#WSLAES2020
Speakers
LISA GODWIN
2017 NC TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Keynote Speaker
MS. LOGAN MCKNIGHT
WCE INTERNSHIP & LICENSURE COORDINATOR
Presenter
Ms.McKnight earned her BA in Elementary Education and her M.Ed in Language and Literacy both at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. As the Internship Coordinator for the Office of Professional Experiences, she arranges field experience and internship placements and supports school partners in our Professional Development System. As the edTPA Liaison, she leads the edTPA steering committee, and assists faculty and students in the edTPA process throughout the internships semester. Ms. McKnight also serves as the Licensure Officer for the university working directly with the NCDPI to recommend teacher candidates for educator licensure.
DR. KATHY FOX
WCE PROFESSOR
Dr. Fox has 22 years of experience as a bilingual early elementary classroom teacher in California. She spent 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, Southern Africa. She is a NC native and first generation college student. Her passion is working with teachers and families to connect literacy from home to school and back again. She teaches literacy courses that include methods to reach all learners in the elementary education undergraduate program at UNCW, the MAT, and Language and Literacy graduate programs.
CARLA TURNER
NHCS PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
Presenter
Coming soon!
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Brittany obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education from UNCW in 2015 and is licensed in both Special Education and Elementary Education. While at UNCW, Ms. Holdren completed her honors thesis project on the importance of direct social skills lessons in the classroom. Since starting her teacher career, she has been employed with Brunswick County Schools teaching a Structured Behavior Support Classroom. Ms. Holdren also chairs the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team at her school.
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Speakers
MAGGIE MURPHY
4th Grade Teacher
Alleghany County Schools
Presenter
Maggie Murphy, an Appalachian State graduate, has been teaching for twelve years. She uses curriculum to help students grow academically and kindness and love to grow as individuals. She is passionate about global education and equity for all students. She teaches students to become world changers!
RACHEL MURAT
Social Studies Teacher
Maine Endwell CSD
Presenter
Rachel Murat is currently the 2020 NYS Teacher of the Year and has been an educator at Maine-Endwell High School for 25 years. Throughout those years she has taught classes in grades 9-12, including AP Government and Politics, Digital Citizenship, Digital Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Economics, Global History, US History GSuite, Sociology, and Psychology. She earned her Bachelor's from Ohio University in 1995 and her Master's from Binghamton University in 2001. She is the Founder and President of M-EALS and Leadership, a federally recognized 501c3 nonprofit district food pantry system that feeds over 100 district families with weekly home deliveries of food.
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BRIANNA VAIKSNORAS
1st Grade Teacher
Wallace Elementary
Presenter
Brianna graduated from UNCW in May 2020 with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and concentration in Language Arts. While at UNCW she chaired the Watson Student Leader Public Relations committee, increasing positive brand awareness and social media following. She is currently a first year first-grade teacher at Wallace Elementary in Wallace, NC.
ERIN MCCARTHY
8th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Greendale Middle School
Presenter
Erin McCarthy is the 2020 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. She is a curriculum facilitator and National Board Certified eighth grade social studies teacher whose mission is to ensure each student sees themselves reflected in America's story and as an engaged citizen of the world. She believes all students can be empowered to tell their own story. Before entering the classroom Erin managed education programs at the Children's Museum of Immigration in Chicago.
JESSICA DUEÑAS
2019 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Director of Special Education
W.E.B. DuBois Academy
Presenter
Jessica Dueñas is a founding staff member at the W.E.B. DuBois Academy and the 2019 Kentucky State Teacher of the Year. Dueñas has spent the last nine of her thirteen years in education in Jefferson County and Oldham County Schools. She previously taught in New York City Public Schools.
EMILY RHEAULT
3rd Grade Teacher
Berewick Elementary School
Presenter
Emily is a second-year third grade teacher at Berewick Elementary in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She graduated from UNCW in the spring of 2019, where she earned her Bachelor's in Elementary Education, with a concentration in English as a Second Language and a minor in Spanish. She is licensed in K-6 and K-12 ESL.
JEANIE OWENS
2020 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Northeast Region Teacher of the Year & 5th Grade Teacher
Ocracoke School
Presenter
Originally from Abingdon, Virginia, I earned my Bachelors in History and German from Radford University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech. In 2019, I received my Graduate Certificate in School Leadership from Appalachian State University. I have taught in a variety of classroom settings over my twenty-year career including at the university, high school, middle school, and elementary levels. Along with my classroom responsibilities, I also serve Ocracoke School as the School Improvement Chair, the Testing Coordinator, and the Lead AIG teacher. I love being part of the Ocracoke community and calling this island my home.
DR. RICHARD WARREN JR
Professor of Education
Presenter
Dr. Richard Warren Jr is the 2019 Maryland State Teacher of the Year and a nationally awarded S.T.E.M. innovator in Maryland. Richard currently serves as the Hazel Professor of Education at the University of Maryland preparing future teachers to take on the next generation of student, with a special emphasis on educating male students of color to become K-12 teachers. Dr. Warren's work with students, teachers, and state departments has become well known in the educational world and beyond.
DANIEL SCOTT
Director of Bands
Swansboro High School -
Onslow County Schools
Presenter
Daniel is a graduate of Western Carolina University where he received a BM in Trombone Performance and a minor in Bassoon, as well as a BS.Ed with a minor in psychology, concentrating on adolescent development. He is currently the Director of Bands at Swansboro High School in Swansboro, NC. In 2019, Scott was named the Onslow County Teacher of the Year and represented NC as the Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2020 Teacher of the Year.
ANDREA JOHNSON
Dept. Chair & English Teacher
Salem City Schools
Presenter
Andrea Johnson is a National Board Certified Teacher and 2020 Virginia Teacher of the Year. She is Department Chair and a secondary English Teacher at Salem High School in Salem, Virginia. Mrs. Johnson believes in learner-centered teaching that is equitable, empowers students to find their voice, and embraces the whole-child.
ERIC COMBS
2020 Illinois Teacher of the Year
Middle School Band Director
Richland County Middle School
Presenter
Eric Combs is the 2020 Illinois Teacher of the Year. Mr. Combs grew up in and teaches in a high poverty rural school district. Mr. Combs makes band free for anyone interested. To accommodate learners of all skills levels and socioeconomic class, he has developed a unique system of individualized instruction in band that is being used globally.
ASHLEY PETRE
Instructional Coach & MTSS Coordinator for 4th & 5th Grade
Rachel Freeman School of Engineering
Presenter
Ashley Petre is currently the 4th and 5th grade Instructional Coach and MTSS Coordinator at Rachel Freeman School of Engineering. She is originally from CT where she earned her Master of Arts in Teaching degree and taught 3rd grade in a Title 1 school. She then moved to Wilmington where she taught 4th and 5th grade at Rachel Freeman. Her passion is bringing equity to the classroom and guiding students to being lifelong learners.
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ERICA BOOMSMA
4th Grade Teacher & Adjunct Professor
Washington Elementary 4-5 Center
Presenter
Erica Boomsma is the 2019 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. With a master’s degree in Curriculum and Education and a career of 18 years, Boomsma loves her profession and even more, the students she teaches. She believes every child regardless of race, gender, creed, or socioeconomic status can learn and has had the honor of empowering all students to become lifelong learners as they strive for their dreams. There is nothing in this world that she would rather do. For Erica, this is her dream come true; her lifelong goal fulfilled – she is a teacher!
TREVOR TODD
3rd Grade Teacher
Castle Hayne Elementary
Presenter
Trevor Todd graduated from University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2016 from the Watson College of Education. He has been an educator for 5 years and is currently teaching at Castle Hayne Elementary School. Trevor is the 2020-2021 New Hanover County Schools Elementary Educator of the Year. He is also the winner of the Sanford Teaching Award for the state of North Carolina.
KRISTEN APPLEBEE
Art Teacher
Georgia Academy for the Blind
Presenter
Kristen Applebee is the National 2019 Outstanding Teacher of Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired and a 2020 Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalist. She earned a BFA from Brigham Young University, an MFA from Ohio State University, and Early Childhood Teaching Certificate from Wesleyan College. She is currently the Art Teacher at Georgia Academy for the Blind and the Assistant Director for Wesleyan College's Fine Art's Academy Summer Intensive. She lives in Macon, Georgia with her husband and three children.
MARGARET C. MCNEILL
7th Grade English Language Arts Teacher
Dunn Middle School
Presenter
Margaret served as the North Carolina North Central Regional Teacher of Year. She also served on the State Teaching Team from 2016-2017. She is a graduate of Fayetteville State University and also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
STEPHANIE KING
High School English Teacher &
University of Washington English Instructor
Granger High School
Presenter
National Board Certified high school English teacher and Regional Teacher of the Year from eastern Washington, Stephanie King has been serving underprivileged students for over a decade. She is also the head coach of the middle school and varsity girls' soccer teams. Stephanie comes from a family of public school teachers and she has two young, biracial daughters of her own.
REBECCA VITELLI
Special Education Preschool Teacher
Colonial Early Education Program
Presenter
Rebecca Vitelli is a preschool special education teacher at the Colonial Early Education Program (CEEP) in New Castle, DE. She works with typically developing peers and students with autism and moderate to severe health and cognitive needs to provide an exceptional individualized early learning experience. Her firm belief that every child has an innate drive and extraordinary ability to learn guides her inclusive practice. Vitelli has most recently been named the 2020 Delaware Teacher of the Year; because she values the power of education, Vitelli’s mission is to build meaningful connections with and among her students and families, instilling a life-long love of learning in all.
DR. BYRON MCCLURE
Lessons for SEL Founder &
National Certified School Psychologist
Presenter
Byron is a National Certified School Psychologist and the creator of Lessons for SEL, a social emotional learning program. He has also created several programs for youth of color including African American males. His research includes investigating the effectiveness of social emotional learning programs for youth of color. He is currently the Assistant Director of Redesign at Anacostia High School in Washington, DC.
AMANDA KANE
Paraeducator
Colonial Early Education Program
Presenter
Coming from St. George's Early Childhood Program Amanda Kane has attended Aspiring Educator events in the past and is happy to be in her new role: Kane is now a preschool special education paraeducator at the Colonial Early Education Program (CEEP) in New Castle, DE. She is an undergraduate student studying Early Childhood Special Education at Wilmington University. Kane supports typically developing peers and students with autism and moderate to severe health and cognitive needs in a full-day, preschool classroom alongside Vitelli. Most recently, Kane has been nationally recognized and awarded a 2020 Apsiring Educator Award from VOYA Financial due to her belief that each child deserves an advocate and strives to be a champion for all her students.
WENDY TURNER
2017 Delaware Teacher of the Year & 2nd Grade Teacher
Mt. Pleasant Elementary School
Presenter
Wendy is a teacher leader passionate about social emotional learning, equity and supporting students impacted by trauma. She works to create dynamic, real world learning experiences for her students steeped in social emotional competence. She was named the 2017 Delaware Teacher of the Year, a 2016 Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Teaching Science and traveled to South Africa in 2019 as a Global Learning Fellow with The NEA Foundation. She is currently a 2nd grade teacher at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School in Wilmington, DE.
AMY CAMPBELL
Special Education Teacher
& 2020 Washington State Teacher of the Year
Helen Baller Elementary
Presenter
As a teacher of students who have significant impact from disability, Amy believes all children can learn, and to achieve her vision of academic success for all she implements innovative strategies geared to students' strengths. She develops ways, through collaboration with general education teachers, to integrate students into their communities. She believes in the power of inclusion when everyone can participate in learning together and experience diversity as an asset. Amy's personal life mission is to change the way people view people with disabilities and change the way people with disabilities see themselves.
KAELIN SWANEY
Kindergarten Teacher
Rocklin Academy, Gateway
Presenter
Kaelin has been teaching Kindergarten at Rocklin Academy, Gateway for seven years. She was named California Charter School Association’s Hart Vision Teacher of the Year in 2018. She has been in education for eleven years, previously working as a preschool teacher and preschool director, and also as a paraeducator in special education. She is passionate about creating a classroom environment that is inclusive for all students, and prioritizes the importance of being a strong advocate for all children.
JILLAYNE ANTOON
Principal
Rocklin Academy
Presenter
Jillayne has been in education for 17 years, 13 of them with Rocklin Academy. In all of the roles she has served, as an Elementary Teacher, Principal, and Director of Growth and Community Engagement, she brings a constant drive for excellence and equity and a deep commitment to Rocklin Academy Family of Schools’ mission and vision to her work. She was the founding Principal of Rocklin Academy Gateway in 2014, and returned to that role this fall, while continuing the work of creating the climate and systems to support Rocklin Academy’s continued growth and development.
DR. TONIA HOLMES-SUTTON
State Director
Teach Plus Nevada
Presenter
Tonia Holmes-Sutton, Ed.D., NBCT, is a member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board of Directors and is leading the way in education advocacy in Nevada. She is a twenty-year veteran teacher and leads as the State Director for Teach Plus Nevada. Holmes-Sutton is the 2020 Alumna of the Year for the College of Education at UNLV. She served as a former, Governor-appointed member of the Nevada State Board of Education; and presently serves as a Board Director for WestEd, a Board Trustee for the National Teachers Hall of Fame, a member of the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority Board, and as a founding member of the National Network of Accomplished Minoritized Educators (National Board NAME).
MERVE K. OZDEMIR
Doctoral Scholar & Graduate Assistant
UNC Greensboro
Presenter
Merve is a second year PhD student in Special Education Program at UNC Greensboro. She graduated from University of Florida with a masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education. With over five years teaching experience in the field, she is passionate about designing interventions to support social emotional development of young children. Currently, she is focusing on improvement and implementation of MTSS to eliminate the suspension and expulsion from NC's schools.
GAIL HUDSON
2020 Nevada State Teacher of the Year & 5th Grade Teacher
John R. Hummel Elementary
Presenter
Gail Hudson, a National Board-Certified Teacher (NBCT), is a veteran educator with 32-years instructional leadership service and the 2020 NV State Teacher of the year. Hudson trains for the district Equity and Diversity Department; facilitating at district, state, and national levels. She leads as a facilitator for Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute: Empowering Teachers as Leaders & Learners and presently serves on NDE Superintendent’s Teacher Advisor Cabinet, a Board of Director for WestEd, and as a founding member of the National Network of Accomplished Minoritized Educators (National Board NAME).