[JesseK]

IMO, grow your team. 20 is enough to make a robot, but not enough to truly become inspirational to a large school.

Your mentor has a valid concern with respect to managing student behavior. While I too disagree with interviews - they very rarely bring out the true student - you will want to address behavior and respect concerns up front with every new and existing student.

Get your team to drop team seniority fallacy. The person who has performed with mediocrity for longer is often worse for a job than the person who has performed with ambition for a shorter time. However, leaders are not dictators - listen to the experienced people.

Good luck!