At the beginning of November, the Appalachian Community of Education Scholars (ACES) program hosted an annual senior professional development conference. The theme this year focused on resiliency. Throughout the conference, the future educators were asked to consider how they would practice resiliency both for their students and for themselves.
The conference began with a keynote address from the 2021 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Eugenia Floyd, and Appalachian State University alumna, Jasmine Johnson. Floyd currently serves as an Equity Specialist for Instructional Equity for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, as well as their Jeanes Fellow. Johnson teaches fifth grade at Mary Scroggs Elementary School in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District. Both emphasized the importance of building strong relationships with students.
Additional sessions focused on understanding the framework of resiliency, how to consider supporting all students in our future classrooms, and practical reliable skills to support students in developing durable skills, with presentations from Project AWARE, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems (IABS) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) teams, and the North Carolina Center for Resilience and Learning.
To close out the conference, the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity joined the ACES to discuss the impact of Dr. Flood’s legacy, the work of the Center, and how the App State future teacher leaders can engage with the Flood Center.
About the ACES Program
Continuing the legacy of teacher leadership that was provided by the Teaching Fellows program at App State for over 25 years, the ACES program promotes teacher leadership through rich, multifaceted programming focused on mentoring, leadership, service, and professional development. The program offers service projects and unique professional development opportunities, as well as connects students with a well-established network of education professionals across the state of North Carolina and beyond. Additionally, members are active participants and leaders within the college and across the university.
scenes from the ACES professional development conference
