The 9th Annual Making Middle School Matter Symposium is open to all middle school administrators and educators and will focus on research-proven practices that can be implemented school-wide. The symposium will feature a range of keynotes and breakout sessions. Unlike other professional development events or conferences, this program will draw content solely from high-quality research and translate that research into practical knowledge bites so that practices and strategies can be replicated in schools and classrooms. Plan now to attend this great training!
This will be three days of dynamic and practical learning that you can implement at your campus immediately.
SPEAKERS:
Paul Artale, Ph.D. is a high impact and engaging speaker and leadership researcher who inspires leaders and organizations to breakthrough their challenges and take their performance to the highest level.
Born with what some would call a physical “disability,” Paul’s dream was to play college football. Despite being cut from his high school team, Paul Artale walked on and played defensive end for the University of Toronto. Paul uses his experience of overcoming physical adversity to play college football to teach organizations how to create high performance culture through leveraging strengths, adapting to life’s circumstances, and creating transformational opportunities.
Paul blends his life stories, training thousands of leaders, and his research in organizational performance to create a message that engages, elevates, and entertains his audiences. Paul achieves this by providing practical tools, strategies, and processes that they can implement immediately to achieve peak performance.
Paul is committed to helping you create the life you want. This is detailed in Paul’s first book “The 2-Year Old’s Guide to Work-Life Balance” and in his podcast “Fiercely Successful,” where he shares strategies and systems that help listeners achieve their best lives.
A nationally-recognized presenter, author, and humorist, Jack Berckemeyer, began his career as a middle school teacher in Denver, Colorado. After two years of teaching he was named as an outstanding educator at his school, and shortly thereafter he was identified as one of the outstanding educators in the district. In 2003, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Falcon School District. Jack brings his energy, humor, and expertise to all staff development as he helps teachers and administrators remember why this job makes a difference. Jack has presented in conference and school district settings both nationally and internationally. Jack served as a judge for the Disney American Teacher Awards and served on the selection committee for the USA TODAY All-Teacher Team. Jack Berckemeyer is known for his motivating, practical ideas communicating a message of hope, laughter, and insight into education.
Jack was also the Assistant Executive Director for the National Middle School Association for 13 years and is the author of Managing the Madness - A Practical Guide to Middle Grades Classrooms. He is also the co-author of H.E.L.P. for Teachers. His most recent publications are Taming of the Team - How Great Teams Work Together and Deliberate Optimism - Reclaiming the Joy in Education, co-authored with Dr. Debbie Silver and Judith Baenen.
Jack is the owner of the Nuts and Bolts Symposiums, a highly acclaimed, never boring conference that focuses on practical.
Sean Cain spent the formative years of his career working in difficult instructional settings. Recognized for the success of both his students and the systems he designed and implemented, he quickly moved up through the instructional leadership ranks. This culminated in his last public education position as State Director of Innovative School Redesign (Texas). Currently, Cain serves as the Chief Idea Officer for Lead Your School (LYS), a confederation of successful school leaders dedicated to improving student, campus, and district performance.
Dr. Justin Richardson Bringing years of district leadership experience, Justin Richardson, Ed.D., is passionate about engaging, challenging, and supporting educators to create something new and amazing! He believes our purpose as educators is to bring out the greatness in others. As the Chief Learning Officer for lead4ward, Justin provides direction on learning initiatives with a creative and innovative approach. His vast understanding of the learning process provides a platform for the lead4ward team to support leaders and teachers in what’s best for students. Prior to joining lead4ward, Justin served as Executive Director of Curriculum and Professional Development for Canyon ISD. In this role, he developed and led the implementation of Professional Learning Communities, curriculum alignment, assessment and data analysis processes, and intervention systems. He led Canyon ISD in the implementation of digital learning, Google Apps for Education, and development of an award-winning induction program for new teachers and mentors.
ALSO FEATURING:
Kathleen Eckert, author of School Transformation Through Teacher Appreciation, knows teachers are vital to the success of any school. During her years as a building principal, Kathleen made teacher appreciation her top priority and her teachers pushed the school and students to excellence. Under Kathleen’s leadership Hillwood Middle School was named a Texas and National School to Watch, School Transforming Learning from N2Learning, Best Middle School from US News & World Report, and received the first Texas Whole Child Award from ASCD. Kathleen herself was a finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education Principal Award and was invited to participate in the School to Watch Leadership trip to China. Now, Kathleen works to inspire and help school administrators value, support, and appreciation their teachers. From ideas to strategies, Kathleen has something for everyone.
