2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference has ended

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2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

Welcome to URSA 2026 at Southern Utah University! All sessions will be in buildings on the upper campus (east end). Here’s the Campus Map if needed.

WiFi: eduroam or SUU-Conference, password "summertimefun"

PLAN AHEAD - Tentative Future Conference Dates
July 7&8, 2027 - Price, UT
July 17-19, 2028 - Richfield, UT

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9:45am MDT

20 in 20: Rapid-Fire Strategies for Classroom Engagement ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Emma Moss Utah School Safety in 2026: Understanding the Updated Legislative Landscape CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Ashley Pistello 10 Minute Movement ideas for Language Arts k-6th grade CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Ashley Boyack Beyond Aspire Plus: Navigating the Transition in High School Assessment CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Teresa McEntire • Samantha Tinkey Facilitating Career and Technical Education Pathways for Students with Disabilities in Utah CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Crystal Emery Ignite Your Spark: Fueling Self-determination GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409Julianne R. Hunter Stop Doing All the Work! Simple Adaptations for Your Classroom GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson Policy Implications for Principalship: "An Unfunded Mandate" AU - Auditorium FoyerBethany McGarry Going for Gold: The New Gold Medal Schools Framework AU - Auditorium FoyerJodi Paker School nurse to student ratio and Utah legislative ratio recommendation AU - Auditorium FoyerMary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard Teaching Communication to Replace Challenging Behavior AU - Auditorium FoyerRhea Palkhiwala • Dr. Audrey N. Hoffmann

10:06am MDT

Community Access to Care for First Episode Psychosis ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Kylie Frandsen

10:27am MDT

Partnership Power! Bringing Poetry to Life with Statewide Competitions from the Division of Arts & Museums ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Reilly Jensen • Justin Ivie

11:10am MDT

Task management using Trello ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Christijan Draper Building Better People with Lessons from History... Through the Lens of the Holocaust CC Vermillion Cliffs - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Vermillion Cliffs Room (100 Level)Leigh Routman Engagement Strategies for the Middle Years 6th-8th Grade GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Melodie Garcia Intro to PCBL: Guiding Principles & Strategies for Improving Learning ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner Portrait of Secondary Transition for Students with Disabilities: A Roadmap for Educators, Students, and Families CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Crystal Emery Positive Childhood Experiences in the K-12 Setting ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Phillip Bertoch

1:50pm MDT

Supporting Students with Complex Needs ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rachel Jacobsen • Rhea Palkhiwala Great Grading! CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Tony Campbell • Jared Wilkinson Today's Middle School Student GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • LaToya Paea You've Got To Move It! (Incorporating Movement in the Secondary Classroom) CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Mary Saylor Evidence-Based Instruction Available to Your Area from The UURC GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Breyanna Evans • Megan Gale Art Tools and Teacher Tricks GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Liz Brown

3:10pm MDT

Collaborative Roots: Building Parent-Teacher Trust to Transform Student Outcomes ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Shannon Neeley • Sydney Whatcott Leaving Children Behind: Grade Retention in the 21st Century CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Pam Powell Middle Level Educators Unite GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106Kristy Stevens • Carla Winterholler Navigating Sensitive Materials and Collection Development: Updated Strategies for School, Library, and Classrooms ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Davina Sauthoff