Rooted in Rhythm: How Founders Shape and Sustain School Culture Through Deeply-held Beliefs

Abstract

I reflect on a decade of building The Northstar School in Rajkot, Gujarat, exploring how a founder’s lived beliefs become institutional culture. Drawing on Edgar Schein’s three-level model of organisational culture—artefacts, espoused values, underlying assumptions—I narrate how curriculum design, space design, rituals, pedagogy and community practices embody our philosophy. I describe how everyday rhythms—walks, gardens, open learning, experiential modules—anchor our culture. I argue that founder-rooted beliefs can be transmitted through design, practice and relationships, not directives. This practitioner reflection contributes to the theory of founder-led school leadership and offers insights for sustaining culture beyond scale.