Abstract: This keynote is designed to be an interactive conversation on lessons learned in the new era of of distance learning amidst a global pandemic from a practicing principal. Author Bio: Sean Gaillard, author of The Pepper Effect, has more than twenty years of experience in education as a teacher and school administrator. He is currently principal at Lexington Middle School in Lexington, North Carolina. Prior to that role, Sean served as principal at Wiley Magnet Middle School and John F. Kennedy High School, both located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from The Catholic University in America in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he earned his Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary English from Trinity University in Washington, D.C. His Master of School Administration was earned from the University of North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina. Sean has contributed various writings for Education Week, “PBS News Hour Extra,” and “Education Closet.” Sean is the co-author of , Education Write Now, Volume 2 from Routledge. His contributions have been featured in various books on school leadership and music. Sean’s writings are featured on his blog and podcast, The Principal Liner Notes. He is passionate about school culture, innovation, and all things music. Sean founded the Twitter hashtag, #CelebrateMonday, a global school culture movement that celebrates positivity in the schoolhouse. He has presented at various conferences including ISTE, ECET2 Northern Kentucky, ECET2 Berea and the National School Board Association Conference. When he is not in the schoolhouse or browsing in used record stores or quoting arcane Beatles Trivia, Sean lives in Clemmons, North Carolina. Recently, Sean was named the Wells Fargo Piedmont-Triad Region Principal of the Year.