How Principal Philip Meaker helped Walnut Hill International rise in the rankings

Before math worksheets, science labs or novel studies are passed out at Walnut Hill International Leadership Academy, students gather to discuss what it means to be a leader.

For Principal Philip Meaker, leadership is more than a buzz word – it’s central to the school’s culture.

Meaker took over as principal in 2022 in a period of major transition for the students. The 2019 tornado destroyed the original Walnut Hill Elementary campus, and 2022 meant the start of a move into a new school and a conjoining of Cary Middle School and Walnut Hill Elementary students.

That first year meant nearly as much construction managing as typical principal duties. They moved into the new building over winter break.

“We had 17 moving trucks that day,” he says. “Packing them all up, moving them over Christmas break, and then getting everything settled here before the teachers arrived in January.”

As the campus adjusted to the new building, the student body jumped from 368 to 577 students. Then from a C accountability rating to an A rating. And last year, the school retained 100% of its teachers.

Meaker attributes the success to collaboration and consistency.

“It’s really almost like that upside down pyramid,” he says. “The kids are at the top, then it’s the teachers and it’s us, and we’re the ones hopefully serving everyone else within our building.”

In practice, this looks like teachers meeting one-on-one regularly with students. Staff across all grade levels and subjects assist with tutoring and STAAR test preparation.

“We’re a team,” Meaker says. “All hands are on deck around the building to help them be successful.”

Walnut Hill’s pursuit of excellence includes the curriculum. Many students split instruction between English and Spanish using a 50-50 model — half of the day is taught in one language, half in the other.

All students in kindergarten through fifth grade take weekly Mandarin lessons, which can continue in middle school for a high school foreign language credit.

“I think language acquisition starts when they’re younger,” Meaker says. “They’re taking it in like sponges.”

Leadership lessons center around Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book. The coined seven habits are be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand then to be understood, synergize and sharpen the saw.

“We can move any kid, and we can push anybody to be great,” Meaker says. “We’re going to help you get wherever you want to go in your goals.”

On top of the rising accountability ratings, Meaker was also a finalist for secondary principal of the year.

In Preston Hollow, Meaker says one of the biggest struggles is getting neighbors past stereotypes of public school.

“People expect [it to be] like it used to be maybe long ago when they were kids,” he says. “But our kids are great kids.”

He encourages anyone who has questions about the school and wants to know what public school is like to reach out and schedule a tour.

“It’s not a sales pitch to just fill our school,” Meaker says. “It’s a sales pitch to figure out what’s best for each kid.”