2025 KEEN Conference: Full Schedule

10:30am CST

Conference Registration

Thursday February 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CST

Maner Conference Center Foyer

Thursday February 20, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CST
Maner Conference Center Foyer

11:30am CST

Opening General Session and Lunch

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:30am - 1:00pm CST

Sunflower Ballroom

Keynote Speaker
Trooper Ben Gardner

Thursday February 20, 2025 11:30am - 1:00pm CST
Sunflower Ballroom

1:00pm CST

Break

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:00pm - 1:15pm CST

1:15pm CST

AI Meets Zestful Teaching

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

Shawnee Room

Unleash the potential of artificial intelligence to bring a fresh zest to your teaching! This session explores how educators can leverage AI tools to design meaningful, inclusive learning experiences that not only meet educational standards but also engage and inspire students. By integrating AI into lesson planning and instructional design, teachers can personalize learning, accommodate diverse needs, and introduce innovative approaches that add a “tang” to education. Join us to discover practical strategies and hands-on techniques for incorporating AI into your teaching practices, making learning more dynamic and accessible for all students.

Speakers

Dyane Smokorowski

Coordinator of Digital Literacy, Wichita USD 259

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST
Shawnee Room

Audience Elementary, Middle, HIgh, Early Career

1:15pm CST

Creating a "Because" Culture in Your Math Classroom through Interactive Conversations

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

Participants will experience the feeling of a “Because” culture in their math classroom through interactive conversations and explanations. Having students not just answer questions in your classroom but respond with an answer followed by the word “because” and their explanation of thoughts. Presenter will use the importance of using teacher bell work to connect with existing schema and fun interactive review ideas.

Speakers

Brad Nicks

Abilene USD 435

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

Audience HIgh, Middle, Early Career

1:15pm CST

Hosting a Pre-Service Teacher: Zest via Mentorship

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

Welcoming a pre-service teacher into your classroom can be a challenge, especially for award-winning teachers who love to teach, but it is one of the most important forms of service to the profession. It can also provide current teachers with fresh ideas and help them cut through the day-to-day noise and remember why they first decided to be a teacher. This session will be collaborative in nature where we can discuss the placement experience from both the K-12 side and the
university side, with special attention to how we can make the mentorship experience valuable for both the classroom teachers and the pre-service teachers.

Speakers

Kathy Menke

Washburn University

Cody Colwell

Washburn University

Kirsten Cigler Nelson

lecturer, Washburn University

I taught high school language arts for 23 years before working with pre-service teachers at Washburn University. I'd love to talk to people about recruitment and retention, social studies education, arts integration in elementary school, and fiction books people recommend.

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

Audience Elementary, Middle, HIgh

1:15pm CST

Literary Adventures: Adding Flavor to Your Reading Curriculum

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

Wheat Room

Join us for an interactive session designed to add excitement and zest to your ELA instruction! Discover innovative strategies to engage students and foster a love for reading, regardless of your curriculum. We’ll explore the power of Book Trailer Tuesdays, where you’ll learn how to introduce new titles using captivating video clips. Dive into First Chapter Fridays, an engaging way to hook students by reading the opening chapters of new books.
You’ll also uncover the benefits of Article of the Week to spark discussions, experience the joy of Book Tastings, and implement Notice and Note strategies that encourage students to slow down and interact with texts through signposts. These dynamic approaches will not only elevate your reading instruction, add rigor, but also cultivate lifelong readers and learners. Come ready to share ideas and walk away with practical tools to transform your ELA classroom!

Speakers

Jennifer Farr

5th grade/2017 KTOY finalist/2023 Lowell Milken Fellow, Geary County USD 475

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST
Wheat Room

Audience Early Career, Elementary, Middle

1:15pm CST

Makerspace Classroom: A Recipe for Integrated Learning & Engagement

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

Wheat Room

Integrating a Makerspace in the classroom can spice up teaching and learning by blending creativity, collaboration, and hands-on problem-solving. This session will engage primary and intermediate educators in creating their own "recipe" for a Makerspace Classroom that brings together the "ingredients" of standards, essential questions, community connections, collaborative learning and much more. If you want to encourage innovation and invigorate students, a Makerspace is the zest your lessons need. Come ready to roll up your sleeves, sift, stir and bake up some ideas to take back and enjoy with your class.

Speakers

Erin Pittenger

Art Teacher, USD 323

I am a K-4 Art Educator who is passionate about providing student agency in learning. I look for ways to encourage students to take ownership of their learning, make connections with each other and their community and develop their areas of interest. I enjoy making art, spending... Read More →

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST
Wheat Room

Audience Elementary

1:15pm CST

Zesty Zingers: Cross-Curricular Quick Wins

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST

River Room

Have you ever had a day when you felt like you just needed a quick win? Well, this session will be catered to just that! Session attendees will leave with several different “quick win” strategies to engage their learners as well as make their students’ learning visible in unconventional ways. Several strategies have been adapted from different popular resources including The Writing Revolution, Building Thinking Classrooms, LETRS, and more. Students will experience several of these strategies and be given a resource presentation for other strategies discussed. These strategies engage students across all disciplines and grade levels.

Speakers

Michelle Tapko

6th Grade Teacher, Shawnee Mission USD 512

Thursday February 20, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST
River Room

Audience Elementary, Middle, HIgh

2:25pm CST

ENERGIZER

Thursday February 20, 2025 2:25pm - 3:25pm CST

Sunflower Ballroom

Amy Hillman and Taylor Bussinger will tag team our ENERGIZER session, where we will bring in the "ZEST" using the science, love, and power of MUSIC and Movement! This session promises to get you up, meet a few new Kansas ROCK STARS, and PONDER how a few new strategies and structures can be implemented in your "ZESTY" classroom!

Speakers

Amy Hillman

Recruiter Liasion, Olathe USD 233

Taylor Bussinger

Social Studies, Olathe USD 233

Thursday February 20, 2025 2:25pm - 3:25pm CST
Sunflower Ballroom

Audience Early Career, Elementary, HIgh, Middle

3:40pm CST

Adding Zest to Professional Learning Through Kansas Leads

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST

Shawnee Room

Ignite your passion for teaching with a zestful approach to professional learning! Join us for an energizing session where Kansas Leads educators share how they've infused fresh habits and tangy teaching strategies into classrooms across the state. Kansas Leads is an educator-led initiative designed to connect, engage, and empower teachers from all regions of Kansas. Discover how we bring amazing educators together to collaborate and lead, ultimately aiming to "lead the world in the success of each student." Through our story of innovation and collaboration, you'll learn practical strategies to infuse new and unexpected flavors into your teaching, creating a vibrant and engaging learning environment. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, rejuvenate, and lead with zest!

Speakers

Jordan Yulich

Shawnee Heights USD 450

Rachel Palmer

Iola USD 257

Jennifer Farr

5th grade/2017 KTOY finalist/2023 Lowell Milken Fellow, Geary County USD 475

Dyane Smokorowski

Coordinator of Digital Literacy, Wichita USD 259

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST
Shawnee Room

Audience Early Career, Elementary, Middle, HIgh

3:40pm CST

Beat the Boredom: Energize Your Classroom with Drumming!

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST

Pioneer Room

Join us for an invigorating professional development session where we explore the transformative power of drumming in education! Discover how rhythmic activities not only enhance student engagement but also revitalize educators, fostering a sense of community and excitement among teaching teams. Best of all, no prior drumming experience is necessary! You’ll learn hands-on techniques to incorporate drumming into your lessons, creating a vibrant learning environment that captivates students and reignites your passion for teaching. This interactive workshop will leave you inspired and equipped to add zest to your classroom. Let’s make some noise and unlock the potential of rhythmic learning for both you and your students!

Speakers

Fonda Telthorst

Piper USD 203

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST
Pioneer Room

Audience Early Career, Elementary, Middle, HIgh

3:40pm CST

Learning in Harmony

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST

River Room

Discover how music can be a powerful tool in the classroom to enhance memory, regulate emotions, and boost cognitive performance. In this session, we will explore the science behind how rhythm and melody help encode information more deeply into the brain, leading to better recall and improved focus.
Participants will enjoy a fun, multi-sensory learning experience that blends music, movement, and instruments. No musical expertise is needed—just come ready to move, explore, and have fun!

Speakers

Brandi Martinez-McWilliams

Director of Curriculum and Instruction, McPherson USD 418

I have been in education for 23 years. My journey began by teaching ESL in Fort Lupton, Colorado, where I spent my initial three years. I embarked on a new challenge by instructing 7th and 8th-grade Middle School English for another three years in Colorado.My career then took an exciting... Read More →

Maegen Stucky

McPherson USD 418

Nicholas Griggs

McPherson USD 418

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST
River Room

Audience Early Career, Elementary, Middle, HIgh

3:40pm CST

Playing To Your Strengths - Making Magic Happen in the Classroom

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST

Wheat Room

Participants will master a classroom magic trick, compose and play their very own song and so
much more. This session aims to bring the Zest back into each classroom by allowing participants
to play to their own individual strengths. Teachers at each table will also collaborate, create,
brainstorm and share things they already do or how they anticipate applying the ideas shared,
allowing time for tables to rotate around and take advantage of all the ideas in the room.

Speakers

Rochelle Mann

K-4 Music, Goddard USD 265

I love to make music fun, engaging and something every student wants to be involved in and feels success in. Music connects not only to the arts, but to science, reading and mathmatics as well. Music builds relationships, heals the heart, builds character and unites diverse group... Read More →

Doug Mann

Goddard USD 265

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST
Wheat Room

Audience Early Career, Elementary

3:40pm CST

The "Not-So-Secret Sauce" Creating a Culture of Care

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST

Strategies for individual and collective efforts to gain and maintain a culture of support and value. Focused on participant-sharing of ideas and experiences which have contributed to positive teaching and learning environments. Engage with others through thoughtful conversation and collaborative activities.

Speakers

Jonathan Belsan

Wichita USD 259

Samuel Belsan

Teacher, Wichita USD 259

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST

Audience Early Career, Elementary, Middle, HIgh

3:40pm CST

The Perfect Trifecta: Relationship + Community + Fun = An Irre "Zest" able Classroom

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST

Homestead Room

We will explore the essential role relationships play in creating a strong educational environment. We will focus on building meaningful relationships with students, fostering strong partnerships with your community, and inviting community into school to create a collaborative and supportive atmosphere.

Speakers

Thursday February 20, 2025 3:40pm - 4:40pm CST
Homestead Room