Presented by Harrison Orpe, Canadian Paralympic Hopeful in Track and Field; Laurie Nociar, Grade 7 Teacher, Bear Creek Elementary School (B.C., Canada); and Janet Ilko, Ed.D., Instructional Coach and Administrator, Howard Gardner Community School (CA)
Moderated by Anjoli Santiago, Manager of Awesomeness, Classroom Champions

Hosted by Classroom Champions
Sponsored by ClassLink

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Today’s educational landscape is fraught with challenges related to teacher attribution, learning loss, mental health, and safety, never mind the day-to-day instructional practices, and yet our educators continue to rise and meet these issues with their can-do attitudes. However, we need to support teachers as they expand their toolbox of strategies to include tactics to address the more extreme issues that are arising for kids both in and out of school. By strengthening such communication and connections, schools can continue to build a safe environment and positive culture so that the whole school community can thrive.

In this edLeader Panel, teachers are equipped with research-based practices to build a resilient school culture. They grasp how to create a strengths-based framework to better understand, recognize, and respond to the effect of trauma schoolwide. Panelists Paralympian Harrison Orpe and seventh-grade teacher Laurie Nociar dive deep into practices from their respective fieldwork in therapy and schools, sharing strategies and practices applicable to both adults and students. Come join us to learn more about how trauma-informed care and practices can help shift culture, promote self-care and wellness, and address whole-child education, leading to improved academic and behavioral outcomes.

This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K-12 and higher education teachers, librarians, counselors, and school and district leaders.

About the Presenter

Harrison Orpe has been involved in sports from a very early age playing baseball, sledge hockey, and wheelchair rugby. Prior to starting wheelchair rugby, Harrison began strength training and gained considerable strength and muscle over a period of five years. While playing wheelchair rugby, Harrison discovered para athletics and thought it would suit him well considering his strength and power.

In his first international competition, he won gold in both javelin and shot put. He currently holds the Canadian record in seated javelin at 14.03m and is just centimeters away from the Canadian record in seated shot put as well. Harrison hopes to represent Canada again in future competitions. His ultimate goal is to compete in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, France.

Laurie Nociar, a seventh-grade teacher, is in her eighth year with Classroom Champions and is based in Bear Creek Elementary in Surrey, B.C., Canada. She loves the sense of community created among students and teachers created by Classroom Champions and finds the organization to be an effective support system. When asked about the impact of Classroom Champions, Laurie shares that “our Classroom Champions mentor offers advice and support beyond what students get from parents and teachers. Having a world-class athlete taking the time to build that solid relationship does wonders for a student’s confidence and self-esteem.”

Dr. Janet Ilko’s role as an educational leader is to create and support learning environments that challenge every student to be their best and to make sure that every student has access to high-quality content and instruction. What she has learned in all her educational research is that there are no clear-cut answers to meeting the needs of diverse learners in the classroom—no cookie-cutter program will educate our youth. What she still knows to be true, however, is that when you build a safe community, and student voice and interest is addressed and honored, students learn. More importantly, they value the learning.

About the Moderator

Anjoli Santiago comes with years of experience in the education world starting as a performing teaching artist in Philadelphia, a full-time teacher in the South Bronx, a program manager, and so much more. Proud to be a part of the Classroom Champions team, Anjoli supports rockstar teachers and excellent social and emotional programming across the nation. She is excited to share space with you today!

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Creating a Positive School Climate community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, and receive invitations to upcoming edLeader Panels.

Classroom Champions is a non-profit and registered charity that connects volunteer Olympians, Paralympians, and Professional Athletes to classrooms through a K-8 social and emotional-based curriculum and mentorship experience.

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