WhyTry.org

Social Emotional Learning and Resilience Education

Webinars

Surrendering the One-Up Relationship – A Powerful Approach to Connecting with Every Student

Surrendering the One-Up Relationship – A Powerful Approach to Connecting with Every Student

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Join us for this important FREE webinar –
Thursday August 5th at:

3:00 PM Eastern Time
2:00 PM Central Time
1:00 PM Mountain Time
12:00 PM Pacific Time

Register Here

Why prioritize connecting with students now?

During this COVID year one of the biggest concerns for all educators has been the inability to establish and maintain those important relationships with all students.  Now as we begin a new school year feeling connected has been identified as one of the top areas of focus for schools across the country.

A powerful approach to connecting with all of your students

Surrendering the One Up Relationship is a set of specific strategies that help educators build authentic, unconditional relationships that help all students feel understood, valued, and safe. When done effectively, Surrendering the One Up Relationship is the X-factor for motivating all student to action and seeing their potential.

New Staff Development and Administrators Toolkit

In this webinar we will discuss how to adapt to individual student needs and provide practical interventions that can inspire and motivate them in a time that is unprecedented in our history. Our panel will demonstrate strategies from WhyTry’s new Surrendering the one-up Relationship Staff Development and  Administrators Toolkit designed to help all educators create a shift in perspective towards building relationships that motivate. 

Come listen as our panel of experts as they discuss how we can help students that are struggling emotionally and dealing with trauma, and what we can do to help them cope and find ways to thrive in this new school year.  

Don’t miss this important event!

Join us for this important FREE webinar –
Thursday August 5th at:

3:00 PM Eastern Time
2:00 PM Central Time
1:00 PM Mountain Time
12:00 PM Pacific Time

Register Here

Panelists

Bruce Bushnell
Bruce Bushnell has centered his career around promoting youth success. He is an award winning school counselor. Bruce was named the counselor of the year for the state of Utah and was also honored at the White House, receiving national recognition for his counseling interventions. Bruce has been a member of the Executive High School Relations Board, senior vice president of the Alpine Counseling Association, and vice president of the Utah Counselor Association.
Bruce now helps youth succeed by presenting passionate WhyTry keynotes and trainings across the country. As an advocate of the program from its earliest days, Bruce has also been a key contributor in developing many of the WhyTry learning activities, which are proven to help youth develop the social and emotional skills necessary to reach their goals.
Cory Anderson
Cory has spent nearly two decades as an educator, beginning as a teacher and then as an administrator. He has been an assistant principal at a middle school and has served as a principal of two different elementary schools. Cory pioneered and started one of two public STEM programs in the state of Utah and helped consult with the state office of education on creating STEM standards for schools that would eventually be adopted by the STEM action center.
Also during his tenure as an elementary school as principal, Cory oversaw behavioral units and lead his school in implementing social and emotional programs and STEM activities.
In 2019, Cory joined the WhyTry team as a trainer and director of curriculum development, after using its social and emotional tools for close to ten years in his administrative duties.
Jason round small
Jason Johnson
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance.  Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.
Register Here

Want to Learn More?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

Strategies to improve school connection and help every student thrive

Strategies to Motivate your Unmotivated Students

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Why we need to prioritize school connectedness now

School connectedness is typically defined as “the belief held by students that adults and peers in the school care about their learning as well as about them as individuals.” Connected Schools become places where students are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors and succeed academically.  During this COVID year one of the biggest concerns for all educators has been the inability to establish and maintain those important relationships with all students.  Now as we begin a new school year feeling connected has been identified as one of the top areas of focus for schools across the country.

In this webinar we share the keys to creating a connected school and  connected classrooms that can be vital to motivating those difficult to reach students.  We discuss practical examples how all educators can help their schools prioritize social emotional needs of students and how building connections with students can increase resilience.  Listen as our panel of experts including an award winning teacher, counselor and principal as they discuss how we can help students that are struggling emotionally and dealing with trauma, and what we can do to help them cope and find ways to thrive in this new school year.  

 

Panelists

Ashley Wright
Born and raised in Houston, TX, Ashley Wright went through undergraduate studies as an Education Major at Sam Houston State University as well graduate studies as a Professional School Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor. She currently serves as an elementary school counselor in Conroe ISD at Lucille J. Bradley Elementary. She has been an educator for the past 13 years and a school counselor for the past 4 years. Ashley Wright teaches students to accept diversity, increase their self-esteem, build character and maintain resilience. Ashley continues to implement a diverse comprehensive counseling program that is dedicated to meeting the needs of her students, staff and the community. From weekly counseling lessons, student leadership opportunities, parent education shows, and student achievement awards, Ashley brings enthusiasm and campus engagement throughout the entire school year. As an advocate for the school counseling profession, Ashley has also presented several national webinars with the national WhyTry program and Region 4 Education Center with counseling program implementation ideas, tools and strategies to increase student attendance and engagement, and school counselor self care. Overall, Ashley continues to influence other professional school counselors in their role and strives to create change in our education system.
Jamila A. Hud-Kirk
Jamilah Hud-Kirk, also known as Principal Captain Kirk, has served as an educator for over 23 years and currently serves as an elementary principal in one of the largest urban school districts in Metro Atlanta for the past 12 years. As a school leader, she has focused on creating a culture of high performance and impacting teachers instructional practices that are innovative, culturally relevant and aligned with student achievement best practices. 
 
Growing up in a household where her parents were active in the civil rights movement and where the importance of building strong communities in which we live were stressed, she continues to strive to create conditions inside and outside of the school that impact change and opportunity for our children. Jamilah believes passionately that education can positively affect communities, transform lives, and shape new visions for leading and learning in a globally competitive world. Grounded in her earliest years as a classroom teacher and growing up in a home where the importancelife-long learning were stressed, Jamilah also believes these early beginnings have shaped her ability to harvest a sense of pride and empowerment as she strives to create stronger communities while educating those who will one day lead them. 
 
As CEO and Founder of PCK Consulting LLC, an educational leadership consulting group which was created to serve women of diverse backgrounds who aspire to serve and are currently serving in school leadership roles, she is committed to helping these leaders elevate their leadership “goals,” and increase their impact in schools.Realizing that there is much to learn from her own experiences and those of other dynamic female leaders who have come across her path, she created a blog and other social media platforms that are reflective of those golden nuggets. It is the desire and hope that other leaders who share a similar desire to create work/life balance will have a safe, honest platform in which to learn from and express their own personal journeys on how they manage to find harmony between their professional and personal lives.Jamilah incorporates and infuses a passion for authentic leadership by empowering others to create balance that is critical to good leadership and essential for a healthy organization.
 
In addition to becoming an Amazon Best Selling Co-Author for “Leading With Balance,Jamilah considers her greatest accomplishment to be a wife of 20 years to husband,Toussaint and mother to 4 wonderful boys and 1 girl, ranging from 25 to 3 years of age. She is a graduate of the prestigious Tuskegee University, Tuskegee Alabama, where she received two bachelor degrees in Early childhood and Elementary Education. She is also proud of her achievements in acquiring a Masters degree in Specific Learning Disabilities from Auburn University and Educational Leadership from University of Texas at Austin.
Chris Eady
Chris is an award winning high school business teacher with nearly 30 years experience and a passion for student engagement and school connectedness. He is a perpetual student favorite and has received many recognitions from both his students and his peers. He has been named teacher of the year, he was the recipient of the golden apple award for educational excellence and has received the most influential teacher award.
 
Along with his many years as a teacher, Chris has worked as a teaching specialist in interdisciplinary learning and has been a curriculum developer in applied technology.  He has been an instructor in digital media, web development, marketing and economics and has served as the business department chair  from 2002 to the present. He has served as the Utah DECA Board President and was named the Utah DECA Advisor of the Year. 
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Jason Johnson
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance.  Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.

Want to Learn More?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

SEL and Addressing Mental Health Challenges in Schools

SEL and Addressing Mental Health Challenges in Schools

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The importance of student services in this critical time

As we make plans for the transition back to school this fall, school districts and administrators are focusing on what we must do to address the rise in mental health needs for all students.  Previous to the pandemic schools could rely on specialists to meet those needs.  Now with the collective trauma students have experienced due to COVID-19 and the disruptions of the past year, all educators are having to engage and focus on the emotional wellbeing of their students.  Because of this, there has never been a greater push for well equipped student services personnel that can lead the way.  Their role will be key in helping schools to foster resilience in students and staff during these difficult times!

Fostering a resilient school culture

In this webinar we share practical examples how student/pupil services personnel can help their schools prioritize social emotional needs of students and provide tools and strategies that increase resilience. Listen as our panel of experts from the National Pupils Services Association discuss how to these strategies can help students that are struggling emotionally and lacking motivation, and what we can do to help them cope and find ways to thrive in the future.   

 

Panelists

Dr. Christopher Pugliese
Dr. Pugliese practices servant leadership. In addition to his role as Director of Pupil Services, he is a Level I Google Certified Educator, a Center for Supportive Relationships-Certified Relational Skills Coach, a NASP-certified PREPaRE Trainer and a member of the Trauma Informed Education Coalition. He completed his doctoral research on the influence of teacher-student relationships on teacher wellbeing and he is committed to implementing the findings to improve relationships and wellbeing in schools. Chris has presented at many state and national conferences. Since 2017, he has been a featured speaker in the Introduction to Teaching undergraduate course at Neumann University and he has contributed to articles published in ASCD Express and Pennsylvania Teacher Educator.
In addition to his doctoral degree from Neumann University, Chris also holds superintendent, principal K-12 and social studies teaching certificates. He completed his B.A. and his M.A. degrees (both in History) at St. Joseph’s University and Brown University, respectively. Chris and his wife have three children and three grandchildren.
Larrissa Henderson Ed.D
Dr. Henderson, currently serves and the National Association of Pupil Services Administrators (NAPSA) President
She is the director of pupil services in Oak Ridge School District in Oak Ridge, TN
She wears a lot of very different hats from attendance, discipline, food services, foster care, homeless, migrant, immigrants, ELL, school nurses, court liaison, Title IX coordinator, Title VI, and Title III. She calls pupil services the “customer service department for the school district.”
Dr. Henderson feels that the most rewarding aspect of her job is working with and helping students and their families. Her day changes hourly and the change can be overwhelming, but she enjoys a good challenge every now and then.
Terri Bracken
Terri Bracken is the Director of Special Education and Student Services for the Garnet Valley School District located in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  Terri attended Villanova receiving a BA and certifications in Elementary and Special Education, Masters of Science in Educational Leadership and Superintendent Letter of Eligibility from St. Joseph’s University.  This year marks her 24th year as a public school educator in the field of special education and 17th year as an administrator.
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Jason Johnson
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance.  Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.

Want to Learn More?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

Using SEL to Help Your Schools Thrive Through Reopening


Using SEL to Help Your Schools Thrive Through Reopening

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Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Supports for Educators and Students

The challenges of this pandemic and the trauma we have all experienced, have had a huge impact on students and teachers and will likely cause a ripple effect of academic deficiencies that will stretch into the coming years.  As we make plans for the transition back to post pandemic life, school districts and administrators are focusing on what we must do to address the trauma and meet the social emotional needs of students.  There has never been a greater need for trauma informed practices and a focus on fostering resilience in our students and staff than we are seeing right now!

Panel Discussion

In this webinar we discuss how to make SEL a priority in your schools and classrooms, how to help students that are struggling emotionally and lacking motivation, and what we can do foster resilience in ourselves and others.  Our panel of education leaders demonstrate tools, share insights and discuss strategies from leading SEL programs, The WhyTry Program and Resilience For Youth  that are currently being used to address SEL needs in thousands of schools across the US and internationally.  

Panelists

Pat Connor
Pat Conner is a Senior Policy and Practice Consultant for CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning). As a consultant with CASEL, she provides technical assistance and support to states on SEL that are involved in the Collaborative States Initiative (CSI). An educator for over 36 years, Pat began her work in Sumner County Schools, TN as the director of Safe Schools, Healthy Students before going to the TN Department of Education as the Executive Director for the Office of Student Supports from which she retired in 2019. Pat believes that all students and adults thrive in a safe, just, and supportive school climate and that families, caregivers, and communities are critical partners in building equitable systems that support student success.
Kathleen Chronister
Kathleen Chronister is the Social Emotional Learning Director for Davis School District, Utah. She previously was the Alternative Education Principal in Davis School District where she had responsibility to lead and supervise nine campus locations with a variety of programs for at-risk students including Mountain High School, Renaissance Academy, and Davis Adult Learning.
Ms. Chronister has served on numerous district and state committees. She is the current president of the National Alternative Education Association. She is the past president of the Utah chapter of ASCD and has served as the special purpose school representative for the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals. She has been active in advocacy in the state of Utah and was instrumental in guiding policy makers to better understand the mission of alternative schools which resulted in an appropriate accountability system for alternative high Schools in Utah.
​ She is married with 3 children and 5 grandchildren. She is active in her community and church with projects focused on serving the needs of refugees, women, and children. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University and earned her Master of Education in Educational Administration from Idaho State University. Her philosophy on personal happiness is to spend two minutes each day sending a positive email, text, or personal note of gratitude to at least one person.
Jason round small
Jason Johnson
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance.  Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.

Want to Learn More?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

Even More SEL Strategies that Motivate Students and Foster Resilience

SEL Strategies that Motivate Students and Foster Resilience

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Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Supports for Educators and Students

The challenges of this pandemic and the trauma we have all experienced, have had a huge impact on students and teachers and will likely cause a ripple effect of academic deficiencies that will stretch into the coming years.  As we make plans for the transition back to post pandemic life, school districts and administrators are focusing on what we must do to address the trauma and meet the social emotional needs of students.  There has never been a greater need for trauma informed practices and a focus on fostering resilience in our students and staff than we are seeing right now!

Panel Discussion

In this webinar we discuss how to make SEL a priority in your schools and classrooms, how to help students that are struggling emotionally and lacking motivation, and what we can do foster resilience in ourselves and others.  Our panel of education leaders demonstrate tools, share insights and discuss strategies from leading SEL programs, The WhyTry Program and Resilience For Youth  that are currently being used to address SEL needs in thousands of schools across the US and internationally.  

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from these experts!

Panelists

Cory Anderson
Cory has spent nearly two decades as an educator, beginning as a teacher and then as an administrator. He has been an assistant principal at a middle school and has served as a principal of two different elementary schools. Cory pioneered and started one of two public STEM programs in the state of Utah and helped consult with the state office of education on creating STEM standards for schools that would eventually be adopted by the STEM action center.
Also during his tenure as an elementary school as principal, Cory oversaw behavioral units and lead his school in implementing social and emotional programs and STEM activities.
In 2019, Cory joined the WhyTry team as a trainer and director of curriculum development, after using its social and emotional tools for close to ten years in his administrative duties.
Jason round small
Jason Johnson
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance.  Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.

Want to Learn More?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo