Creative Leadership: Connection

How might we create learning environments where collaboration and belonging ignite creativity and innovation? Share your insights and join the leadership conversation.

My name is Dr. Lauren Bolack, and I proudly serve as the principal of the Math Science Technology STEM Engineering Magnet in Richardson ISD, just north of Dallas, TX. Since 2020, I have led our Apple Distinguished School with the passionate belief that when students and teachers feel seen, valued, and connected, creativity thrives and innovation becomes a natural byproduct of the culture.

At MST, collaboration and belonging are engineered into the blueprint of our learning environment. As a STEM and engineering magnet campus, our work is grounded in the 4C's of STEM-Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity-and these values shape every classroom, every project, and every learner's experience.

How do you create environments where collaboration and belonging fuel creativity and innovation?

Belonging and Collaboration as the Foundation

Creating spaces where creativity and innovation flourish requires more than access to tools, it requires a sense of belonging. Students and educators must feel valued, supported, and connected before they are willing to take intellectual risks. This foundation of trust is what allows collaboration to increase and creativity to emerge.

Throughout MST, collaboration is visible and purposeful. It is common to walk into classrooms and see students engaged in rich academic discourse around a shared Keynote presentation, annotating images to justify mathematical reasoning, programming Dash robots, or using AI tools to explore ideas for a community service project. These learning experiences are intentionally designed to develop communication, empathy, and collective problem-solving.

MST students are hard at work collaborating on their LEGO Spike robotics designs.

Our two STEM labs amplify this work. In these spaces, students design and print 3D prototypes, code and troubleshoot robotic systems, and iterate on engineering challenges through the lense of the engineering design process. Likewise, our outdoor learning garden serves as an extended classroom where students observe, test, and refine ideas in real-world context. Across all settings, students are consistently encouraged to collaborate, problem-solve, and innovate.

Our MST students are outside and hands-on, investigating the health and growth of their crops in the school garden.

What emerges is a culture where curiousity is nurtured, creativity is celebrated, and innovation becomes a natural extension of the learning process.

Failing Forward: Modeling Risk-Taking for Students and Educators

Sustaining a creative environment requires leaders to normalize failure as part of learning. I frequently remind our staff that failure represents a First Attempt in Learning, and our response to that attempt defines our growth. This mindset creates space for educators to experiment with new instructional strategies, integrate emerging technologies, and refine practices in real time.

When students observe their teachers embracing productive struggle and modeling resilience, they begin to internalize those same dispositions. This is especially critical for gifted learners, who may not have had many opportunities to experience challenge or imperfection. By providing structured opportunities for risk-taking, collaboration, and innovation, we help students build the adaptive skills they will need to navigate complex problems beyond our campus.

Strengthening Innovation Through Staff Collaboration

Innovation is sustained not only through student learning but through the collective efforts of a highly engaged staff. At MST, collaboration among educators is essential to ensuring alignment with our campus vision and maintaining our culture of excellence.

Every staff member contributes to this work through membership in a campus committee. These committees-ranging from Funshine (staff culture and morale) to the Culture Committee (culturally responsive practices), the House System Committee (positive behavior and leadership), and AVID (agency and organizational strategies), and STEM (PBL design, robotics, coding, and garden programming) -serve as collaborative structures that move our vision forward.

Through these groups, educators share ownership of our direction, develop innovative approaches to instruction, and elevate practices that strengthen student engagement and achievement. Their collective voice shapes the identity of our school and reinforces the idea that creativity and innovation are shared responsibilities.

How are you fostering environments where collaboration and belonging elevate creativity and innovation? What leadership practices or structures have helped your community flourish?

I invite you to share your experience and insights. Together, we can continue shaping learning environments where every member of the community has the opportunity to create, contribute, and grow.