments are precious—she asks questions, and we talk through whatever is on her mind. It’s a time to connect before the busyness of the day sets in. Once I arrive at school, I quickly survey my emails and walk the campus to make sure there are no surprises. I check in with teachers and staff, knowing that mornings are the best time for quick parent meetings or addressing any immediate concerns. I believe in starting the day with positive momentum. Throughout the day, I keep a steady rhythm of regular meetings—whether it’s with academic leads, the office, Special Education, or counselors. I also make time to join the older students during lunch and recess to keep things running smoothly, maintaining a presence to encourage structure and prevent any behavior issues. As the day winds down, I address emails and any issues that have cropped up, ensuring that I communicate with parents and staff before the bell rings. After school, I dive into deeper meetings to discuss programming and academic data, making sure we’re staying aligned with our goals. When I pick up my daughter in the afternoon, I carve out time for a debrief call with my Assistant Principal, where we review the day and plan for the next. This keeps us both on track and ensures nothing falls through the cracks. In the evening, I fully switch gears and embrace my role as a father. After picking up my daughter, we dive into schoolwork together, do chores, and share dinner as a family. Once the kids are asleep, my wife and I unwind with our favorite TV shows, recharging for the next busy day.

4. What's a recent lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of as an Educational Leader?

Recently, I’ve gained valuable experience working with a Teacher’s Union. In the world of charter schools, we often relied on teachers and staff to take on roles that extended beyond their formal job descriptions. However, under collective bargaining agreements, change moves at a more deliberate pace, and there’s a stronger emphasis on collaboration and shared decision-making. I’ve learned that in this environment, it’s essential to approach change with patience and a focus on compromise. Building consensus and sharing ownership of decisions becomes key to progress. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the power of planting ideas and allowing them to grow organically. By carefully nurturing staff and encouraging ownership of initiatives, I’ve seen how individuals will take the lead and invest time and energy into ensuring those ideas succeed. When people feel personally invested in a project, they naturally put in the effort to make it work.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your journey as an Educational Leader so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted you?

The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni has had the most profound impact on my career. While the book wasn't specifically written for school leaders, its insights on managing conflict and facilitating meetings have been truly transformative. Lencioni’s approach to fostering a culture of trust and collaboration helped me create environments where open dialogue and compromise could thrive. These principles have become the foundation of my leadership style, allowing me to build stronger relationships and cultivate a more cohesive, productive team. When I first read the book, I was navigating the challenges of keeping enrollment stable at Everest during the height of COVID, all while operating in a temporary and somewhat unsafe church space. I applied Lencioni’s strategies to create safe spaces where staff concerns and family needs could be voiced openly. By facilitating these conversations, we were able to find common ground and develop solutions that the entire community could rally behind, ultimately strengthening our commitment to each other and the school’s mission.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young educator who aspires to be an Educational Leader, what would you say to them?

Trust that you can endure the journey and go out and reach your full potential.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as an Educational Leader, so far?

When I think of a story that truly resonates with me, it’s about a former student and her family. They had braved an arduous journey from El Salvador to the southern border when she was just two years old. I first met this family in my third year as a 2nd-grade teacher. From the start, they were not only deeply involved in their own child’s education but also eager to contribute to the classroom as a whole. One of my passions is gardening, and they jumped in to help me build a brand-new school garden—a project that brought our classroom community even closer. Fast forward 15 years, and this same student found me again at Everest. She applied to work in our after-school program, and I immediately recognized that same drive and passion for helping others that her mother had shown with the garden. Having received DACA support, she was now attending college and wanted to contribute part-time. A few years later, she graduated and began working toward her teaching credential. Today, she is an English Language Development teacher and a true force of nature in the classroom. Throughout our conversations, she has often thanked me for the role I played in her journey. But I always remind her that it is her dedication and resilience that have been a constant inspiration to me in my own path as an educator.