58th Annual Conference Wrap-up
The 58th Annual NAPSA Conference was held from October 20-23, 2024 at the Drury Plaza Hotel in Richmond, Virginia and featured an outstanding array of presenters who provided invaluable information on the most pressing topics pupil services administrators are facing today. The conference theme was “Navigating the Roadblocks to Education.” and presenters certainly provided strategies for doing just that! In fact, feedback received regarding presenters was very positive and sessions were seen as very enlightening and salient with regard to current issues in the field.
The conference opened with a Sunday presentation by NAPSA members Justin Rubenstein and Dr. Alyssa Wright. Using a wealth of expertise through their service in a large suburban PA school district, the presenters provided a tremendous approach to revamping a student services department regardless of size or demographics. Their session, titled “Increasing Opportunities for All: Revamping a Student Services Department Considering School Size and Demographics,” was both highly informative and fostered introspection through encouraging attendees to examine their own departments.
Monday’s full-day conference program began with a warm welcome by Joseph Wharff, Virginia Department of Education’s Director of the Office of Behavioral Health and Wellness. His remarks were followed by a Keynote Session titled “Teen Substance Abuse: How to Effectively Intervene” and presented by Fiona Brown, LPC, Student Assistance Specialist, Loudoun County (VA) Public Schools. Fiona’s session was extremely well received and highly informative.
Following Fiona was a General Session titled “Trauma-informed Schools: School Climate Considerations.” Presented by Betsy Bell from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Betsy’s highly-regarded presentation provided invaluable information to attendees with a number of strategies and approaches towards improving school climate that is conducive to all learners and staff. After the lunch break, Betsy’s session was followed by a General Session on “Legal Issues Related to Pupil Services.” This highly-rated session featured Superlawyer Gabrielle Sereni, Esq. and NAPSA Trustee Terri Bracken. The session not only provided a legal update on issues currently being faced by those in our field, but also included a highly informative Q&A session. Monday then concluded with a great General Session by Sarah Bazemore, VDOE School Counseling Specialist. Titled “Intentional and Impactful Practices for Supporting Educator Well-Being and Enhancing Social-Emotional Capacity,” Sarah’s outstanding presentation was chock full of excellent materials.
Tuesday’s conference sessions opened with a Keynote Session by Jessica Sprick, a consultant and presenter for Safe & Civil Schools and a writer for Ancora Publishing. Titled “Addressing Chronic Absenteeism and Homelessness: Effective Solutions,” The session gave attendees excellent information form a true expert in the field. In fact, outstanding reviews indicated a terrific learning experience regarding this all-important issue. Then, following the Annual NAPSA Business Meeting and lunch, the conference continued with a General Session titled “Beyond Threat Assessment: Don’t Drop the Ball on Student Wellness.” For this session, a team from VDOE comprised of Alexandra Javna, VDOE Social Work Specialist; Sarah Bazemore, VDOE School Counseling Specialist; and Martha Montgomery, VDOE School Psychology Specialist, provided a highly-rated, thorough account on how to deal with problem behavior with a potential to cause harm within the school environment. Tuesday’s sessions concluded with a panel discussion led by NAPSA Executive Board President Dee Parsons and President-elect Sophia Allmond, as well as NAPSA members Dr. Alyssa Wright and Justin Rubenstein. Panelists expertly fielded a wide variety of questions from both in-person and virtual attendees. In fact, the panel discussion regarding “Important Issues in the Field and How to Address Them” provided both lively and highly-informative interaction.
The conference concluded on Wednesday morning with a General Session by Dr. Monica L. Williams, Coordinator of Wraparound Services for Norfolk Public Schools. Titled “Providing Student Services through a Tiered Framework,” Dr. Williams’ presentation expertly provided a practical approach on how to effectively deliver services via a tiered system.
NOTE: Conference attendees will receive an email containing information on how they can access conference session recordings and presenter materials.
Our sincere thanks to VDOE, conference sponsors, and all who attended!!