Keynote Presentations
Legal Update: Hot Topics
Kevin Sutton, Miller Johnson Attorneys
This legal update will help administrators make sense of the multitude of legal landmines our there – First Amendment, search and seizure, supporting LGBTQ students, Title IX, threat assessment, student discipline and more!
Legislative Update
Bob Kefgen, MASSP
MASSP’s lobbyist, Bob Kefgen, will bring you up to speed on the latest happenings in Lansing. Learn how the newest laws and most significant changes in school policy will affect you, your building and your stakeholders.
General Assembly Presentation
Everything MASSP Has to Offer!
Ryan Cayce, MASSP
The team at MASSP is always working to add resources to our website and provide relevant professional development in the form of in-person and online opportunities. MASSP’s Director of Digital Learning will provide attendees with an overview of how to access helpful resources on the MASSP website and share information regarding MASSP programming.
Breakout Sessions
Communicating Leadership
Tom Lietz, MASSP
By developing a culture of positive communication, learning how to tell our stories to build trust and perception of competence, and understanding how different groups based on age and culture communicate, we establish ourselves as trusted partners to manage or avoid crises we may face as administrators. A lack of clear and transparent communication will deepen challenges. MASSP’s Tom Lietz will provide a framework for effective systemic communication utilizing examples from his experience leading the Utica Academy for International Studies and Utica High School.
Master Scheduling 101
Ben Berger, Traverse City Central HS & Andy Wares, Traverse City West HS
Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a newcomer eager to learn the trade, this session will have applicable information for any master scheduler. Join us to see why how you build your schedule is the number one indicator of your school’s priorities.
Developing Leaders in Our Community
Kaila Dinallo, Versiti Blood Center of Michigan
Versiti Blood Center of Michigan, as a proud partner of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP), is able to provide scholarship and leadership opportunities to our districts through participation in blood drive programs. From Junior Lifesavers to our High School and University Leaders for Life programs, there is a way for every grade and age to engage in hosting a blood drive to give back locally. Attendees will learn criteria for hosting a blood drive and what’s in it for you, your students and community.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership in Your School
Joe Bell, Walled Lake Central HS
An “unconference” style conversation with school leaders on practical methods to improve inclusive behavior among students and culturally sensitive instruction in the classroom. Walled Lake Central high school has taken steps over the last two years to promote a culture of inclusion through school-wide lessons and activities, climate and culture surveys, and professional development with staff on methods to effectively engage a diverse student body. Joe Bell, Assistant Principal, will present our journey and resources, followed by an open discussion, in which participants can share their ideas and experiences with promoting social justice and inclusion in their own schools.
Everything Middle School
Nina Davis, MASSP
Did you know MASSP’s Nina Davis is in her first full year with the Association and that she was specifically hired to help MASSP increase middle school programming? In this session Nina will share her career path and how her personal passion for middle level students and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work led her to work at MASSP. She will also provide an overview of all the programming MASSP has added to support middle school students and administrators.
Improve Your School’s SAT Scores in 5 Weeks
Ken Byard, Michigan OnToCollege Rep & Retired MS/HS Principal
Learn how OnToCollege can help your students improve their SAT/ACT scores in just 5 weeks with fun and engaging online courses. There’s still time to implement this before the April 12 Michigan SAT test date, and your teachers just have to ‘push play.’
Title IX is So 2020: Addressing Sexual Harassment in 2023 and Beyond
Jessica McNamara, Attorney, Thrun Law, P.C.Thrun Law Firm, P.C.
As school building leaders, you are the first line of defense for addressing and remedying sexual harassment. The 2020 Title IX regulations are still in full force, so what does that mean for your school now? This presentation will provide an overview of how administrators should be addressing sexual harassment now and what they should expect in the future once the regulations change.
Keeping Your Course Offerings Relevant
Jason Larsen, Lake Orion HS
Similar to many high schools in the State of Michigan, Lake Orion High School requires 28 credits to graduate. In addition to the required Michigan Merit Curriculum courses, LOHS also has a service learning requirement. During this breakout session, Veteran Assistant Principal Jason Larson, will share the LOHS Curriculum Handbook and talk about creative electives being offered as well as course taking patterns and the process the district uses for approving new offerings.
Balancing the AP/AD Role
Jenni Thunberg, Bay City Central HS
The Split Role of Assistant Principal/Athletic Director can be challenging yet very rewarding. Catch this session to learn how the dual role of AP/AD can help you put academic and attendance interventions in place in your building as well as help with the overall building culture. Jenni will discuss some current initiatives that are in place within her athletic department that stretch to the classroom and to the feeder programs in the middle school and elementary schools.
Know Thy Data
Myra Munroe, Ed.D., Senior Client Service Manager & Denise Kish, Director of Academic Services
In the 2021-22 academic year, schools were largely given a pass on their schools’ data as testing, participation rates and achievement took a back seat to the pandemic. MDE recently applied new accountability measures to issue school report cards and identify those needing support. As administrators, what data should you be looking at? Where do you find it? How do you visualize and present data to stakeholders? This session will demonstrate how Eidex software can be used to identify at-risk students and their profiles including:
Upholding School Board Policy
Pat Kreger & Phil Mikulski, Neola
With the ever-evolving legal landscape of education, it is imperative that boards of education are proactive in establishing and maintaining board policies that are legally compliant and represent the educational philosophy of each school district. How does Board policy ultimately impact nearly every decision a school administrator makes? Pat Kreger and Phil Mikulski, recently retired Michigan Superintendents, will help participants understand the what, when, why and how regarding board policies and how to access the information administrators need in the Neola system.
New Teacher Academy – Supporting the Future
Kyle Ray & Mike Demetral, Fraser HS
Given the state of teacher shortages and clear evidence of teacher loss within the first two years, it is imperative that we support our new staff no matter how experienced they may be. Join us for a discussion of a new 3-year academy we developed at Fraser to support our new teachers with continuous learning, focused development, time to plan, defined mentor expectations, and a plan to grow. We will discuss the research behind our academy as well as provide a layout of the program and a reflection of how the first year is going thus far.