{"id":1118,"date":"2026-03-02T13:47:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T18:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/?post_type=article&p=1118"},"modified":"2026-03-02T13:47:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T18:47:59","slug":"a-culture-of-dignity-principal-as-coach","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/article\/a-culture-of-dignity-principal-as-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"A Culture of Dignity: Principal as Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Ms. Erika Gascho, EMMS Principal <\/em><\/p>\n

Inside the halls of Eastern Mennonite Middle School (EMMS), Principal Erika Gascho is more than an administrator\u2014 she\u2019s a coach, mentor, and guide for students navigating the challenging middle school years. \u201cShe\u2019s my life coach,\u201d a 6th grade student explained to his parents. With her unique blend of special education expertise and restorative justice training, Gascho and her teachers are working to build a school culture grounded in dignity and belonging. Ms. Gascho adds, \u201cMy job is built on trust, I want students to know they belong here, no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

LEADING WITH CONVERSATIONS<\/h3>\n

Ms. Gascho\u2019s approach to discipline and student growth looks different from many middle schools. Instead of leading with consequences, she leads with conversations. \u201cWhen I hear a concern I don\u2019t just hand out punishments,\u201d she says. \u201cI pull that group together and we name it. I\u2019ll say, \u2018Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve been hearing. Help me understand this.\u2019 It\u2019s not about blame\u2014it\u2019s about learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

She conducts regular \u201ccheck-ins\u201d with students, ensuring that not every meeting is about a problem. For one student with autism, she created a visual rubric\u2014green zones and goal zones\u2014to help make sense of behavior patterns. For another with ADHD, she used school video footage to review PE interactions like a football coach breaking down game film.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went play by play,\u201d Gascho recounts. \u201cHe thought a peer had intentionally thrown a ball at his head. Watching it back, he realized it just felt that way in the moment. We were able to pause, talk through it, and build empathy.\u201d This kind of reflective coaching helps students develop the self-awareness they need to succeed socially and academically.<\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t end there, structured conversations where every voice is heard, known as Circles, are a cornerstone of Gascho’s leadership. When a sixth- period class spiraled out of control, Gascho took over for a full period to lead five restorative circles (with the teacher’s permission). \u201cBy the end of those circles, the whole class felt different,\u201d she says. \u201cThey said, \u2018We were heard.\u2019 And that changed how the class worked together.\u201d Follow-up circles reminded students of the agreements they made and reinforced the positive changes they had put in place. \u201cIt\u2019s textbook restorative justice, and it works,\u201d Gascho notes.<\/p>\n

WIRING FOR EMPATHY, PERSPECTIVE-TAKING, AND LEADERSHIP<\/h3>\n

At EMMS, this focus on dignity and commitment to belonging has yielded a thriving culture. Students feel safe to take risks and learn from mistakes, and teachers are empowered to partner in the restorative process. \u201cWe believe in these students,\u201d Gascho emphasizes. \u201cMiddle schoolers are going to push boundaries. Our job is to guide them, with the belief that every single one belongs here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Ms. Erika Gascho, EMMS Principal Inside the halls of Eastern Mennonite Middle School (EMMS), Principal Erika Gascho is more than an administrator\u2014 she\u2019s a coach, mentor, and guide for students navigating the challenging middle school years. \u201cShe\u2019s my life coach,\u201d a 6th grade student explained to his parents. With her unique blend of special…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1119,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"issuem_issue":[43],"issuem_issue_categories":[],"issuem_issue_tags":[],"class_list":["post-1118","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","issuem_issue-winter-2026"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/1118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1118"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/1118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1121,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/1118\/revisions\/1121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"issuem_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issuem_issue?post=1118"},{"taxonomy":"issuem_issue_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issuem_issue_categories?post=1118"},{"taxonomy":"issuem_issue_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issuem_issue_tags?post=1118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}