The Journey to Starting or Maintaining a Successful Student Wellness Program: EVOLVE

Susana Callon & Lacy Carson

Interested in launching a successful Student Wellness Program? Not sure where to begin? We've got you covered! Join us for an insightful and interactive workshop designed for educators, counselors, and school leaders who are ready to kickstart or improve their student wellness initiatives. Don't miss this opportunity to prioritize student well-being and leave with a clear, actionable plan in hand!

We'll wrap up with a soothing sound bath meditation to help you visualize and manifest your goals for a thriving, balanced future. Don't forget to bring a mat or towel to lay down on.

Conference Themes: Belonging & Wellbeing

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators, Counselors

  Hudson I  

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Creating Belonging to Promote Career Readiness and Lifelong Learners 

Joy Wilson DeFraene 

This workshop is intended to help middle colleges support their diverse populations in the everchanging landscape of education, primarily but not limited to Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs. The outcome of this individualized instruction nurtures students' well-being and helps to create pathways to support the careers that each student chooses to pursue. Learn how JFKMCHS became National Champions by continuously adjusting their VAPA program to meet the unique needs of each individual student, including the students' schedules and personal goals, and see how this foundation can be applied to other programs to support student well-being. 

Conference Themes: Belonging & Wellbeing, Equity & Access, Pathways & Careers 

Target Audience: Teachers, Counselors 

 Hudson II  

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Designing Futures Together

James Espinoza & Melissa Madigan 

College and career pathways should be coherent, meaningful, and student-driven. In this interactive session, participants will map a current pathway system, analyze student voice artifacts, and co-create strategies that integrate career exploration and dual enrollment. A partnership-building brainstorm and a closing commitment activity will help attendees walk away with a personalized, actionable step toward building equitable, relevant, and future-ready programming. 

Conference Themes: Pathways & Careers 

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators, College Partners, Counselors 

 Hudson III  

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Using AI Effectively to Provide Deeper Learning Experiences in Your Classroom 

James Kutnow 

Curious how AI can enhance deeper learning without replacing the human touch? In this hands-on workshop, educators will explore how to use AI tools like ChatGPT to design rich projects, tailor instruction, and streamline planning. Participants will engage in collaborative challenges, explore practical use cases, and leave with real tools and strategies to transform their teaching with AI—not by doing more, but by working smarter. 

Conference Theme: Tech & Innovation

Target Audience: Teachers

 Hudson IV   

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Schools as Safe Spaces for Immigrant Students and their Families 

Carmen Wright & Elizabeth Martinez 

Recent executive actions have caused anxiety, school absenteeism, economic difficulty, and uncertainty among diverse communities. In this session, we will prepare educators, counselors, and administrators on how to provide guidance, resources and emotional support. Participants will leave with a wider lens on immigrant students’ challenges while in school. Our ultimate goal is to empower students, families, and school staff to protect themselves and their neighbors. 

Conference Theme: Equity & Access, Belonging & Wellbeing

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators, College Partners, Counselors 

 Hudson V   

Beyond the Classroom: Traveling with Purpose 

Socrates Ortiz & Randy Ohmen 

Our Travel Program offers students transformative learning experiences through domestic and international travel opportunities that combine meaningful service projects with enriching educational excursions. Students earn college credit through modified curricula, while fostering global citizenship and community engagement. Our workshop will introduce participants to our Travel Program through the eyes of our students. We will have student ambassadors on hand to speak about their experiences and to answer any questions participants may have. 

Conference Themes: Pathways & Careers, Equity & Access

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators

  Hudson I  

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Power in Partnership: Building and Sustaining Impactful Dual Enrollment Programs 

Porsja Dyer, Pamela Maddox, Mona Walker, Regis Inge 

In this session, Compton Early College High School showcases how intentional collaboration with K–12, higher ed, and community partners empowers first-generation, Black, and Latinx students to earn college credit and access career-aligned pathways. Attendees will explore strategies for identifying mission-aligned partners, using data to guide decisions, and overcoming logistical barriers—culminating in a hands-on MOU activity and toolkit to build equitable, student-centered dual enrollment programs. 

Conference Themes: Pathways & Careers, Equity & Access

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators, College Partners, Counselors 

  Hudson II  

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Bridging the Gap: How We Revolutionized College and Career Readiness at Great Path Academy 

Laura Gray & Jennifer Sherman 

We’re sharing our journey of developing an innovative college and career readiness course. At Great Path Academy, we faced a critical challenge: how to prepare ALL of our students for post-secondary paths. We’ll walk you through our process from identifying needs, implementing solutions, showing you how we created meaningful learning experiences for all our students. Whether you’re looking to enhance your own career readiness program or simply interested in our approach, we hope our experiences provide valuable insights. 

Conference Themes: Pathways & Careers 

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators, College Partners, Counselors 

 Hudson III 

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Cultural Competence: Enriching Your Classroom Through Inclusive Teaching 

Maria Luisa Garcia Underwood 

This interactive session provides educators with practical tools to develop racial literacy in their teaching practice. Participants will explore foundational concepts through guided reflection, small group discussions, and storytelling exercises using the CLC-BE method (Calculate, Locate, Communicate, Breathe, Exhale). Discover strategies to recognize, recast, and resolve racially stressful encounters in educational settings while building personal awareness and classroom applications. Leave with actionable approaches to create more equitable learning environments. 

Conference Theme: Equity & Access

Target Audience: Teachers & Counselors

 Hudson IV   

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The Wellbeing-Rigor Equation: Strategies for Creating Academically Challenging and Mentally Healthy Classrooms

 Abeda Khanam 

This workshop explores the crucial link between student wellbeing and academic challenge in today's classrooms. It provides K-12 educators with practical strategies to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL), foster student responsibility and engagement, and address the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Participants will discover actionable techniques to create supportive classrooms where students thrive both academically and emotionally. 

Conference Theme: Belonging & Wellbeing

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators, College Partners, Counselors 

 Hudson V   

Designing and Implementing CTE-Focused Early Middle College Pathways for Student Success 

Brian Pyles

This breakout session will explore how to design and implement robust Early Middle College (EMC) programs of study that integrate Career and Technical Education (CTE) to support student access to credentials, college credit, and workforce readiness. Participants will examine key design elements, including program alignment with labor market needs, credential attainment, postsecondary partnerships, and scheduling strategies that span grades 9–13. The session will also outline an implementation plan that includes stakeholder engagement, curriculum mapping, and funding alignment. Attendees will leave with tools and templates to support planning, collaboration, and sustainability of CTE-focused EMC pathways. 

Conference Themes: Pathways & Careers

Target Audience: Administrators, College Partners, Counselors 

 Hudson I  

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Better Together: 20 Years of Partnership

Dr. Petria Gonzales, Dr. Erin Cole, Mrs. Erin Deck, Mrs. Colleen Lum 

This session highlights the 20-year partnership between JFK Middle College High School and Norco College, a model that continues to redefine early college success. We will share how strategic collaboration, intrusive support systems, and a shared vision have resulted in over 100 students graduating each year with associate degrees—while earning their high school diploma. Learn how intentional case management, early onboarding, and data-informed counseling tools have led to 8875 college units completed and over $400,000 in tuition savings for the Class of 2025 alone. The session will explore how wraparound services, freshman cohort design, and embedded college staff support measurable outcomes. Join us as we share tools for success and look ahead to the future of middle college innovation.  

Conference Themes: Equity & Access 

Target Audience: Administrators, College Partners, Counselors 

 Hudson II  

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Leveraging Collaborative Fine Arts to Lift and Empower Student Voice: A Case Study 

Laura Gray 

Come hear about our unique program that seeks to reduce social isolationism, build collaborative experience, and encourage positive risk taking. Our MAPS: Music and Poetry Synchronized program has a positive influence on our school community and provides a unique opportunity for students to take on leadership roles while expressing ideas they believe are important in today's world. Together we’ll explore how these program fundamentals can be used in a variety of settings. 

Conference Themes: Equity & Access, Belonging & Wellbeing

Target Audience: Teachers, Administrators

 Hudson III  

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Literacy Fusion: Designing Differentiated Collaborative Learning 

Maria Luisa Garcia Underwood 

Discover powerful strategies to seamlessly integrate literacy across subject areas while meeting diverse learning needs. This interactive session equips you with practical frameworks for designing collaborative activities that engage all students. Leave with ready-to-implement grouping techniques and content designs that transform how students interact with complex texts—regardless of their reading levels or learning preferences. *Bring one challenging text to workshop with other session attendees! 

Conference Theme: Equity & Access

Target Audience: Teachers

 Hudson IV   

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MCNC Coaching in Action

Allie Konet & Cece Cunningham 

Thinking about becoming an MCNC Certified Coach? This session will help you take the first step. We’ll talk about what coaching looks like across our network and spend time pulling together the artifacts that tell your story as a leader. Bring anything that reflects your work—tools, protocols, reflections— and be ready to get feedback from others in the room. You’ll walk away with a solid start on your portfolio and a clearer understanding of how your leadership connects to the MCNC coaching framework. 

This session is restricted to: Administrators of Member Schools who are interested in becoming an MCNC Certified Coach 

 Hudson V