Gill St. Bernard’s Hosts Annual NJAIS Innovation and Collaboration Conference 

That’s a wrap, everyone! 

Gill St. Bernard’s was honored to host the longstanding, annual NJAIS Innovation and Collaboration Conference on Tuesday, August 6, and Wednesday, August 7, 2024, which brought together educators from across the state to share innovative practices and ideas around the theme “The Play Revolution!”. 

The two-day conference featured two keynote speakers: Carlos Dominguez, Senior Director of Innovation and Technology at DEPT, and Christina Lewellen, Executive Director at the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLiS), and it included extended workshops, a rapid-firing sharing of topics and initiatives, and an opportunity to connect with like-minded colleagues. 

With only a few weeks left to the summer break, the conference’s exploration of new technological tools—including that hot-button AI—and teaching practices was intentional. Educators can absorb new ideas while they still have time to plan, and they get excited about practices that they could integrate into their classrooms in September. 

“It was really exciting to have so many of our faculty engaging and presenting at the conference,” said GSB Dean of Faculty Irene Mortensen. “We had a significant showing, and the event sparked a lot of ideas for future innovation and play in the classroom.” 

In addition to many of our employees attending the conference, GSB Farm Manager Ned Lincoln presented on “Climate, Agriculture, and Civilization,” discussing how the school educates students on where food comes from and the impact of climate on production. GSB Director of Learning Support TarynAnn Barry Zampino and Upper School Counselor Clare Hoeckele focused on “The Anxious Generation: Normalizing the Error and Encouraging Academic Risk-Taking in an Ever-Evolving World” where they reviewed ways in which we can help students unplug, take safe risks, and build academic confidence. 

In the end, the overall feeling from attendees was unanimous. The opportunity provided by the NJAIS to engage and play with instructional tools, to collaborate with colleagues, and to enhance instruction was incredibly valuable. We all look forward to experimenting with and implementing what we’ve learned! 

GSB would like to extend a big thank you to Director of Technology Jackie Teichman who was on the conference’s planning committee and who was instrumental in pulling the whole event together.