Introduction

Mr. Richard Smith

Sam Stecher

You know what’s great about Random Acts of Kindness? It’s the Kindness part. What’s not so great? The Random aspect. If kindness is so important and impactful why are we so eager to relegate it to a random occurrence? Let’s take the Random out of Random Acts of Kindness. If you are interested in changing the world one intentional interaction at a time MissionMonday.com has your back.

LaMarr Shields, PhD, Executive Change Agent, The Cambio Group, Baltimore, MD and Chicago, IL
We are losing our boys—not only academically but also behaviorally and attitudinally—and too often, we fail to see the vulnerable young man who is hiding behind that tough-guy exterior. Boys’ under-performance— especially for boys of color and those in poverty—is one of this country’s biggest barriers to school improvement, and it is tied, at a very basic level, to the disconnect between boys' sense of who they are and what school has to offer them. Turnaround for boys in school starts with understanding their inner lives—the social, emotional, and biochemical drivers of boys’ motivation and engagement. This interactive workshop provide the building blocks of success through a powerful examination of male-female brain differences. In addition, Dr. Shields will share his film, “Beyond Stereotypes,” that provides a platform for male students of color to validate important parts of their identities—parts that Black and Latino boys, in American culture, have been typically pressured to silence or ignore.

Hotep, BA, MBA, PMI, Educational Success Strategist, Stone Mountain, GA

Behavior is a Symptom that demystifies the common behavior problems exhibited in schools by first explaining WHY they occur and then teaching HOW to change them. This workshop will: share the precursors that lead to all behavior, provide evidence-based interventions on how to transform academic and behavioral outcomes, explain what leads to at-risk behaviors and why people repeat the same negative behaviors and demonstrate how relevance and relationships impact behavior. In the end, attendees will be introduced to what is called “The New PBIS”! 

Parent University
Tameka Tribble, MAT and MED Specialization, Parent University and SCCPSS
Michael O’Neal, Executive Director, Parent University

For 20+ years in Savannah, Georgia, Parent University has successfully enhanced the ability of families to create an environment in which learning thrives for both children and parents. When the pandemic closed schools and disrupted normal programming, Parent University immediately pivoted to online programming to continue connecting families with relevant education, resources, and support throughout this time of need. The pandemic exposed a huge gap in technology and education, so Parent University began working to close that gap with our new Tech College. Experience the Parent University journey to expand its philosophy in other locations around the country. 

Kim Sarfaty, BS Education, Teacher, Forsyth County Schools, Cumming, GA
Meg Killingsworth, BS Elementary Education, Family Engagement Coordinator, Forsyth County Schools, Cumming, GA

Child and adolescent mental illness are on the rise, but it’s a difficult topic to discuss. One mother is on a mission to break the stigma, help others through her family’s experience, and share resources that could help other families with mental struggles.

Floyd Lyles, EdS in Educational Leadership; Superintendency certification, Deputy Director of Education Services, Superintendent at SCDJJ, South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, Columbia, SC
Prison Walls to College Halls- How do you WIN with the most challenging students will give participants insight on how to reach incorrigible, at-risk students in your school. This presentation will answer the following questions:
How do you see your students?
How do you train and develop students who were never successful in your school?
How do you propel at-risk students? Are you willing to invest in your students and never give up? By following this, participants will be able to implement successful strategies to help all students. #successisouronly!

Katie Dineen, MA, Teacher, The New-York Historical Society and Princeton Public Schools, Princeton, NJ
In this workshop, humanities educators will learn how to integrate primary sources, life stories, essays, and learning activities that center women’s voices, contributions, and experiences in their curricula and classrooms. Educators will pair provided resources to be meaningfully incorporated into existing humanities curricula, aiming to support students in recognizing their own agency, valuing diversity, and appreciating difference.

T, Founder and CEO, Delightfully Understandable LLC, Dayton, OH

Social Media is the worst thing to happen to schools since, well... EVER! Not only did it shrink your childrens attention span, but they came to school ready to explode because of some random post. This session explains clearly the root of the social media nightmare and offers tangible solutions to turn things around and reclaim your school.

Ashley Baer, MEd, Facilitator of Mindfulness Instruction, Partnership with GA State University, Cumming, GA
I will teach what mindfulness is (and what it isn’t), the science behind mindfulness and how it affects brain focus and emotions, and why every school should be doing it. I will connect mindfulness to resiliency for both teachers and students for their well-being! I will take participants through a short practice of mindfulness as that is the best way to understand it.

Sam Marion, LCSW, Therapist, Sam Marion Counseling and Consulting, Buford, GA
This presentation will explain neurodivergence and the neurodiversity movement from a mental health perspective. Attendees will gain an understanding of the differences between being neurodivergent and having an official diagnosis. We will discuss practical information about neurodivergence and learn skills that aid in working with neurodivergent individuals and their families.

Blanca Torres, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, Deputy Director of Monitoring and Evaluation and One Degree Hire Co-Founder, One Degree Hire
Nichole Murray, PhD, Founder and Consultant, One Degree Hire, Atlanta, GA
This workshop provides an overview of the challenges faced by unaccompanied immigrant minors as they navigate their complex realities as new members of U.S. communities, we will provide attendees with practical recommendations—and best practices--on how to support immigrant children by creating welcoming and safe spaces using culturally responsive and trauma-informed models. Learning how to connect them to essential community resources and services, and in knowing under which federal laws unaccompanied immigrant minors are protected.

Mark Harrington, PhD, Security Specialist/ School Court Probation Counselor, Fairfax, VA
Joe Thompson, Executive Director, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA
Kimberly Witeck, MEd, Assistant Principal, Mountain View Alternative High School, Centreville VA
Moving from trauma-informed practices to trauma-responsive practices allows staff to address student behaviors in a non-punitive way, break the conflict cycle and restore the student’s relationships with adults. This presentation will inform the audience on how to develop and inform staff about the impact of trauma and toxic stress on the brain, and uses a data-driven approach to support concepts that can empower staff to form resiliency in students with at-risk characteristics.

Weston Robins, PhD, LPC, Founder Eternal Strength, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA
The presentation will focus primarily on the methodological aspects of Radical Youth Work, while also diving into working with youth and families struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidality, self-harm, and substance abuse. A core focus will remain on humanistic and person-centered ways to work with youth in a co-collaborative approach to healing and holistic growth. Skott-Myhre’s work on Radical Youth Work, humanistic psychology (Watts, 2017 , Rogers, 2015) the radical systems theory of Gregory Bateson (2000), The Tostmodern Thought of Deleuze and Guattari (1988), the Nomadic Feminism of Rosie Braidotti (2011), and The Theoretical Work of Anti-Psychiatrist R.D. Laing (2018) will be explored.

Ryan Streeter, Product and Training Program Manager, CISA School Safety Task Force, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, School Safety Task Force, Washington, D.C.
Katie Lord, BS, Program Manager, U.S. Secret Service, Chicago, IL
The presentation will conceptualize school physical security as a component of the broader school safety system and address challenges in implementing physical security measures in K-12 schools. Participants will come away with actionable strategies to improve their school’s physical security. We will also provide actionable steps participants can take to increase the willingness of bystanders to come forward with information about safety concerns, including potential threats of targeted violence. We will provide a toolkit to help schools create customized approaches to encourage reporting in their unique communities. The session will be interactive and will solicit input from the audience.

Chelsia Douglas, MPA, Whittington Doctoral Fellow, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
The “Age-less Citizen” will analyze evidence-based civic education studies and explore proactive student engagement strategies to build an individualized nonpartisan action plan with each attendee. From sending election reminders home by a kindergartener to including school board meetings on newsletters, attendees will learn practical tips and tools to restore faith in the younger generation’s ability to improve our democracy. Approaches to civic education are unique across states, school districts, institutions, grade levels, classrooms, and individuals. Developing an experienced and informed citizenry begins with affinity, commitment, and civic literacy, therefore this workshop aims to make strategic planning fun, feasible, and adaptive.

Dee Tadlock, PhD, Adjunct Faculty; Director of Research and Development, Central Washington University; Read Right Systems, Shelton, WA Reading problems among children, teens, and adults are seemingly inevitable and unsolvable. Yet, we continue teaching reading in the same way. Perhaps that’s why we continue getting the same results. This presentation will describe a paradigm shift in the reading field. It will present and support the concept that the foundational skill and main event of reading is not identifying words and that instruction that assumes it actually does more harm than good. The reality that reading instruction is not in alignment with how the brain learns a process will also be examined. Research results will validate the concepts.

Phylicia Anderson, MSW, LCSW, Director of Child and Adolescent Programs, Director of Outreach Gateway Community Service Board, Savannah, GA “Black Girl Magic” is a popular phrase that celebrates the beauty, power, and resiliency of black womanhood. Just like magic, black girls are often misunderstood and feared. Through implicit biases, stereotypes, and discrimination, many black girls are unable to reach their full potential. As change agents, it is our responsibility to break barriers and build therapeutic relationships to tap into black girl magic!

Kathy Van Horn , LP, MEd, Executive Vice President, Lakeside, North Wales, PA
All students are impacted by stress and can improve learning through understanding the brain and regulation. For students who have experienced trauma, this information will be critical to their success. Therefore, it is important to empower all students with an understanding of trauma as well as concepts and interventions for regulation and healing. In this presentation, you will learn principles and ideas for teaching key trauma-informed strategies for physical, emotional, and cortical regulation. These principles and strategies can be taught individually, to groups, or in classroom settings. Feedback and lessons learned from students will be included.

Kelvin Walston, MA, Associate Director, Wholistic Stress Control Institute, Atlanta, GA
Tarita Johnson, MSW, CEO/Executive Director, Wholistic Stress Control Institute, Inc., Ellenwood, GA
Calling all health educators interested in utilizing hip-hop and African American history as teachings tool to decrease risky behaviors. The objectives for this educational and engaging workshop will provide innovative ideas to: 1) engage youth utilizing hip-hop music; 2) integrate African American history to enhance positive identity concepts; 3) increase pro-social skills to prevent teenage pregnancy prevention and other negative behaviors.

Parent University
Tameka Tribble, MAT and MED Specialization: Family and Community Services, Education and Inclusive Engagement Consultant, Parent University and Savannah-Chatham County Public School System
This session begins with sharing relevant statistics pertaining to youth and trauma, then proceeds with engaging the audience in a conversation related to individuals and resilience in the face of adversity and trauma. Components of resilience (cognitions, environment, and behaviors) will then be defined and explained. Following, participants will then learn a universal approach to the human embrace which supports an individual’s ability to have sustained resilience by implementing strategies to actively K.A.R.E. Each letter of the acronym will be dissected to include strategies for the practical implementation of K.A.R.E. 

Meg Killingsworth, BS Elementary Education, Family Engagement Coordinator, Forsyth County Schools, Cumming, GA
Polly Tennies, EDS in Elementary Education, Principal, Forsyth County Schools, Cumming, GA
Kim Sarfaty, BS Education, Teacher, Forsyth County Schools, Cumming, GA
Family engagement is a common goal for schools. Oftentimes, it is hard to get families to come to the school for learning activities. This presentation is designed to help school employees break barriers and welcome families in easy, reasonable ways. 

Sheliah Durham, PhD, Lecturer, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Noble Edmisten, Doctoral Student, Graduate Student, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
The presenters will provide a brief overview of Information Literacy and the challenge of navigating media bias and propaganda. Hands-on presentation will include sample lesson plans and step-by-step suggestions for facilitating students’ critical inquiry skills to evaluate sources and various forms of digital media as they navigate controversial issues.

Ternae Jordan, DD, Founder, CEO, JLegacy LLC/Stop the Madness Inc., Chattanooga, TN
The 105 Who Used to Be Alive - In 1992, I developed a program entitled “Stop the Madness.” Shortly afterward, my eldest son, an innocent victim of a shooting, was shot in the head. To this date, I have eulogized over 105 young people. This message is targeted to those who are dealing with or know of someone who is dealing with finding direction in their lives, recovering from loss, or looking to find clarity through the chaos!

Nichole Murray, PhD, Founder and Consultant, One Degree Hire, Atlanta, GA
Blanca Torres, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, Deputy Director of Monitoring and Evaluation and One Degree Hire Co-Founder, One Degree Hire
How do we reconnect students who have dropped out of school to educational programs? In this interactive workshop, we examine some reasons why students who are homeless drop out of school and how to link them back to education programs by using culturally responsive initiatives. Furthermore, we will discuss optimizing support services to help students earn their post-secondary credentials.

Brooke Wheeldon-Reece, MBA, President and CEO, The SPARK Initiative, Valrico, FL
Ashley Hunt, AA, Director of Programs and Development, SPARK Mentoring, Brandon, FL
Regardless of their circumstances, there is a SPARK within every human being that cannot be damaged. This SPARK is the birthplace of resilience, well-being, commonsense, intelligence, solutions, creativity, and innovation. This presentation will explore how innate resilience is uncovered through a simple understanding of the mind and the stress resistance needed to overcome trauma is naturally formed.

Gregory Brown, EdS, CEO, THNK. ULTD, LLC, Covington, GA
This topic is close to my heart. As a former alternative school principal I have seen what happens when we recognize our biases and are able to change our perspectives as it pertains to our students. We are in fertile ground amongst the chaos of the landscape in education right now. We have to introspect in order to be truly effective. 

Everyone possesses unconscious attitudes, beliefs, and preconceptions that can be grouped into categories called implicit biases according to Wymer and Williford (2018). We all have unconscious prejudices toward other people based on factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, and other social groups. Implicit biases, on the other hand, are not purposeful and, in fact, may be utterly contradictory to what a person consciously believes. This is in contrast to explicit biases, in which a person is aware of the bias they hold. There is a correlation between various acts of prejudice and measurements of implicit bias (Costa, Pirchio, and Glock, 2022), in particular when compiled across geographic locations (Payne, 2017). Therefore, education researchers have begun quantifying teachers’ racial prejudices in order to gain a better understanding of how they affect children. Despite the fact that these studies are limited in number, modest in scope, and are primarily conducted outside of the United States, researchers believe that this will help them better understand how racial prejudices affect children (Tropp, and Rucinski, 2022). This presentation is geared toward defining implicit and explicit biases and provoking thought on how these biases affect the students and communities we serve.

Brittany Pieke, MEd NCC, Counselor, Hot Springs School District, Hot Springs, SD
As our nation attempts to heal from COVID-19, the effects of mental distress are still prevalent for many. Rates of depression and anxiety in children are higher than previously reported. There are wait lists for students to meet with mental health professionals to help meet their needs. Brittany has experience as both an educator and a counselor. Brittany is passionate about educating others on both sides. This presentation will focus on common mental health concerns for students and how to promote emotional self-regulation and treatment coalition. Brittany also provides education for educators about how to care for themselves as well as caring for others.

Nate Whitsett, Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT), Teacher/ Consultant, Detroit Public Schools/Think A+ Consulting, Detroit, MI
The Read 2 Rap Program/ workshop is relevant to teachers that want to actively engage their students in the classroom. This program has been proven to boost academic achievement and build confidence in students when they have to work with key vocabulary in any subject.

T, Founder and CEO, Delightfully Understandable LLC, Dayton, OH

Social Media is the worst thing to happen to schools since, well... EVER! Not only did it shrink your childrens attention span, but they came to school ready to explode because of some random post. This session explains clearly the root of the social media nightmare and offers tangible solutions to turn things around and reclaim your school.