Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Conference Kicks Off the School Year

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools hosted its annual Spice it Up! Conference on Thursday, August 23, 2018 at Sarah Banks Middle School. It followed a new format; a shortened conference to allow teachers time to set up their classrooms due to an earlier start-of-school date. The conference took place from 8am-noon. 

Over 200 educators attended this voluntary professional development event. 45 sessions were held on a variety of topics. Attendees were especially enthusiastic about exploring new tools, discussing instructional strategies, and learning about important cultural issues. I coordinate the event and it is one of the highlights of my year!

The conference would not be possible without the Walled Lake presenters, who volunteered their time to plan and share their experiences with colleagues.  Thank you Andrea Abraham (ESC), Beverly Banks (Wixom & Meadowbrook), Danielle Bigi (Hickory Woods), Lori Burke (ESC), Christine Connell (Northern), Jennifer Curtis (ESC), Lara Dryden (Glengary), Judy Evola (ESC), Jamie Gluski (Creek), John Gregg (ESC), Amanda Groeneveld (Creek), Krista Harmsworth (Keith), Kara Helgemo (Pleasant Lake), John Hester (Glengary & Keith), Kelly Holubeck-Gotts (ESC), Kallee Iverson (ESC), Carolyn Kevelin (Pleasant Lake), Jessica Leslie (Walled Lake), Miguel Davis (Macro Connect), Amy Mitchell (ESC), Chelsea O’Brien-Pniewski (Banks), Laura Pace (Oakley Park), Becky Reed (Dublin), Cheryl Roden (high schools), Pam Shoemaker (ESC), Amy Stasak (middle schools), Kelly Tillman (Geisler), Christine Titus (Hickory Woods)


The administrators at Sarah Banks Middle School, Michelle Kalhorn & David Stanton, were so helpful and accommodating in the days leading up to and on the day of the conference, and the IT Department was there in full force to assist attendees as needed.  It was an outstanding effort by many, and is truly an event that positively impacts the learning that occurs in classrooms across the district.