Across independent schools, leaders are grappling with how to approach AI, with some banning it outright and others embracing it wholeheartedly. In the middle lies a growing interest in shared exploration and careful experimentation.

This episode examines Vail Mountain School’s collaborative approach, where students, faculty, and parents were all invited to participate in the AI conversation.

What began as a small student committee experimenting with new tools grew into a shared effort to shape policy, create guidelines, and teach peers about ethics, prompting, and responsible use.

In this episode, Kelly Enright, Director of Technology at Vail Mountain School, explains how giving students a leading voice has transformed the school’s approach.

From helping faculty draft department-level guidelines to running lessons for ninth graders, students helped create clarity while teachers gained confidence to experiment. For independent school leaders, it’s a practical example of how collective ownership can turn an overwhelming challenge into a community strength.