Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education


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THE 2018 PAMLE CONFERENCE

February 25th to 27th was a welcoming weekend for school community members across Pennsylvania. The 2018 PAMLE/PASAP StateConference educated and entertained close to 500 participants and presenters. A platform of keynote addresses, conference sessions, Ed Camp discussions, exhibitors and vendors all contributed to an informative, enlightening and inspirational conference.

Concurrent sessions presented by STW designated school members and other dedicated schools offered strategies and ideas on middle level topics such as Google classroom, team building, academic achievement, flexible seating, student-centered learning, character education, and STW criteria, just to name a few. Attendees acquired best practices and simultaneously networked with colleagues to expand their passion for middle level schools and students.

Additionally, the conference offered Ed Camp discussions; various stakeholders came together in small group open forums to discuss ideas and gather resources on current topics in education such as instructional strategies, writing across the curriculum, advisory, technology, parent conferences, crisis management, diverse learners, bullying and assessments. Attendees shared ideas and sparked new connections across Pennsylvania school districts.

Valuable plenary session speakers and keynote speakers addressed topics including behavioral health, poverty, truancy prevention, and career readiness. Keynote speaker, founder and president of the nonprofit Give an Hour, Barbara Van Dahlen, educated participants on the five signs of emotional suffering and the healthy habits of emotional well-being. Give an Hour is a growing, successful campaign changing the direction of healthy habits one hour at a time. Timothy Shoemaker later launched a keynote address with his inspirational “rags-to-redemption story.” His journey from darkness in poverty and addiction to a bright, passionate and drug-free life is an influential story that resonated with attendees, emphasizing the importance of care in our daily roles at the middle level. “Excellence in Life – The Dash Between the Dates,” the keynote address Tuesday morning given by renowned speaker Mark Brown, shared four key points, the single greatest ACTIVATOR to overcome life’s obstacles, 4 keys to living a meaningful purposeful life and power of your influence and how to be fit for the race of your life.

In between sessions and speakers, exhibitors and vendors added flare to the conference with the latest resources, instructional materials, and educational services. Representatives offered products and services to support educators, classrooms and students.

PAMLE honored its members through the annual comprehensive awards program. STW designated and re-designated schools, outstanding teachers and administrators, the Promising Practitioner and the William Alexander recipient were recognized and congratulated for their outstanding contributions to middle level schools and students. Congratulations to this year's PAMLE award winners! For further details on these distinguished awards, refer to the PAMLE home page.

As always, the Ice Cream Social afforded attendees a social, entertainment outlet with an evening of Penn State’s famous Creamery Ice Cream, raffles, a DJ and of course, dancing. The countless conference opportunities provided attendees numerous reasons to return February 24th to 26th of 2019 for another round of meaningful professional development, networking, and best practices to enhance our middle level schools and students. You can see photos from this year's outstanding conference right here. Thanks to the always-awesome Joy Rosser for this recap of our state conference!


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