2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

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 (PDF) if needed.

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8:00am MDT

Conference Credit Online Form Presenter's Lounge & Workspace CC Rondthaller Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Rondthaller Room (200 Level) Conference WiFi Informatiion and Tech Support ED Level 2 Foyer, East - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Level 2 Foyer

8:30am MDT

Joanna Andres, Utah’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year AU - AuditoriumJoanna Andres

9:50am MDT

Surviving the RISE: Lowering the Cognitive Lift SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Rachael Coleman • Lynn Gutzwiller AI Tools for Digital Storytelling: Google Vids and Adobe Podcast ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Rob Bentley Beyond Plagiarism: Reimagining Assessment & Assignments in the Age of AI ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey GEG Utah Demo Slam 2026 SC 016 - Science Center, Room 016Kelli Cannon Technology: What Are We (Or Should We Be) Afraid Of? CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Christijan Draper The People Puzzle: Solved with Business Chemistry ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Piper Riddle From Policy to Practice: What Utah’s HB 393 Means for Dyslexia and Daily Classroom Instruction ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Paul Black Joanna Andres Breakout Session AU - AuditoriumJoanna Andres Where have all the Teachers Gone (and can we get those left to STAY)? GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Sean Rickert Courtside Culture - Lessons in Leadership from Basketball's Greatest Minds CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan New Teacher Retention: Influence Your Young Teachers to Stay SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Pamela Pedersen You Are Not the Test Score: Reclaiming Care and Influence in an Age of Testing CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Joshua Hales Emergency Recovery Planning ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Scott Eyre Strategies for Students Reading Below Grade Level in Middle School GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106Laura Mauer Virtual Field Trips at the Springville Museum of Art SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Peyton Richards • Cheynie Wray 3D Science Assessments and the New HS RISE CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Milo Maughan Advancing Opportunity: Utah Rural Education Supported By Community Partnerships CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Amy Ahrens Terpstra Understanding & Supporting Student Behavior: A Teacher-Centered Approach GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Amanda Powell Grow Lab BC 208 - Braithwaite Liberal Arts Center, Room 208Heather Paulsen Thinking on our Feet: A Building Thinking Classrooms Experience GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Wendy Moss-Doong

10:50am MDT

Refreshment Break Location TBD

11:10am MDT

Navigating the Noise: Empowering News-Literate Students with Checkology CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Chris Haught Bringing Characters to Life Using Adobe Character Animator ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Rob Bentley In Our Google Era: 50 Tools Shaping the Future of Learning SC 016 - Science Center, Room 016Kelli Cannon Real or Rendered? Promoting Digital Media Literacy in the Age of AI ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Mammoth Plans and Jazz Hands: Building an Innovation Lab for Students CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Jared Covili 4-Part Model to School Culture ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Amy Robinson • Stuart Hepworth What does a balanced approach to instructional technology use look like in reality? SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Tony Campbell Norms of Collaboration: Fostering Belonging On and Offline CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan Building Sustainable School Wellness Systems In Rural Communities SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard Partnership Power: Expanding Classroom Horizons with Division of Arts & Museums GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Reilly Jensen • Justin Ivie The Future Ready Student: Resources for Early Postsecondary Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Deanna Taylor Beyond the B.E.A.C.O.N.: Lighting the Way for AI in Education GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106Becca Esplin Mixing through Meiosis - Variation in Gametes (3 lesson unit) ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Julie Castellon • Valorie Draper • Jami Slack Bridging the Gap to Grade-Level Text in the secondary classroom marks a critical shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" through evidence-based, equitable instruction. CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Amy Mahoney Beyond the Read Aloud: Bringing Stories to Life CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Sally Baird

2026 Utah Rural Schools Conference

From $50.00