SNAP! Sessions

SNAP! Sessions consist of 4 to 5 rapid-fire presentations on a related topic during which presenters have 6-7 minutes to tell a story using a limited number of slides about how a program, course, initiative, etc. benefited students

Connecting Through Communication

The transcultural experience of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on a daily basis is the norm for a number of students at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace High School. Learn how a speech and debate course at the school is designed to break down walls by providing a platform for students from different backgrounds to share their stories genuinely, express their opinions confidently, and engage in healthy discourse courageously. Through impromptu speaking exercises, prepared speech presentations, and debate activities, students grasp the importance of how interpersonal communication is key to building empathy.

PRESENTER: Susan Antolin, Student Leadership Coordinator, Speech and Debate Instructor | Academy of Our Lady of Peace High School


Creating a Culture of Kindness in Schools

How can schools cultivate a culture of kindness? Learn how a web-based program called ThinkGive empowers students to practice their leadership as empathic citizens. The program includes in-class curriculum, individual student effort, and team collaboration. Following the curriculum, students give acts of kindness, then reflect with classmates. Importantly, students own their giving: they decide what and to whom to give, and they see the impact of their gift firsthand. Within this environment, they can develop empathy, respect, and kindness in a way that makes sense to them, and they can realize their individual power to make a difference.

PRESENTER: Susan Lewis, Science Teacher and Advisor | Nashoba Brooks School


Creativity: The Secret to Success in STEAM for Girls

In this session, you will learn how an all-girls school created an engaging, cutting edge curriculum for a STEAM class that is now a core class for all our freshmen and sophomores. We created a sequence of projects that utilize Design Thinking, fabrication, augmented reality, engineering, creativity, coding, and social responsibility to teach our students technology and engineering, while tapping into their artistic talents and providing them with a pathway to personal expression. We will share practical ideas that can bring the creativity to your STEAM classes and empower all girls to succeed in STEAM.

PRESENTER: Gila Stein, Director of STEAM and Science Department Chair | Ma’ayanot High School


Dare to Make a Difference

Part of being makers and inventors involves understanding the needs of the community and developing empathy for those around you. Elmwood School has developed a culture of involving students in their communities. Starting with a series of whole school initiatives, girls can develop skills and dispositions that lead them to have the confidence and ability to take action on an individual and small group level. Dreaming about making a difference becomes a reality as girls find ways to positively impact their communities through various forms of action. Learn about Elmwood’s model of student action driven by student voice and agency.

PRESENTER: Meagan Enticknap, Director of Academics and Innovation | Elmwood School


Design Thinking and Social Justice in the Curriculum

Learn about how a group of high school girls created projects integrating design thinking and social justice in their language class. In this session, you will be presented with examples of work done by 9th grade French students, who were challenged to overcome set narratives in texts that were not always inclusive of their gender. While engaging in thoughtful conversations about overcoming one’s own biases, students researched, presented and discussed gender stereotypes, ableism, racial and ethnic discrimination, and environmental issues. The year-end project, using a PBL approach, combined those themes into a design project.

PRESENTER: Isabelle Toussaint, Middle and Upper School French Teacher | The Hewitt School


Does Making Matter?

Are makerspaces just the latest educational fad or do they represent the future of hands-on learning? Hear one educator’s take on why the makerspaces that are popping up at schools, libraries, and museums across the country will stand the test of time. Learn where making fits in to our mission-driven schools and why the innovative program and spaces at Katherine Delmar Burke School have caught the attention of educators from around the world.

PRESENTER: Michael Matthews, Director of Curriculum and Program Innovation | Katherine Delmar Burke School


Finding a Voice in Discussions about Social Justice Issues

This is the short story of three students: a student who deemed herself as a quiet outcast, an African-American girl, and a first generation Asian-American. Each of these girls felt that her opinion, life experience, and voice did not matter anywhere. Through structured class discussions of various social justice issues, these students soon realized that their voices matter as much as anyone else’s, and that if they did not contribute their stories to the discussion, then the would never be heard. These girls are now an outspoken activist, a participant of the National Youth Leadership Forum for Law and CSI, and a poet.

PRESENTER: Linda Nguyen, Assistant Campus Minister and Religion Teacher | Notre Dame Academy High School


Operation Beautiful

In an increasingly innovative world, the need for stereotypically “male jobs” is increasing. As educators of young women, we need to empower them and provide them with the confidence to succeed as makers, entrepreneurs, etc. Annually, our Student Council hosts a week of female empowerment and self-positivity at school. The goal of this week focuses on positive views of women and raising up one another as young women who can succeed fully in the classroom and confidently focus on the changes they can make in the world. The session will further discuss the elements and activities of the week.

PRESENTER: Kelly Spencer, English Teacher, Student Council Moderator | Magnificat High School


StARTup

Facing increasing demand for competent students for the 21st century, La Vall school has started a project with the intention of creating deep links between Art and Entrepreneurship. These two disciplines share the same goal: to foster a transformative maker culture in students.    Our 1st and 3rd year students work together to conduct research on Inclusive Education. The project includes a list of activities in Art Education that foster the improvement of creativity and drawing skills of the girls. It is a fact that creativity comes from curiosity, and StARTUp is the space in our school to find new solutions.

PRESENTER: Gemma Arasanz, Entrepreneurship Studies Leader and Exeutive Director EASSE | EASSE/ La Vall School