Conference Agenda & Registration

CONFERENCE AGENDA

From Rejected to Resilient!

ANNOUNCEMENTS POSTED HERE

* The conference is free and virtual only

* Conference dates 7/08 & 7/9: 8:am-3:30pm Central Time Zone: CT/US

* Location: Virtual Microsoft Teams links listed below:

* ---- SBEC & CEU CREDIT- 6 hours each day.

*----CERTIFICATES WILL BE ISSUED AFTER SURVEY

COMPLETION. SURVEY LINK WILL BE POSTED

HERE AFTER THE CONFERENCE.

*Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors!

Grand Prairie ISD !

Click here!

Thank you for joining us for the 13 Annual Summer Institute for Educators of Behavior Disorder Students! We are glad you are here!

Here are a few details regarding the conference:

*Each session will be offered virtually.

*Please select one session per day and time offering.

*Certificates will be offered at the end of the conference after the feedback survey is completed.

*If you have difficulty with connection, please contact the GPISD helpdesk at 972.237.5413

*GPISD STAFF ONLY: You must register Edugence.

*Topics and speakers are subject to change.

SBEC and CEU Credits available!

GPISD STAFF MUST REGISTER ON EDUGENCE

Day 1 Opening Keynote: 8:30-10am

Anna Brokenleg

Healing Our Circles

Healing our Circles will explore the topics of trauma and resilience as they apply to staff members with a focus on supporting everyone in our educational settings. This session will focus on strategies and considerations for creating supportive staff environments through the use of the Circle of Courage model.

Anna Brokenleg, MaEd, Speaker, Reclaiming Youth at Risk Chairperson, Office of Native Education Sioux Falls Public Schools, South Dakota.

With over 18 years of experience in education, Anna Brokenleg is a passionate advocate for Indigenous youth and a nationally recognized trainer with Reclaiming Youth at Risk. She holds a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Special Populations from Augustana University and has served in diverse roles including K–5 classroom teacher, multilingual educator in Title I schools, and Native American Connections facilitator.

Currently serving as an Instructional Coach and Chairperson for the Office of Indian Education, she has been a driving force behind the integration of Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings into K–12 curricula. Through professional development, she equips educators, administrators, and community leaders with tools to embrace Indigenous history, culture, and the Circle of Courage—a model of youth empowerment grounded in belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity.

An enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and a mother of two, Anna Brokenleg brings both personal and professional insight to her mission: building resilience, cultural pride, and academic success for Indigenous students. Her work extends beyond the classroom, as she leads community events and initiatives that center Indigenous voices and support holistic student development.

A dynamic speaker, she is known for her powerful storytelling and practical guidance on culturally responsive education. Her keynote presentations inspire audiences to reimagine learning spaces where every child is seen, valued, and empowered.

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Day 1 Secondary Keynote: 10:15-11:45 pm

Nick Jackson, MA, Assistant Professor of Education, Augustana University

Sioux Falls South Dakota

The Spirit of Belonging

Belonging is the heart of the Circle of Courage. Without establishing a sense of belonging as a foundation, the rest of the pieces of the Circle of Courage have nothing on which to anchor themselves. This session takes a deep dive into belonging as attachment, which includes building community, loving others, and simply being.

Nick Jackson, MA Assistant Professor of Education Augustana University Sioux Falls

South Dakota

M.S. in Educational Leadership, 2013, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, NY

B.A. in Elementary Education, 2008, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD

Nick has taught in the Augustana University Education Department, now the Sharon Lust School of Education, since 2021. He teaches courses entitled, "Integrating Movement, Mindfulness, and the Arts into the Classroom," "Teach, Learn, Connect," "Human Relations in Education," and "Ubuntu: I am Because We Are." Nick has been an educator for 16 years in a variety of settings, including in traditional, charter, and independent schools spanning from Pennsylvania to Colorado to South Dakota. He has served as a teacher in elementary and middle school, an instructional coach, and a founding principal. His work with the Circle of Courage is extensive, ranging from integrating it in every one of his past classrooms, to utilizing it as the foundational framework for his education students at Augustana University, to serving as a senior trainer for Schools That Matter, to being a keynote speaker at the annual Reclaiming Youth At Risk conference, to being a founder of The Courage of Camp. His most rewarding work, however, has been parenting his two children, June and Charlie. Nick and his wife, Kristina, enjoy traveling, riding their bikes, playing volleyball at the park, coaching their kids' soccer teams, overly competitive game nights with friends, and performing in their live radio show, the Midtown Coffee Radio Hour (check it out on Spotify).

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Tonya Willis & Melissa Silero

Lunch and Listen: Engaging Students with Picture Books for Social Learning

12:15-1:45pm

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Michael Murray LMHC M.Ed & Laura Balough M.Ed

Inclusive Therapeutic Education: Strategy, structure, and philosophy for a relationship-based approach to inclusion

12:15-1:45pm

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Break-Out Sessions Day 1, cont. 2-3:30pm

Dr. Lisa Daniel

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Child maltreatment & the importance of prevention & intervention

2-3:30pm

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Ylonda Johnson "The Courage Coach"

What Lies Beneath- Connecting Through Compassion

2-3:30pm

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Kristen Everhart

Coloring Between The Lines (But With Glitter!)

8:30-10:00am

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Lorie Hanna

Minimize Challenging Behaviors Through Structured Communication

10:15-11:45am

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Raymond Appleberry Jr. M.Ed

Leading from Where You Are: Every Voice Matters in Special Education

10:15-11:45am

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Lunch 11:45-12:15pm

Break-out Sessions cont. 12:15-1:45pm

Brian Hopkins

Bad Kids, Are They Really? The Diagnosis, Prescription, and Antidote for Maladaptive Behaviors

12;15-1:45pm

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Rebecca Piccola

SEL That Reaches the Heart (and Behavior)

12:15-1:45pm

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Break-out Sessions cont. 2:00-3:30pm

Cheryl Randle, MSIDT, BCASE

Touch, See, Hear, Move - Unlocking Early Learning & Shaping Behavior Through Multisensory Engagement

2-3:30pm

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Dr. Lisa Daniel

Cognitive Distortions: Implications & Interventions

2-3:30pm

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Stephanie Powell

Masking, Meltdowns, and Mislabeling: Rethinking What We Call “Disruption”

2-3:30pm

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CONFERENCE AGENDA ​ From Rejected to Resilient! ​

CONFERENCE AGENDA

From Rejected to Resilient!