2025 Summer Symposium: Full Schedule

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12:15pm CDT

Building a Connected Campus: A Whole-School Approach to Social-Emotional Learning

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT

In this engaging session, you will learn how to design, implement, and adapt a comprehensive school-wide Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program tailored to meet the unique needs of your school community. We will explore practical programs, proven strategies, and innovative ideas that drive meaningful SEL integration. Attendees will leave with clear, actionable steps and personalized action plans to support SEL success within their schools. Throughout the session, there will be opportunities for interactive Q&A to ensure that your specific questions and challenges are addressed. Join David Lerch, Principal of ROE 45 Safe School, for an informative experience on building and sustaining an impactful SEL initiative.

Speakers

David Lerch

Safe School Director & Educational Programs Coordinator, ROE 45 - Red Brick Safe School

David Lerch has been teaching for 17 years. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree from Illinois College in 2007, his master’s degree from SIUE in 2010 and his EDS in Principalship from SIUE in 2023. He’s taught a variety of grades from 5th grade to 8th grade. He has also... Read More →

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT
Talcott Room C

Breakout #2

12:15pm CDT

Cultivating Conditions for Regulation and Connection in Schools

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT

Ziock Ballroom A

Felt safety is a relatively new term in education. It contrasts with concepts of school safety that are focused on securing the school environment or reducing violent incidents and physical harm. These valid school safety efforts (i.e. active shooter drills, fire drills, metal detectors, resource officers, locked doors, bullet-proof glass, etc) remind us that danger is ever-lurking. In this conference session, participants learn and experience the concept of felt–safety — a regulated state in the body. They gain an embodied understanding of how this ventral vagal state supports sequential brain development and prosocial behaviors in the classroom (adult and student).

Speakers

Emily Read Daniels

Founder, HERE this NOW

Daniels is an internationally recognized trauma specialist and trainer in the trauma-informed schools movement and has served thousands through in-person and virtual professional development training, workshops, conferences, webinars, and keynote addresses.Emily is very proud to have... Read More →

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom A

Breakout #2

12:15pm CDT

From Vision to Vibe: Promoting SEL-ebration Schoolwide

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT

Munthe Room

Twice a year, Sycamore Middle School collaboratively implements a school-wide day focused on SEL. We call this, our SEL-ebration Day. This is a day we put action behind the culture we intend to collecively create with emphasis on positive relationships, mindful community, and joy of learning. The video below will give you a good sense of what we set out to accomplish with one of these SEL-ebrations days:

Introducing the SMS SEL-ebration Day

Our hope is to share the vision and value behind this day as well as provide the tools you might need to start planning a day like this for your school too!

Speakers

Justin Hames

Assistant Principal, Sycamore Middle School, District 427

Hames started his career in education in 2010 as a science teacher at Sycamore Middle School. He has served as the Science Department Chair since 2014. He is also a member and co-leader of the Guiding Professional Learning Community (PLC) Coalition at SMS where he assisted the team... Read More →

Katherine Katz

Art Teacher, Sycamore Middle School, District 427

Katz teaches art education to students grades 6-12 as well as serving as director of the district art show and sponsor the high school art club. She has fifteen years of experience working with a wide range of children from pre-school through high school. Every day is a new opportunity... Read More →

Jessica Tadie

ELA Teacher, Sycamore Middle School, District 427

Tadie is currently a teacher at Sycamore Middle School.

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT
Munthe Room

Breakout #2

global Y

12:15pm CDT

It Starts With: Thoughts + Feelings = Actions ...A recipe for school-wide compassion

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT

Nelson Room

While the climate, culture, and well-being of a school is the responsibility of everyone in the building, sometimes we center only the needs of students and forget the needs of the adults. This workshop focuses on introducing CBT/Collective Wellbeing Framework and the associated assessment and toolkit. Participants will learn the CBT/ Collective Wellbeing framework and be guided through assessing their own school, analyzing the data, and determining next steps so they can leave with a professional learning experience tailored to the specific needs of their school community.

Speakers

Devon LaRosa

Chief of High Schools, Chicago Public Schools

Devon supports high school leaders to ensure that all students receive a world-class education. He believes in taking a student-centered approach to education that focuses on equity and rigorous academic experiences.

Carla Tantillo Philibert

CEO, Mindful Practices

Carla Tantillo Philibert, is the author of Cooling Down Your Classroom (2012), and the Everyday SEL series (Routledge, 2016 & 2017). Carla has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, is a certified yoga teacher and is a founding teacher and curriculum director of a high... Read More →

Kierra Pickens

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Key Points Counseling

Dr. Kierra Pickens is a counseling private practice owner and international psychologist with over a decade of experience working in the mental health field. Dr. Pickens has a professional background in community mental health, inpatient and residential psychiatric facility mental... Read More →

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT
Nelson Room

Breakout #2

global Y

12:15pm CDT

My Cruising Altitude

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT

Ziock Ballroom B

In order to Celebrate Resillence, we must understand that success is born of challenges. Every day we wake and with pure will, push against the constant weight of gravity to rise above. We defy odds with persistence and meet the turbulent ascent of our being with an expectation of grace and contentment. Wherever that journey may take us, we strive to find the best of ourselves and maintain a life in balance…our cruising altitude.

Speakers

Heidy LaFleur

Founder, CEO, Heidy with a Why, Inc.

Heidy LaFleur is a vibrant and common sense leader with an explosive passion for helping people understand trauma, the life-changing impact of true leadership & the critical importance of social emotional learning. She is a forever teacher, former school principal and most importantly... Read More →

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT
Ziock Ballroom B

Breakout #2

global Y

12:15pm CDT

The Benefits of Being a Trauma Informed School and Why It's Important. A Principal's Story

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT

Talcott Room A

During the breakout session Jeff will share Stanton School's story of being a targeted school due to chronic absenteeism to earning a commendable status in just one year. This year, with Jeff at the helm, Stanton School received its second consecutive commendable rating because of the committed work he and his staff did and continue to do as a trauma informed school. Jeff will share how his staff, including the bus drivers, became certified trauma informed specialists, how to improve daily rountines and practices by being resilience focused, and how changing the mindset from punitive to "Opportunities to Be Better" have impacted the student's behavior and social emotional growth. Stanton School's growth is validated by the data through significant improvements in student behaviors and daily attendance.

Speakers

Jeff Sefcik

Principal, Fox Lake Grade School District 114 - Stanton School

Thirty-three years ago, Jeff began his career as a high school teacher and baseball coach at Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison, Illinois. During his ten years at Driscoll, he taught History and coached Varsity Baseball earning an impressive career record of 251 wins and 102... Read More →

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT
Talcott Room A

Breakout #2

global Y

12:15pm CDT

Unlocking Potential: Empowering Educators to Support Students Impacted by Trauma

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT

Talcott Room B

Who holds the key to ensuring our students reach their fullest potential? YOU are the key! This presentation aims to provide educators of all levels with an understanding of what trauma really means, how it may present within our students, its effects on the brain, and how this knowledge can shift our mindsets as educators in supporting our students. The goal is to equip educators with tools to foster supportive, safe, connected and empathetic learning environments that nurture the social, emotional, and academic development of all students, especially those affected by trauma. It takes just one genuine connection to change the trajectory of someone's life.

Speakers

Sarah Nauman

School Counselor, Dorothy Simon Elementary: Winnebago School District

Sarah Nauman, MSEd, LCPC, PEL is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and an ISCA 2024 School Counselor of the Year Honoree that has spent over a decade in the field of counseling including roles within clinical and mental health counseling and school counseling. She is currently... Read More →

Thursday June 12, 2025 12:15pm - 1:15pm CDT
Talcott Room B

Breakout #2

global Y