In this episode of the PeopleBench Podcast, host Steve sits down with Dr. Luke Bell, Principal of Fairview High School in Northwest Pennsylvania and a proud alum who once walked these same hallways as a student. Dr. Bell shares how returning to his hometown shaped his leadership, how he navigated a $45M renovation, and how he built a culture centered on trust, autonomy, and continuous growth.

From expanding access to advanced coursework to creating psychological safety for teachers to take risks and learn from failure, Dr. Bell offers a grounded, practical look at what it means to lead a modern high school through meaningful change.

If you care about strengthening culture, building strong teams, empowering teachers, and ensuring every student has access to opportunity, this episode will resonate deeply.

Key Moments

01:00 Returning to lead the high school he once attended

03:27 What Fairview’s culture preserved — and what needed to evolve

04:45 Expanding pathways beyond the traditional college route

05:40 Addressing socioeconomic gaps and widening access

06:56 Managing a $45M renovation and rapid enrollment growth

08:44 Keeping morale steady through transparency and flexibility

11:13 How teacher input shaped new spaces and classroom design

13:33 What Dr. Bell looks for when hiring teachers

18:22 Why autonomy and space to fail strengthen instruction

20:43 Knowing when to step back and let teachers problem-solve

29:48 Dr. Bell’s “little win” for leaders: empower teachers to lead

Why You’ll Love This Episode

This episode spotlights what modern school leadership looks like when culture, trust, and people come first. Dr. Bell shares how he:

• Builds autonomy while keeping instructional alignment

• Creates psychological safety so teachers can innovate

• Uses data and relationships to expand course access

• Supports staff through disruption and rapid change

• Designs environments where students and teachers thrive

His experience as a student, teacher, parent, and principal gives him a rare, multilayered perspective on what strong school culture truly requires.

Connect with Dr. Luke Bell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-luke-beall-1727b52b3/
Website: https://www.fairviewschools.org/

Connect with PeopleBench
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peoplebench
Company Website: https://peoplebench.com

If this conversation helped you rethink how you support your teams and shape your culture, share it with a colleague and subscribe for more practical, people-first leadership insights from the PeopleBench Podcast.