The Heartbeat of the Building: Stacey Green on Culture at Stockton Grade School

In this episode of Little Wins, host Karen Borchert talks with Stacey Green, Elementary Principal and longtime leader at Stockton Grade School in rural Kansas. Stacey has served her district for 36 years and has been principal for 13, leading a unique PreK–8 school where culture isn’t a strategy it’s the heartbeat of the building. Stacey shares practical, highly repeatable ways to build belonging for staff and students: a simple “tap out” support system for tough days, staff-to-staff celebration routines, a joy-fueled Hoopla Committee, and High Five Fridays that bring community members into the school day in a fun, welcoming way. You’ll also hear about Stockton’s Foster Grandparent Program (intergenerational classroom support), their mixed-age community groups that stay together from kindergarten through 8th grade, and the mindset shifts Stacey uses to keep culture strong—like noticing effort over compliance and turning complaining into curiosity. 💡 Little Wins in This Episode: -Culture as the heartbeat: Leading a PreK–8 building with presence and care -Tap-out support: Normalizing quick breaks for teachers on hard days -Foster Grandparent Program: Intergenerational support that builds belonging -The Power of Mattering: Noticing, affirming, and showing people they’re needed -Hoopla Committee: Staff-led fun that sustains morale and joy -High Five Fridays: Community members welcoming students into the day -Mixed-age community groups: Same group and leaders from kindergarten to 8th grade Key Moments 01:44 36 years in one district 03:30 Long-term relationships with families 05:54 Stacey’s leadership mindset 07:26 Navigating retirements and staffing transitions 09:50 Culture as the heartbeat of the building 11:56 Peer learning and staff celebrations 13:49 Foster Grandparent Program 15:30 The Power of Mattering 17:14 Intergenerational impact on students 18:23 Trauma-informed practices 21:04 CharacterStrong and mental health supports 23:25 Visibility and daily teacher support 25:07 Tap-out in action 28:27 Changes in the profession Connect with Stacey Green LinkedIn:   / stacey-green-35186283   Website: https://www.usd271.com/ Follow Us Karen’s LinkedIn:   / karenborchert   Alpaca LinkedIn:   / get-alpaca   Alpaca Website: https://www.getalpaca.com/ Alpaca Resources Library: https://www.getalpaca.com/resources-l... 🧵 About the Podcast: Little Wins is the podcast that digs into the small, deliberate actions school leaders are taking to build strong, human-centered cultures. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Alpaca for more conversations on building powerful school cultures.