A Passionate Superintendent Inspires with Positivity

The legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, is arguably considered one of the greatest motivators in the history of sports. As the saying goes, he could get his players ready to run through a brick wall for him. Just 160 miles west of Green Bay in the town of Fall Creek, Wisconsin, Joe Sanfelippo, the superintendent of the Fall Creek School District, is following in the spirit of Lombardi. Joe is known throughout education for his inspiring keynote addresses and, as you’ll see in this interview, his passion for kids and education.

Willing to Make a Change

Joe puts a positive spin on everything, encouraging and inspiring greatness among his teachers and students. He says it stems from getting tired of listening to people in the community telling negative stories about the school that happened 25 years ago. People were retelling stories that no longer had any relevance to what was going on today, but couldn’t seem to let it go.

Power of Positivity

Joe wants to tell positive stories about his school, his teachers, and his kids. He recounts his positive message in interviews, keynote addresses and on social media. Taking advantage of social media has given Joe a platform to connect with other superintendents around the globe, and the results have been astounding. It’s even carried over into engagement with students, staff and the community. Joe enjoys tagging the local media when posting positive stories about district activity. He’s tired of the word only getting out when people mess up. There are a lot of positive things happening in Fall Creek, and he wants everyone to know about it.

I hope you feel as lifted as I did from listening to Joe Sanfelippo. He is one of the most inspirational people I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing all year — in fact, so inspirational; you may just find yourself willing to run through a brick wall.

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