Thank you for attending the 2017 JRNC! Below are PowerPoint presentations of JRNC breakout sessions that were submitted. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact [email protected].
Renaissance Anthem
Click for the Renaissance Anthem in MP3 format – To download: When on the song page, right click and select ‘Save as…’
Click to download the lyrics to the Renaissance Anthem
Presentation Powerpoints
Natasha Barritt
Gen Z isn’t interested in being defined solely by their career or occupation. Rather, they want to be defined by the lifestyle they lead, the passions they have and the adventures they take. Find Your Grind believes it’s time to stop asking young people “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and start showing them the possibilities of who they can be based on their passions and skills. Join this session to learn how you can find your grind!
Keith Bell
The Relationship Between Renaissance Leadership and College Success
The skills, values and knowledge gained by participating in Renaissance, from implementation to execution, are valuable assists after high school and beyond. This session will explore how Renaissance work can transfer into potential college and career success, helping students develop a solid portfolio moving forward.
Justin Berzon
Building, Expanding and Funding an All Year Successful Program
Provide your program with funding all year long by focusing on fundraisers that work, and still have time to build teacher and student recognition, through academics and school spirit. This session will provide tools to support or build a successful program, and will also cover resources such as The Care Factor and The Harbor series to dig deeper into creating more successful leaders. This is the session you don’t want to miss.
Bonnie Blackman
The session called Thinking Outside of the Crate has an incorrect description. Let’s replace it with this: Episodes of The Harbor™ are powerful and engaging. Topics are universal. It’s our job to make them personal. After previewing a Harbor episode, work with fellow educators and students to build customized lessons. Leave this session with new ideas and projects, plus the confidence to create more “crate” school focused activities during the upcoming year.
Steve Bollar
Based on Steve’s popular Ideas Ideas Ideas book, this session is an entertaining plethora of amazing proven ideas to improve climate and culture at your school. Get ready to be overwhelmed with practical and useful Ideas that you can start using right away!
An inspiring and motivating session that showcases how to stand tall as a leader within your school and life. Steve’s humorous personality will have you laughing and smiling while giving you the tools to improve your relationships. Come as you are and leave Standing Tall!
Brad Boy
Building a Team Dedicated to the Renaissance Way
We will share our strategies on how Decatur High School created a Renaissance environment that is thriving. Find out how we were able to get two brand new principals to buy in and help take our Renaissance program to the next level. We will give you unique ideas to build your climate and culture along with tools to build your own Renaissance framework. We will share ways to shape your school environment so that people can’t wait to be a part of your new Renaissance way! Our school is now passionate and motivated with a new outlook that is making a huge impact on our students every single day. Do not miss this opportunity for us to help you make this same thing happen at your school.
Holly Branch
This session will be full of ideas to recognize and reward students and staffulty at your school. We will showcase ideas that have worked for us, focusing on the degree of difficulty, the time and money involved in each event, and the amount of planning required. This session will be loaded with ideas for quick, easy and inexpensive ways to recognize and reward everyone, as well as some of the more complex yet memorable events we host. Some ideas we will discuss are staffulty reward days, academic pep rallies, Renaissance cards and fundraising.
Beverly Buffington
How To Set Your School on Fire
Looking for a refresher or need more ideas from an established Renaissance school? See how we set our school on fire, Renaissance style. Ideas on more recognition and rallies will be highlighted in this presentation. Sharing your best ideas is also encouraged.
Eric Burlingham
Creating an Academic Signing Event: Why Should Athletics Get All the Recognition?
Every year, our athletic department hosts three NCAA Athletic Signings with all the appropriate excitement. However, there are tons of students on campus that are signing to colleges who may not be playing sports. For the past two years we’ve hosted our own Academic Signing Day in May, and we’ll tell you about the ways we’ve celebrated these students.
Tara Campbell
Creating “The Look”: A Coast to Coast Story
Take ten steps into your building. What do you see, hear and feel? Is it contagious? What messages are you sending out? If your walls could talk, what story would they tell? Your walls, display cases, bulletin boards, walkways and stairwells are a blank canvas ready to tell a story. This session will allow you to see, hear and feel what amazing school communities are doing to create “The Look.” We’ll share powerful graphics, mottoes and messages from schools in VA, NJ, TN, WY and CA. We’ll get you fired up to create a change!
Graduation Day is filled with excitement, hope and pride for those graduating. But what do students who didn’t make it across that line feel like on graduation day? Do we, as educators, pause long enough to wonder what one more thing we could have done to motivate those students to graduate? C2G ceremonies are fantastic, but we can’t just stop with a ceremony. In this session, you will be given ideas to make your C2G campaign comprehensive year-round.
Dr. Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder
It’s Elementary, My Dear Renaissance
Starting an elementary level Jostens Renaissance Program? Not sure where to start? Learn how to run (not walk) with an infant elementary program. You will hear the Dos and Don’ts of a new program, along with ways to adjust middle and high school level ideas for the little guys. Come see the Mad Hatter for some elementary fun!
Special Students + Jostens Renaissance = Inclusion for ALL
Jostens Renaissance is important to all students, especially for special needs students who may fall between the cracks in a traditional school. Learn how to incorporate these students within your Jostens Renaissance program and let them experience the same positivity as their classmates. This means individualizing reward systems, creating special niches for participation within the school and allowing them to spread their wings to enjoy their own version of Eagleship.
Dwight Carter
Be G.R.E.A.T.! 5 Ways to Take Control of Your Attitude and Actions
Why settle for good when you can be G.R.E.A.T.! In today’s high-demand culture of education, it’s easy to get bogged down by initiatives, mandates and other constraints, but there are two things we can control: our attitude and actions. Come learn five ways to shift your mindset to be G.R.E.A.T. every day (Grateful, Relational, Enthusiastic, Authentic and Teachable). The Five Rs will be emphasized as they relate to building personal leadership.
Renaissance schools have one main thing in common: positive relationships with students! However, today’s students are just a bit different so we must learn more about them to create the desired connections with them to recognize, reward and reinforce the behaviors we want to see. In this session, we will discuss the characteristics of Generation Z — what they like, how they learn and what they want in schools today. The more we know our students, the better we can create the conditions for them to reach new heights.
John Cerna
Learn the challenges and successes our school district encountered while implementing Renaissance district wide. At the beginning of our journey there was a division between teachers and administrators. Renaissance brought us back together and drastically changed the culture and climate for students and staff. Over the last five years the graduation rate has increased to 97.5%.
Kevin Ciak
Making the Leap from the Classroom to the Boardroom
Learn how two former high school students became elected school board members at the age of 19 to influence the climate and culture of their school districts. Each was elected by their colleagues as Board of Education President before the age of 23 and one now serves as the youngest National School Boards Association President in the organization’s history. Examine strategies for using your student perspective as a powerful voice for change in your school district.
Tom Cody
Live Above the Line: How Mindfulness Governs Our Experience
This engaging, one-of-a-kind session for students and educators will focus on becoming aware of our thinking so we know when it is working and when it is not! We will take a look at the conditions that come up in our life that invite us to go Below the Line, and how to effectively deal with those experiences. Join us for this important social-emotional learning session — it could be a life-changer for you.
Create an Effective Learning Culture in your School
“What do you stand for?” Attend this session and take a stand against negativity in school culture. This session will offer four unique components to help create a more positive learning culture that more fully develops the potential of both students and educators: (1) Help Others Succeed, (2) Communicate “You Matter,” (3) Honor the Absent and (4) See the Problem, Own the Problem. Don’t miss this one!
What Really Makes An Effective Leader?
Genuine leadership is all about creating value for others. This engaging, thought-provoking session will focus on the Three Gs of all effective leaders: Growth, Gratitude and Giving. How are we really doing as leaders in our schools? Join us as we take a light-hearted (but serious!) look at what’s really important for both students and educators in leadership roles.
Sara Cowey
Creating “The Look”: A Coast to Coast Story
Take ten steps into your building. What do you see, hear and feel? Is it contagious? What messages are you sending out? If your walls could talk, what story would they tell? Your walls, display cases, bulletin boards, walkways and stairwells are a blank canvas ready to tell a story. This session will allow you to see, hear and feel what amazing school communities are doing to create “The Look.” We’ll share powerful graphics, mottoes and messages from schools in VA, NJ, TN, WY and CA. We’ll get you fired up to create a change!
We Stand for Unity and Community
San Mateo High School has a positive culture and climate. We will share ways that we create a tight-knit classroom environment. You will learn how to make events and activities that welcome students, staff, families and the community. We are intentional about events like Orientation Day, Leadership Summits, “meet and greets” on and off campus, and “recognition events” for academics, character and service. Come learn how to empower your leaders to fuel a warm and welcoming school community.
Tina Dietrich
Student-tested and staffulty-approved ideas that work! I will share how we got started and what keeps us going. We are an elementary school, but many of our ideas can translate to any grade level. Get ideas about fundraising, rallies, student and staff recognition and more!
Look! Over There! It’s a Renaissance School
People should know what your school is about as soon as they walk through the front door! You work hard to keep your program running, so you should show it off! See what we have done to jazz up our hallways and make sure every person who enters knows we are a Renaissance school and proud of it!
Paul Dols
It Only Takes Three Minutes a Week!
Jostens Renaissance and Mike Smith have changed the climate of schools all over the country with the introduction of the video series The Harbor. Have you ever thought about creating something like this for your school community? This session will walk you through the process of creating a video series featuring staff, students and community members from your own school system. It will challenge you to follow the lead from The Harbor and change your school community in a powerful way.
Spreading the Renaissance Message Community Wide
Experience the passion and the perseverance of a Jostens Renaissance Hall of Famer and an Educator of the Year as they share the growth and development of Jostens Renaissance in the schools of Monrovia Unified School District in Southern California. You will learn strategies to build programs in all levels of schools as well as the creation of a nonprofit foundation to support your efforts to celebrate achievement and impact the lives of all of your students.
Jennifer Duston
Using the 7 Habits and Renaissance Blocks to Enhance your School Climate and Culture
Using the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with the Renaissance Blocks, this workshop will share how to integrate these habits school-wide and transform your school! Not only will using these habits equip your students with the skills necessary to be successful, productive citizens of the 21st century, it will change your school culture in a way you never dreamed possible for students, staff and parents!
Anthony J. Fasano
Making the Leap from the Classroom to the Boardroom
Learn how two former high school students became elected school board members at the age of 19 to influence the climate and culture of their school districts. Each was elected by their colleagues as Board of Education President before the age of 23 and one now serves as the youngest National School Boards Association President in the organization’s history. Examine strategies for using your student perspective as a powerful voice for change in your school district..
Dr. Denise Forrest
Communicate Successfully: TELL ALL Stakeholders!
How well do you tell staffulty, students, parents and other community members about Renaissance at your school? How well do you communicate that teaching and learning matter at your school? Every day, to some extent, you communicate messages that either support your school’s success, or not! This interactive session invites you to think seriously and intentionally about what it means to communicate successful messages to all stakeholders. TELL your success! (TELL = Teach, Encourage, Listen and Love successfully.)
Gloria Garcia
Using SchoolWay to Create Community
Learn how to use SchoolWay, an easy-to-use messaging app platform, to celebrate, recognize and inspire your school community. We will show you how to create groups to recognize your staffulty, and how to send videos and pictures celebrating your student of the month. Most importantly, learn how SchoolWay can help you create a community beyond the connection.
Samantha Grimes
Renaissance: You Can Make It Happen
In this session, Greenbrier High School will offer numerous ways to implement Renaissance at any grade level. We will show you tons of visuals that will make your school look more appealing and increase student recognition. From Renaissance Rallies to fund-raising ideas, see what this award-winning Jostens Renaissance school can do to help your school make Renaissance happen!
Nick Gross
Gen Z isn’t interested in being defined solely by their career or occupation. Rather, they want to be defined by the lifestyle they lead, the passions they have and the adventures they take. Find Your Grind believes it’s time to stop asking young people “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and start showing them the possibilities of who they can be based on their passions and skills. Join this session to learn how you can find your grind!
Dee Hankins
Dee Hankins gives students and teachers a real-life depiction of what is going on in the life of their “at-risk,” foster, unaccompanied and homeless students. Dee spent 18 years in foster care, and was in 12 different foster homes and two different groups homes by the time he was 12 years old. His poor school performance was a direct result of what was going on off-campus. The goal of this session is to help teachers and students get a deeper understanding of what the students in their classrooms may be going through every day while coming up with unique ways to get them at their best.
Carla Hardy
ROOTS: Dig Deep Into Renaissance
Our Renaissance journey began with 15 spirited students serving 2,100 others, but it has quickly been branded with the identity of a Chisholm Trail Ranger. Join us for practical and visionary ideas that you can immediately implement on your campus and in your classrooms, whether you are a Renaissance rookie, veteran or somewhere in between! Students, teachers and administrators come together to provide perspective from every angle in the process from planting to product. In our initial year of Renaissance, we planted the seeds of positive culture change and prosperity. In our sophomore year, we maintained the soil of Renaissance through a mid-year administrative transition. Now, in this third season with Jostens, we look toward the deeper rooting of Renaissance at Chisholm Trail High School, cultivated by student-driven initiative and dynamically supportive leadership.
Melinda Hedenberg
PBIS and Renaissance: The Perfect Combination
Positive Behavior Intervention Systems and Renaissance are two of the leading programs proven to transform schools. Why not combine the two? This PBIS School Coach and Renaissance Director, for over seven years, will show you how to take the next steps. Learn more about this dynamic duo through the steps of engagement, relationship building, focus, commitment and celebration.
Renaissance Toolbox: Using the R’s to Build a Positive School Climate
Take a look at Renaissance strategies and examine how rewards, recognition and reinforcement of values for students and staff are changing the climate and culture of our school. Learn how rewards can make students and staffulty feel appreciated for who they are and recognized for what they do. Explore ways to strategically use the tools of Renaissance to shape behavior and move your organization in a desired direction. Walk away with strategies for engaging students in the classroom or motivating staff, with reward, recognition and reinforcement techniques, and more.
Andrea Henry
Creating a Culture of Recognition
Are you recognizing 100% of your school? At LaSalle-Peru High School, every student and staffulty member has the ability to be recognized. Students are rewarded for their grades, attendance, attitude and character throughout the school year, and staffulty members are recognized by both students and peers for their commitment to our school. By creating a culture of recognition, LP has improved the climate of our school. Come to our session to hear about the different ways we recognize our entire school and, who knows, maybe you will be recognized and rewarded for attending!
Jennifer Jackson
How to Build Administrative Support for a Successful Renaissance Program
Come hear from Hall of Fame Principal Jennifer Jackson as she shares the administrative philosophy that is required to nurture and grow a successful Renaissance program. Sharing her years of experience as first a Renaissance coordinator and then school principal, Jen will provide a clear path to program success.
Spreading the Renaissance Message Community Wide
Experience the passion and the perseverance of a Jostens Renaissance Hall of Famer and an Educator of the Year as they share the growth and development of Jostens Renaissance in the schools of Monrovia Unified School District in Southern California. You will learn strategies to build programs in all levels of schools as well as the creation of a nonprofit foundation to support your efforts to celebrate achievement and impact the lives of all of your students.
Kevin F. Johnson
Renaissance: What Do I Do Now?
Your first time at JRNC can be overwhelming. How can you possibly make good use of all of the “stuff” you see, get and hear at the conference (and through Jostens)? And where do you start when you get back to school? This first-time presenter wants to help, and provide insights and a few tangible first steps for educators who are new to Renaissance.
Rhett Ladner
Making Your Staffulty Believe They Are World Famous
This session will leave you with all the ideas you need to help recognize, reward and respect your staffulty. You will leave with ideas that will reinforce the truth that educators are the most valuable professionals in the world.
Ashley Langenderfer
House and Peace Week: A Unique Way to Foster School Culture
Have you been searching for a unique way to enhance your school culture? Do you want to help all students feel like they belong? Would you like to learn fun, exciting ways to engage students and staff in making your school a place where they want to be? Come learn about the New Albany High School House System — a way that we break our school of almost 1,500 into eight smaller “houses” of diverse students and staff. Learn about how we develop programming, structure leadership and foster relationships, culminating in our House mega event: Peace Week. The ideas shared can be scaled for any size school.
Sheri Mitzel
Re-energize Your School Climate by Incorporating the Commitment to Graduate C2G Philosophy
Is it time to bring some meaningful, exciting and fun traditions to your school? Learn how Cienega High School has implemented many successful traditions in an easy, inexpensive and quick way. Our C2G® traditions reaffirm to all stakeholders on campus the importance of having all students committed to graduate to their future. Take away some grade level as well as school level traditions that will invigorate students and create a college and career ready culture.
Jamie Mooring
How we turned the topics of inclusion, culture and kindness into a full week of activities, reflection, relationship building and diversity awareness to create greater connections between students and staffulty in our building.
Thomas M. Nichols
Creating “The Look”: A Coast to Coast Story
Take ten steps into your building. What do you see, hear and feel? Is it contagious? What messages are you sending out? If your walls could talk, what story would they tell? Your walls, display cases, bulletin boards, walkways and stairwells are a blank canvas ready to tell a story. This session will allow you to see, hear and feel what amazing school communities are doing to create “The Look.” We’ll share powerful graphics, mottoes and messages from schools in VA, NJ, TN, WY and CA. We’ll get you fired up to create a change!
How to Jump Start Your Renaissance
Where do I begin? Well, sit back and join two longtime Renaissance leaders as they show you how to jump-start your Renaissance Program with step-by-step instructions, tips, resources and strategies to transform your school’s climate and culture. You will learn everything you need to know to get started on your Renaissance journey.
Dr. Darrin Peppard
Creating “The Look”: A Coast to Coast Story
Take ten steps into your building. What do you see, hear and feel? Is it contagious? What messages are you sending out? If your walls could talk, what story would they tell? Your walls, display cases, bulletin boards, walkways and stairwells are a blank canvas ready to tell a story. This session will allow you to see, hear and feel what amazing school communities are doing to create “The Look.” We’ll share powerful graphics, mottoes and messages from schools in VA, NJ, TN, WY and CA. We’ll get you fired up to create a change!
More White Water Rafting Guides and Fewer Cruise Ship Captains
If we are going to encourage creativity and innovation in education, then we need more white water rafting guides and fewer cruise ship captains. This session will focus on building your Renaissance program by providing your students with the skills they need to navigate the waters of school culture and climate themselves and empower the students to take control of their own adventure.
Ann Postlewaite
Come get a bunch of ideas and see examples that have been used at numerous schools involving students and staff having fun together. Bring back some great, easy ideas for staffulty appreciation and student/staffulty activities to build a positive school climate.
Stephanie Prokopis
Come get a bunch of ideas and see examples that have been used at numerous schools involving students and Come Journey with the Dwarves of Pocahontas MS to Discover Diamonds that will Make Your School Shine! Meet Sleepy as he shares ways to make student and teacher dreams come true. Sneezy will talk about ways to spread school spirit wherever you go. Happy will discuss events that are sure to give folks something to smile about. Benefit from our seven years as a Renaissance school — we will help you create a truly magical school!
Justin Roskopf
Using The Pulse To Measure Student Recognition In Your School
Jostens worked with the Search Institute to develop The Pulse-Student Recognition Survey, which provides schools with insights into how students, parents and teachers perceive formal and informal recognition. The Renaissance Education team and Justin Roskopf, a Research Associate with Search, will provide details on setting up the survey, how to read and interpret the survey report, and ideas for using Renaissance resources and activities to address the opportunities identified by the data.
Dr. Frank Rudnesky
Creating “The Look”: A Coast to Coast Story
Take ten steps into your building. What do you see, hear and feel? Is it contagious? What messages are you sending out? If your walls could talk, what story would they tell? Your walls, display cases, bulletin boards, walkways and stairwells are a blank canvas ready to tell a story. This session will allow you to see, hear and feel what amazing school communities are doing to create “The Look.” We’ll share powerful graphics, mottoes and messages from schools in VA, NJ, TN, WY and CA. We’ll get you fired up to create a change!
Joanna Schley
How do you use The Harbor TV episodes to impact not just your classroom, but to have a ripple effect that spreads throughout the whole school? Hear how two teachers created lessons that go beyond the provided Critical Thinking Questions from Jostens. They will share stories and new ideas of how The Harbor TV has influenced and impacted them as educators, their classrooms, the hallways and their entire school campus.
The session called Thinking Outside of the Crate has an incorrect description. Let’s replace it with this: Episodes of The Harbor™ are powerful and engaging. Topics are universal. It’s our job to make them personal. After previewing a Harbor episode, work with fellow educators and students to build customized lessons. Leave this session with new ideas and projects, plus the confidence to create more “crate” school focused activities during the upcoming year.
Tim Schlosser
Building and Maintaining a Renaissance Program
Building and maintaining a Renaissance program takes the cooperation of many stakeholders within the school. There has to be intentional planning throughout the school year to keep the program moving forward. Renaissance is a journey that never really stops.
Kim Sigler
Come Journey with the Dwarves of Pocahontas MS to Discover Diamonds that will Make Your School Shine! Meet Sleepy as he shares ways to make student and teacher dreams come true. Sneezy will talk about ways to spread school spirit wherever you go. Happy will discuss events that are sure to give folks something to smile about. Benefit from our seven years as a Renaissance school — we will help you create a truly magical school!
Bradlee W. Skinner
More White Water Rafting Guides and Fewer Cruise Ship Captains
If we are going to encourage creativity and innovation in education, then we need more white water rafting guides and fewer cruise ship captains. This session will focus on building your Renaissance program by providing your students with the skills they need to navigate the waters of school culture and climate themselves and empower the students to take control of their own adventure.
Raising Funds AND Impact: Community-Based Fundraising
The Rock Springs High School Renaissance program had all the money it needed, until suddenly, it didn’t. Our efforts were more “frustrating” than “fund-raising” until we realized what we were lacking: involvement from the community. By inviting individuals and organizations around town to share their talents, we have found a way to celebrate and connect our entire community. Now, keeping our Renaissance program afloat is not only possible, but fun for everyone! Join us as we discuss our new fundraising philosophy, including activity ideas that range from traditional and simple to unique and over-the-top.
Dr. James Spencer
Are you designing a Renaissance program for a new school? Are you planning to rejuvenate an existing program? Are you new to a school that does not have a Renaissance program? If so, this session is for you! We will share strategies that we are implementing to build our Renaissance program including branding, C2G, student recognition and lessons learned along the way.
Jennifer Stewart
Raising Funds AND Impact: Community-Based Fundraising
The Rock Springs High School Renaissance program had all the money it needed, until suddenly, it didn’t. Our efforts were more “frustrating” than “fund-raising” until we realized what we were lacking: involvement from the community. By inviting individuals and organizations around town to share their talents, we have found a way to celebrate and connect our entire community. Now, keeping our Renaissance program afloat is not only possible, but fun for everyone! Join us as we discuss our new fundraising philosophy, including activity ideas that range from traditional and simple to unique and over-the-top.
Jessica Strickler
Bippity Boppity Boo, a Rally YOU Can Do!
Pocahontas Middle School will show you how to wave your wand, cast a few spells and produce a rally that is pure magic.
John Tritz
Re-energize Your School Climate by Incorporating the Commitment to Graduate C2G Philosophy
Is it time to bring some meaningful, exciting and fun traditions to your school? Learn how Cienega High School has implemented many successful traditions in an easy, inexpensive and quick way. Our C2G® traditions reaffirm to all stakeholders on campus the importance of having all students committed to graduate to their future. Take away some grade level as well as school level traditions that will invigorate students and create a college and career ready culture.
Terri VanderWijst
Welcome freshmen! Learn how we acclimate new students to our school, teach our freshmen school traditions, and give them a glimpse of how they will look as they graduate. We will walk you through several ways students show they are committed to graduate, how our seniors inspire local kindergartners, and how to recognize graduates and staffulty during your graduation ceremony. Learn how to really make your graduation ceremony a distinguished event for everyone!
Valerie Vera-Mineer
Looking for books to inspire your student leaders, your school, yourself? Join this session to gain a list of books that I’ve used in my 25 years of education. Bring a title of a book that inspires you. Time to share and reflect on books that make a difference!
Gina Whitaker
Tackling A Rally: Planning from Start to Finish
Are you the one crazy enough to want to plan and coordinate a rally? That’s just the first step. Does it seem like you don’t know where to start with all the neat ideas for a rally that everyone talks about? Come to our session for a timeline to get it all done, shortcuts and ideas to make it go smoother and how to put it all together. This session includes rallies for middle school AND elementary level recognitions.
WHOA! It’s True! We’ve Recognized 100% of our Students for 10 Straight Years
See examples of little, medium and “go big or go home” ideas that can be adapted to all grade levels to recognize all students in a school year.
Terri Wood
Creating a Culture of Kindness
Does your campus cultivate kindness? Learn how you can create a campus of kindness with fun activities and ideas so that everyone on your campus will feel valued. Let your student body know everyone matters!
Dr. Steve Woolf
Want to know what steps to take to start Renaissance? Steve has done this for 26 years and has started many Renaissance programs. Let him share with you, in order, the steps he recommends to send you toward success. He will share things that absolutely work and some things that were mistakes (airing his dirty laundry).
Amazing Wild Hearted Staffulty!
Our school culture and success count on amazing staffulty, but it seems that much of society has been beating them down. This session will show you how to lift and motivate your staffulty when you return from your Renaissance experience. Your school and staffulty will never be the same.
Student POV Presentations
Bureau Valley High School
Fundraising Mania with the Masters
It takes a lot of work to send our team to Jostens Renaissance National Conference at no cost to the students. Learn how Bureau Valley High School Renaissance members put on our two largest fundraisers of the year, and how you can take them back to your school and community. Quarter Mania and Machine Shed Masters are student-run and involve local businesses and community members in a meaningful way.
Franklin-Simpson High School
How to Organize a Renaissance School
This session is a month-to-month run-through for schools that are just learning about Renaissance, beginning their Renaissance journey or already have an established Renaissance program. To help you expand your Renaissance program, we will describe how FSHS plans events, gets the word out, and uses organizations to improve the climate and culture.
LaSalle Peru Township High School
If Renaissance Success is the Goal, Teamwork is How We Roll
Over the course of 11 years, our Renaissance program has learned that teamwork is essential to our success. Teamwork is the foundation that our Renaissance program is built on for many reasons. It is necessary within the club itself because it sparks creativity and allows for problem-solving among club members. Teamwork also increases productivity within our club. We believe that these collaborations have made our club, as well as our school, stronger as a whole. So, if your school is looking to start a Renaissance program or strengthen the program you already have, this POV will definitely aid you in doing so.
For the 11 years LaSalle-Peru High School has had a Renaissance program, it has strengthened our school through promoting recognition, respect, reward, reinforcement and results. These five Rs of Renaissance influence everyone inside of our building from the Renaissance Cards and Tireless and Staff Awards to the Polar Plunge and Rummage Sale. As a result, students and staff are much more motivated, kind and supportive of the people around them, and our school is much stronger as a whole.
Renaissance. More Than a Program. A Way of Life.
At LaSalle-Peru Township High School, Renaissance has been a catalyst for change. In the 11 years we’ve had our program, we’ve seen a substantial amount of change in the behavior, grades and attendance at LPHS. The students who are making this change may have started out nervous, unsure and shy, but Renaissance gave us the crucial soft skills and leadership traits needed for life. Join us as we share our Renaissance way of life!
Musselman High School
So, Who’s Going to Do All This Stuff?
At this conference, you will hear a lot of great ideas on how to implement Renaissance at your school. At this session, we will tell you how to organize events with the help of students. We will share how we organize our Leadership class, how we grade, how we get staffulty and administrative buy-in, and how to effectively plan events. We will also explain how we use social media and describe our Academic pep rally and spirit weeks. We want this to be an interactive session, so come ready to pick our brains for ideas on implementation.
Puyallup High School
A step-by-step guide to how we run a tournament-style competitive food drive in the spring and how we have built one of the only self-sufficient, on-site food pantries in the country that our students and their families have access to year-round.
Rock Springs High School
Changing the Climate of Your School: You Become the Meteorologist
Changing the culture of a school can take some time, but after 10+ years we think we have finally figured it out! If you get the student leaders involved and have them do most of the work, the other students will respond better. Doing things throughout the year and even in the summer will help make the school a better place and a place where the students really want to be every day.