2021 KSPA Professional Development Event at WSU

The 2021 KSPA Professional Development Events are our first days for teachers to share their teaching ideas since . . . well, maybe ever! We hope that you leave this day energized about teaching and filled with new ideas for your classroom.
We hope that you enjoy the speakers below, but we also hope you feel free to use other meeting spaces in the union to have informal meetings with other teachers if that would help a project in your classroom.

• Parking is in the Wichita State Parking Garage: LINK Please be sure to pay for your parking. We do not have permits or vouchers for this event.
• We will use the Rhatigan Student Center for the majority of the event. We will begin in the Sante Fe Trail Room (Room 233) on the second floor.
• A reception begins at 8 a.m. and the programming will begin at 9 a.m. Coffee and pastries will be provided to start the day.
• Lunch will be provided by giving each attendee a gift card for the food court valued at $12.

• Julie Barker: Augusta High School
• Jessica Bowman: Hillsboro High School
• Joanna Chadwick: Derby High School
• Austin Clift: Wichita East High School
• Beth Conrad: Field Kindley High School
• Jennifer Fielder: USD 418
• Randy Griffitts: Wichita North High School
• Amanda Hawkins: Maize USD 266
• Susan Holbrook: Wichita High School Northwest
• Vicki Klaker: Maize Career Academy (Maize High School)
• Sharon Martin: Retired
• Spencer O’Daniel: Maize Career Academy
• Tamara Salisbury: Conway Springs High School
• Kim Warren: Salina High School South
• Jeffrey Welch: Wichita High School South
• Marla Hayden: USD 259 CTE coordinator

8 a.m. Registration opens in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

Welcome to the KSPA Professional Development Event 2021! Receive your welcome packet and let us know you’ve arrived.

8-9 a.m. Pastries and coffee reception PLUS publication swap in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

Enjoy time with your fellow advisers after so much time apart. A light breakfast will be provided. Bring a copy of your most recent publications — yearbooks, magazines, newspapers — to exchange with other teachers.

9-9:10 a.m. Welcome from KSPA board and staff in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

We will welcome you with introductions to fellow teachers, provide an outline of the day and announce some landmark awards from the past 18 months. President Jeff Welch, along with board members Joanna Chadwick, Kim Warren and Spencer O’Daniel, are attending the event. Executive director Eric Thomas will welcome all advisers.

9:10-9:30 a.m. Welcome from WSU in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

Our hosts from Wichita State University’s Elliott School of Communication will welcome teachers. A chance to hear from Jeff Jarman, director of the Elliott School of Communication, and our forever-KSPA advocate Amy DeVault, assistant professor.

9:30-10:15 a.m. Keynote speaker in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

Education reporter Suzanne Perez of KMUW has been covering the fallout from COVID in our schools, explaining how our students and our jobs have been changed by the pandemic. Her reports are broadcast statewide on NPR affiliates and also used in podcasts like Kansas City Today. Her reporting has included stories on the implementation of mask mandates, how kindergartners are coping with a return to school and how summer school attempted to close the pandemic learning gap. Perez will discuss the most vital education stories today involving COVID and suggest ways that student journalists can cover the story in their own schools.

You can read and listen to Perez’s reporting here.

10:30-11:15 a.m. Breakout sessions #1

• Sante Fe Trail Room: Denise Neil of the Wichita Eagle: An arts and entertainment reporter for the Wichita Eagle, Neil published a book “Classic Restaurants of Wichita” last month that “details the rich history of Wichita’s favorite classic eateries.” She keeps readers up to date on her Twitter page and her Facebook page. 
• Lucas Room: WSU instructor Jessica Newman will help advisers who want to learn more about how to teach Adobe Premiere. Newman also works as a Digital Media Strategist for WSU after working as an admissions representative for the school.
• Herrman Room: Shelby Kellerman reports on real estate and downtown development for the Wichita Business Journal. During her years at WSU, Kellerman was the editor-in-chief of The Sunflower student newspaper.

10:30-11:15 a.m. Publications Critiques in the Pike Room

Sharon Martin will provide publication critiques for Augusta High School (Julie Barker 10:30-10:50) and Randy Griffitts (Wichita North 10:55-11:15)

11:15 a.m.-noon Breakout sessions #2

• Sante Fe Trail Room: Amy DeVault has a hands-on typography exercise for us! DeVault is an assistant professor at the Elliott School of Communication, a long-time savior for KSPA activities in Wichita and the faculty adviser for The Sunflower student newspaper.
• Herrman Room: KSPA executive director Eric Thomas will share what he learned — even after publishing a dozen high school yearbooks — through publishing a photography book during the pandemic with this students at the University of Kansas. What do you learn from starting a book from scratch? How can students learn to capture their fellow students’ everyday lives. Thomas is the executive director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, an instructor at the University of Kansas and the director of the Jayhawk Media Workshop.

11:15 a.m.-noon Publications Critiques in the Pike Room

Sharon Martin will provide a publication critique for Derby High School (Joanna Chadwick 11:15-11:35)

11:15 a.m.-noon CTE meeting in a location of your choice

Career and Tech Education likely plays an important role in your life as a publications teacher. Teachers can find a place in the hallways or first floor meeting area of the union for an informal teacher-directed meeting about CTE.

noon-1 p.m. Lunch in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

KSPA has arranged a $12 gift card to the Rhatigan Student Center restaurants on the first floor of the building. Please snag your lunch and meet back in the Sante Fe Trail Room to chat with fellow teachers. Lunch is included in the registration fee.

1-1:45 p.m. Breakout sessions #3

• Lucas Room: Rachel Sommerfeld is the news director of KSNW-TV in Wichita. She will talk about the lessons learned from covering education at the station and provide ideas for your and your students to move forward with meaningful journalism.
• Sante Fe Trail Room: Amy DeVault brings some InDesign ideas and also answers your questions during this software session. Be sure to have your laptop charged up and loaded with Adobe InDesign. DeVault is an assistant professor at the Elliott School of Communication, a long-time savior for KSPA activities in Wichita and the faculty adviser for The Sunflower student newspaper.
• Herrman Room: KSPA executive director Eric Thomas has a scandalous idea — perhaps your students would get better results without Photoshop! **gasp** Come to this session on Adobe Lightroom with your laptop ready with Lightroom installed. What do you learn from starting a book from scratch? Thomas is the executive director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, an instructor at the University of Kansas and the director of the Jayhawk Media Workshop.

1-1:45 p.m. TBA Publications Critiques in the Pike Room

We don’t have any scheduled sessions during this time, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use the Pike Room (it’s reserved and open) for your critiques or meetings.

1:45-2:30 p.m. Implementing curriculum & sharing lesson plans in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

This parade of great ideas from your professional development day demands time to implement. You won’t get it all done during this final session, but break out your laptop, your calendar and your lesson plans. Let’s work on these new teaching strategies. Of course, this is a great time to huddle, perhaps to share your latest great lesson plan — or hear about someone else’s.

1:45-2:30 p.m Tour of university facilities at the Elliott School of Communication

Amy DeVault will take you on a tour of the Elliott School of Communication, just a few steps from the student center.

2:30-3 p.m. Concluding the event in the Sante Fe Trails Room (room 233)

Look forward to the rest of the KSPA with an outline of the KSPA calendar, information about KSPA awards. We would also love to hear your ideas for making this event and other events

• Your All-Kansas yearbook and the completed All-Kansas submission form if you have yet to submit
• Copies of your most recent publications for swapping with other teachers
• A laptop loaded with Adobe software: we will teach Premiere, Photoshop and InDesign through the day. Be sure to download in advance.
• Your sparkling excitement and amazing expertise!
• We will have time in the afternoon for lesson plan share around: please bring your all-star curriculum!

The KSPA staff has researched the best public health practices regarding the COVID virus in advance of planning these events. We will be complying with all university, city, county, state and national directives, if not exceeding those recommendations. Our goal is to keep our members and staff safe, while preventing community spread of COVID. Our plan represents the safest way to gather for professional development and mitigate the spread of the virus.

We strongly encourage all advisers to complete the full course of vaccinations before attending the conference. Vaccinations have been proven to reduce the spread of the virus while also reducing the chance of serious symptoms and hospitalization.

Our virus mitigations will include:

• Mandatory indoor masking for all attendees and staff
• Restricting attendance to only teachers, rather than students
• Using the largest rooms available in each union to encourage social distancing
• Seating advisers at large tables to allow for social distancing

In addition, our campus facilities have implemented their own mitigations, including upgraded air filtration and more frequent cleanings.