Day 3 Concurrent Sessions

This presentation will be a live and interactive session. Participants will contribute to a relational process for making meaning from our experience of multiple pandemics and the experiences of our families, schools and communities. We will provide an open-source guide for professional and personal use. This guide is a resource for catching and telling our stories to preserve our lived history.

Marjorie Schiller, Ph.D., Appreciative Inquiry thought leader, educator, consultant, collaborator, speaker, writer, & professional grandmother. margeschiller@me.com

Tara Rehl, MA/Fulbright Scholar, FRSA Fellow, is a Branding and Communications Consultant, helping organizations create, reposition, implement and communicate their brands and a Certified Coach, facilitating professional excellence in individuals and teams. With additional Certifications in mindfulness, Positive Education and the Havening Techniques®, Tara also brings her coaching to students and young adults, helping them clarify their strengths and passions, chart their life direction and goals and cultivate their ‘soft’ mindset and professional skills. tararehl@gmail.com

Sandy Brower, M. Ed., Certified in Applied Positive Psychology, Positive Education, Flourishing Skills Groups, and Bounce Back Better Resiliency Training. She is a K-12 Well-Being Coordinator, facilitating Flourishing & Resiliency skills workshops for adolescents and adults. Sandy is affiliated with The Center for Positive Education and The Academy for Character Education, coordinating Youth Leadership Summits and Champion of Character Banquets to promote and support character education in schools. browes188@gmail.com

Dr. Charlene Désir, professor at Nova Southeastern University received her doctorate from Harvard. Her research focus is on the spiritual and psycho-social acculturation of children in the US and Haiti. She founded TEN Global, a network focused on liberation. She was president of the Haitian Studies Association and is presently the co-vice president of Kosanba, an academic association on Haitian Vodou. Dr. Désir has worked as a spiritual advisor, school psychologist, school administrator and professor. cdesir13@gmail.com

Max Schiller is a senior student at Wellesley High School, who has loved becoming an active member of the Appreciative Inquiry community. He is currently taking courses is psychology, statistics, and more. He loves to travel but has been speaking with friends online over the pandemic to make up for the distance. He plays the trumpet, is engaged with singing groups, and is a leader in the school’s trivia club. schillermaxwell@gmail.com

Shared school leadership based in appreciative practices allows for the attention, dynamism and flexibility needed for co-creating an education for our students that is alive and liberating. Through the lens of the Core Strategies of Appreciative Leadership educators are invited to discover, mine and share illuminative experiences in development of a positive learning community.

Jeff Fifield, Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment at Colegio Maya - American International School of Guatemala, is an academic practitioner. He is a Taos Institute Associate and completed doctoral work in social construction focused on the use of Appreciative Inquiry and associated practices in schools through Tilburg University. Educational interests encompass experiential and personalized learning aligned with positive education. jfifield@cm.edu.gt

Danielle Naimey, Secondary Math teacher at Colegio Maya- American International School of Guatemala, is a strong advocate for personal learning for all students. Danielle had been teaching in various G4-12 positions over the past 10 years while focusing on incorporating more STEAM practices into the classroom to enable her students to make real world connections in their learning. dnaimey@cm.edu.gt

Travis Bluemling, Elementary Physical Education & Health teacher at Colegio Maya - American International School of Guatemala, has had a career that spans multiple sectors. After completing service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Indonesia, he completed an M.Ed in International Youth Development. Since then, Travis has worked within the government sector, media industry, and ultimately found himself back in the education sector. Travis’ current focus is on promoting SEL (Social Emotional Learning). tbluemling@cm.edu.gt