2025 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Welcome to URSA 2025 at Park City High School!

1:30pm MDT

Are We on the Same Page? Unpacking Reading on Grade Level CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Brooke Anderson Gail Markin Breakout Session AU - AuditoriumGail Markin From Policy to Practice: Navigating Utah’s 2026 Early Literacy Changes CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Piper Riddle • Jennifer Throndsen From PD to Practice: A Practical System for PD That Sticks CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Camille Johnson The Dignity Index: How to disagree without being disagreeable ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury Utah School Safety in 2026: Understanding the Updated Legislative Landscape CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Ashley Pistello Teacher Leaders as the Engine of School Improvement: From Strategy to Practice SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Cori Groth • Kody Colvin • Sarah Jarnagin • Shalon Jones-Miller Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Nathan Blackner Beyond the Basics: Navigating Disciplinary Literacy in the ELA Classroom ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Naomi Watkins Building Science Thinkers Through Literacy and Data Analysis Strategies CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Jennifer Mackay Rising Above Low Expectation: How to Scaffold Learning for Students ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Laureen Graves • Heather Kennedy Learner-Centered Design: Evidence, Iteration, and Impact SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Nathan Auck • Keslie Green

2:50pm MDT

Using the Early Math Assessment Data SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jared Wright • Teresa McEntire Want to make a Canvas Quiz in three minutes? You can. CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Steve Weller Teacher Reflection and Instruction Data Made Easy With AI CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Yaerli Anderson • Lance Hatch Group Contingencies and the Good Behavior Game for Classroom Management CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Dr. Audrey N. Hoffmann • Rhea Rayomand Palkhiwala Bridging the Gap: Addressing Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Rural Utah Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Celina Poppe Increasing Student Attendance ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Megan Menlove • Garrett Russell Rediscovering True Education: Classroom Practices That Actually Work GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Kenneth Applegate An Educational Expedition: Rediscovering Educator Joy ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Laureen Graves • Heather Kennedy Mobilizing Rural Partnerships: Building Coalitions for Student Success SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Lisa Wisham • James Jordan The Teacher Brain Budget Hack CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Mary Saylor A Brief Introduction to Trust-Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Lauren Ezzell

9:45am MDT

Canva Reimagined: Unlock the Magic ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner AI, Bloom, and the Cognitive Gap in Educational Technology CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Valarie O'Bryan School Leadership Theory vs. Practice: Doing what should be done while doing what has to be done SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Quinn Kellis Why Some PLCs Pop and Other Don't: Small Shifts That Lead to Big Results SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128David Boren 10 Minute Movement ideas for Language Arts k-6th grade CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Ashley Boyack Beyond Aspire Plus: Navigating the Transition in High School Assessment CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Teresa McEntire • Samantha Tinkey Facilitating Career and Technical Education Pathways for Students with Disabilities in Utah CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Crystal Emery Simple and Easy Adaptations in the Classroom GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson Taming the AI Dragon: Practical Gemini & Notebook LM for Educators ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Clint Stephens Commemorate America250 Utah with History, Civics, and Heart CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Wendy Rex Atzet • Rebecca Kirkman The Power of Student Voice: Enhancing Literacy Through Oral Language GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Denice Maedgen • Harmony Langford Supporting Multilingual Learners in the ELA Classroom SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jennifer Throndsen

11:10am MDT

Scam Academy - Teaching Students to Outsmart the Algorithms CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan Managing Change as a New School Administrator SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Doug Stump Engagement 101 CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Melissa Metcalf Engagement Strategies for the Middle Years 6th-8th Grade GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Melodie Garcia Intro to PCBL: Guiding Principles & Strategies for Improving Learning ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner Portrait of Secondary Transition for Students with Disabilities: A Roadmap for Educators, Students, and Families CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Crystal Emery Chaos Coordinators: Frontload the Calm, Teach the Tough CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Katie Clark • Dana Blazzard Positive Childhood Experiences in the K-12 Setting ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Phillip Bertoch The Science of Learning in Utah Math Classrooms GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Jennie Earl

1:30pm MDT

From Data to Insights: Monitoring Student Achievement Over Time via Utah RISE CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Brooke Anderson Great Grading! CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Tony Campbell • Angela Poulton • Jared Wilkinson From Fragmented to Focused: Strengthening Your School’s System of Support SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127David Boren Leading High Leverage Practices in Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Quinn Kellis Teacher's are Leaders Inside and Outside of the Classroom ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury A Beginners Guide to Augmentative and Alternative Communication ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Alyssa Roylance Today's Middle School Student GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson You've Got To Move It! (Incorporating Movement in the Secondary Classroom) CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Mary Saylor Rediscovering Health Through Rural and State Partnership SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard 3D in 8th Grade Science - Oxidation in Action in Utah CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Maggie Grindstaff Building Better People Through Lessons from History, Lessons from the Holocaust GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Leigh Routman

2:50pm MDT

Supporting Student Learning and Creativity with Google Vids ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rob Bentley Literacy, Mental Health, and School Engagement for Students with Learning Disabilities CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Paul Black Scaffolding Tier 1 Phonics Instruction CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Jennifer Throndsen Current Problems in School Leadership: A Think Tank Experience SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Jenna Olson Collaborative Roots: Building Parent-Teacher Trust to Transform Student Outcomes ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Shannon Neeley • Sydney Whatcott Leaving Children Behind: Grade Retention in the 21st Century CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Pam Powell Middle Level Educators Unite GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Kristy Stevens Navigating Sensitive Materials and Collection Development: Updated Strategies for School, Library, and Classrooms ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Davina Sauthoff 3D Science lessons- Gravity and Inertia CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Westen Miller • Kristine Erickson Implementing the Success Sequence: Key to Updated Health Education Standards SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jodi Parker Virtual Field Trips at the Springville Museum of Art SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Peyton Richards • Cheynie Wray Demystifying Mastery: The What, the Why and the How of Proficiency Scale Construction CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Nathan Auck

9:50am MDT

AI Tools for Digital Storytelling: Google Vids and Adobe Podcast ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Rob Bentley GEG Utah Demo Slam 2026 SC 016 - Science Center, Room 016Kelli Cannon Technology: What Are We (Or Should We Be) Afraid Of? CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Christijan Draper From Policy to Practice: What Utah’s HB 393 Means for Dyslexia and Daily Classroom Instruction ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Paul Black Where have all the Teachers Gone (and can we get those left to STAY)? GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Sean Rickert Courtside Culture - Lessons in Leadership from Basketball's Greatest Minds CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan New Teacher Retention: Influence Your Young Teachers to Stay SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Pamela Pedersen You Are Not the Test Score: Reclaiming Care and Influence in an Age of Testing CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Joshua Hales Emergency Recovery Planning ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Scott Eyre Strategies for Students Reading Below Grade Level in Middle School GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106Laura Mauer 3D Science Assessments and the New HS RISE CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Milo Maughan

11:10am MDT

Bringing Characters to Life Using Adobe Character Animator ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Rob Bentley Mammoth Plans and Jazz Hands: Building an Innovation Lab for Students CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Jared Covili 4-Part Model to School Culture ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Stuart Hepworth • Amy Robinson What does a balanced approach to instructional technology use look like in reality? SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Tony Campbell Norms of Collaboration: Fostering Belonging On and Offline CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan Building Sustainable School Wellness Systems In Rural Communities SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard Partnership Power: Expanding Classroom Horizons with Division of Arts & Museums GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Justin Ivie • Reilly Jensen Beyond the B.E.A.C.O.N.: Lighting the Way for AI in Education GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106Becca Esplin Mixing through Meiosis - Variation in Gametes (3 lesson unit) ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Valorie Draper • Julie Castellon • Jami Slack Bridging the Gap to Grade-Level Text in the secondary classroom marks a critical shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" through evidence-based, equitable instruction. CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Amy Mahoney Beyond the Read Aloud: Bringing Stories to Life CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Sally Baird

2025 Utah Rural Schools Conference

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