Time of Song and Prayer

Location: Geesbreght Commons

Leader: John Morris, Worship Leader, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Options:

• Beyond the Average: A Purpose-Filled Gradebook

Best for: Administrators, Counselors, Teachers

Location: Clay 204

Marilyn Dardenne, Director of Academic Innovation, Trinity Christian Academy (Willow Park, Texas)

When we think about student achievement, the difference between an 89 and a 90 may be only a point, but the difference between a B and an A can change the trajectory of a student's education. Maybe, but not necessarily. Educators know that our inflated grade system creates a focus on earning points rather than learning, which is frustrating to teachers and stifles our students' joy for learning. In this session, we will learn why Proficiency-Based Grading is catching on in K-12 and higher education and what a shift to this type of assessment could mean for what we communicate about our students' learning and their character development.

• Unlocking Engagement: The PBL Play Deck (Part 1 of Double-Block)

Best for: Grades 3-12 Teachers, Administrators

Location: Hawkins 204

Michelle Yates, Educator, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Project-Based Learning can feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. In this session, participants will explore the core elements of high-quality PBL and learn how to plan engaging units using a flexible PBL Play Deck. Through a set of planning cards and a companion calendar, educators will see how strategies, structures, and instructional moves can be mixed and matched to design purposeful projects for any content area. Participants will leave with the full play deck, a clear planning framework, and go-to strategies they can immediately use to build or refine a PBL unit that promotes engagement, ownership, and deeper learning.

• Choose Your Adventure: AI Chats that Foster Student Choice

Best for: Humanities Teachers

Location: Clay 206

Robyn Bocks, Educator, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Choice-driven instruction is a well-documented best practice: choice amplifies students' engagement, critical thinking, and ownership of learning. Yet from lesson design to progress monitoring to providing student feedback, choice-driven instruction exponentially increases a teacher's workload. In this session, through modeling and hands-on practice, participants will explore Flint AI as a tool for navigating choice-based learning in the humanities classroom -- choice that is differentiated and pedagogically rich, yet sustainable.

• Session TBD

Best for: TBD

Location: Clay 208

Ashley Howard, Chisholm Trail Campus Principal, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Description TBD

StoriED: Cultivating Servant Leaders, One Story at a Time!

Location: Geesbreght Commons

Presenter: Tyler Eatherton, VP of Academics | Head of Middle School & Junior High, Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Welcome to StoriED! We believe EVERY child is capable of being a leader. Rather than elevating the loudest in the room, we seek to equip the servant-hearted. We call our students to SPEAK, EXCEL, RESTORE, VALUE, ENCOURAGE as servant leaders. How do we do this? How do we call students into something greater? Just like the age-old tales of adventure, our classes unfold each day like a story. First, when students pass through a classroom door, they are transported into a setting that invites and inspires. Each little world has clear rules, an epic journey, and beauty all around. Next, our teachers, who serve as stewards, craft lessons that unfold like a storyline. These lessons seek to engage and equip our students through collective struggle. Finally, classes reunite and reflect on their growth. Through these moments of resolution, they aim to connect their learning to a higher calling. A storied classroom has a beautiful Setting, a challenging Storyline, and a meaningful Resolution. Let the story begin!

From Words to Ways: Making the Vision Visible

Location: Geesbreght Commons

Presenter: Lori Massey, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Christian schools invest in crafting mission statements and outlining a vision for their graduates, yet the connection between those aspirations and daily teaching and learning is not always obvious. This keynote invites teachers and school leaders to consider how vision becomes visible through everyday choices and classroom practices, offering a shared lens for moving the mission from written statements into lived experiences.

Focused Questions for Table Discussion

Location: Geesbreght Commons

Facilitator: Derek Reinhold, Dean of Innovation and Learning, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Options:

• Holding Fast While Moving Forward: Guiding AI Use Through Core Values

Best for: Administrators, Instructional Coaches, Teachers involved in shaping AI vision and practice

Location: Clay 204

Cindy Culwell, Instructional Technology Specialist and Elizabeth Benscoter, Instructional Coach, Grace Community School (Tyler, Texas)

As artificial intelligence becomes more accessible in schools, educators face the challenge of using new tools without losing sight of their mission or the human relationships at the heart of learning. This session explores how AI can be thoughtfully implemented through the lens of core values while preserving meaningful connection, discernment, and formation. Participants will examine both the purpose behind AI decisions and the practical ways AI can support collaboration, creativity, and God-honoring practices that keep students, teachers, and community at the center of everyday classroom life.

• Prompting with Purpose: Building Your Own Biblical AI Co-Teacher

Best for: Teachers, Curriculum Coordinators, Instructional Technologists

Location: Clay 206

Mike McFadden, Educator, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Time is our scarcest resource. What if you had a co-teacher who knew your state standards,  your school’s Statement of Faith, and worked at the speed of light? In this interactive workshop, we will move beyond basic AI prompts to create a custom "AI Gem" -- a digital collaborator tailored to your specific grade level, subject, and Biblical worldview. Participants will spend the majority of the session in a hands-on environment, building their own custom AI Co-Teacher and generating a complete unit plan or activity to take back to their classrooms immediately. (Google tools will be demonstrated, but all large language models have similar functionality.  All educators are welcome, regardless of technology platforms utilized by your organization.)

• Flip the Script: How a Flipped Classroom Can Work For You

Best for: Grades 4-12 Teachers

Location: Clay 208

Heather Rodgers, Social Studies Department Chair & Teacher, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Discover how the flipped classroom approach can transform student engagement and deepen learning in your classes.  In this session, we'll explore strategies for implementing a successful flipped classroom, including how to create pre-class content, design meaningful in-class activities, and assess student learning throughout the process.

• Stories That Matter: Using Technology to Amplify Student Voice

Best for: Teachers, Administrators, Instructional Coaches / Leaders

Location: Clay 207

Carrie Valadez, Assistant Principal, Southwest Christian School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Stories help students make meaning, reflect deeply, and share their learning with purpose. In this session, participants will explore how storytelling can serve as a powerful instructional strategy and how technology can thoughtfully support student voice without becoming the focus. Through real classroom examples spanning elementary and middle school, this session highlights how purposeful storytelling can elevate ownership and authentic audience while remaining grounded in academic goals and Christian mission. Teachers and administrators will leave with a clearer vision for how learning experiences rooted in story can deepen understanding, strengthen formation, and help students tell stories that truly matter.