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.

11:00am MDT

Conference Credit Online Form Conference Registration and Badge Pick-Up AU - Auditorium Foyer 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

12:10pm MDT

Beyond Self Care: Leading Systemic Approach to Well-Being for Educators AU - AuditoriumGail Markin

1:30pm MDT

Are We on the Same Page? Unpacking Reading on Grade Level CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Brooke Anderson Craft Your Digital Teaching Assistant: Building Custom AI Assistants with Google Gemini Gems ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Rob Bentley Creating a Connected Classroom: Strategies to decrease behaviors and increase academics. ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Amie Huggins Gail Markin Breakout Session AU - AuditoriumGail Markin From Policy to Practice: Navigating Utah’s 2026 Early Literacy Changes CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Piper Riddle • Jennifer Throndsen Why PD Sucks (and Why Personalization is the Cure) SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Kayla Towner • Dani Sloan From PD to Practice: A Practical System for PD That Sticks CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Camille Johnson The Dignity Index: How to disagree without being disagreeable ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury 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 Teacher Leaders as the Engine of School Improvement: From Strategy to Practice SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Cori Groth • Shalon Jones-Miller • Kody Colvin • Sarah Jarnagin Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Nathan Blackner Beyond the Basics: Navigating Disciplinary Literacy in the ELA Classroom ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Naomi Watkins Building Science Thinkers Through Literacy and Data Analysis Strategies CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Jennifer Mackay Rising Above Low Expectation: How to Scaffold Learning for Students ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Laureen Graves • Heather Kennedy Learner-Centered Design: Evidence, Iteration, and Impact SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Nathan Auck • Keslie Green Build the Ramp: AI Tools for Differentiation, Engagement, and Reporting in Rural Middle Level Classrooms GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106Steve Capone • Jr Coaching Learning Intentions and Success Criteria as Formative Assessment Opportunities BC 103 - Braithwaite Liberal Arts Center, Room 103Stephanie Davis Fractions and Art: Beyond the Pizza GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Alisa Petersen • Zoë Petersen Sing It. Draw It. Learn It! GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Liz Brown • Kim Montano

2:30pm MDT

Refreshment Break Location TBD

2:50pm MDT

Using the Early Math Assessment Data SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jared Wright • Teresa McEntire Want to make a Canvas Quiz in three minutes? You can. CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Steve Weller From Generic to Gem: Building Your First Gemini Gems ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Emma Moss Data Privacy Basics Live! CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Nicole Sanchez Teacher Reflection and Instruction Data Made Easy With AI CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Lance Hatch • Yaerli Anderson Group Contingencies and the Good Behavior Game for Classroom Management CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Rhea Rayomand Palkhiwala • Dr. Audrey N. Hoffmann Bridging the Gap: Addressing Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Rural Utah Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Celina Poppe Increasing Student Attendance ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Garrett Russell • Megan Menlove What Worked When It Mattered? Pandemic Recovery Success in Utah ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Andrea Rorrer • Kody Colvin • Amy Reynolds Rediscovering True Education: Classroom Practices That Actually Work GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Kenneth Applegate An Educational Expedition: Rediscovering Educator Joy ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Laureen Graves • Heather Kennedy Mobilizing Rural Partnerships: Building Coalitions for Student Success SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Lisa Wisham • James Jordan The Teacher Brain Budget Hack CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Mary Saylor A Brief Introduction to Trust-Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Lauren Ezzell

8:00am MDT

Conference Registration and Badge Pick-Up AU - Auditorium Foyer 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

Becoming Better Grownups: Rediscovering What Matters and Remembering to Fly AU - AuditoriumBrad Montague

9:45am MDT

20 in 20: Rapid-Fire Strategies for Classroom Engagement ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Emma Moss Canva Reimagined: Unlock the Magic ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner Making Sheets Work For You ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Stacey King AI, Bloom, and the Cognitive Gap in Educational Technology CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Valarie O'Bryan Brad Montague Breakout Session AU - AuditoriumBrad Montague School Leadership Theory vs. Practice: Doing what should be done while doing what has to be done SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Quinn Kellis Why Some PLCs Pop and Other Don't: Small Shifts That Lead to Big Results SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128David Boren 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 Simple and Easy Adaptations in the Classroom GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson Taming the AI Dragon: Practical Gemini & Notebook LM for Educators ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Clint Stephens Commemorate America250 Utah with History, Civics, and Heart CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Rebecca Kirkman • Wendy Rex Atzet The Power of Student Voice: Enhancing Literacy Through Oral Language GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Harmony Langford • Denice Maedgen Supporting Multilingual Learners in the ELA Classroom SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jennifer Throndsen Printable Potential: Using 3D Printing in the Classroom GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Becca Robison zSpace AU - Auditorium FoyerBrandon Harrison Getting Your New Teachers to Stay: Research to Impact Practice in Small Schools AU - Auditorium FoyerPamela Pedersen Policy Implications for Principalship: "An Unfunded Mandate" AU - Auditorium FoyerBethany McGarry Going for Gold: The New Gold Medal Schools Framework AU - Auditorium FoyerJodi Paker Basic Self Care: What do you need to know ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Sheryl Vernon 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 Rayomand Palkhiwala • Dr. Audrey N. Hoffmann Kinesthetic Astronomy 4th grade GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Jayceen Craven Walker Patterns & Partnerships BC 103 - Braithwaite Liberal Arts Center, Room 103Heather Paulsen

10:06am MDT

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

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

10:45am MDT

Networking and Refreshment Break Location TBD

11:10am MDT

Task management using Trello ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Christijan Draper AI as a Design Variable AU - AuditoriumDavid Long AI on the Ground: Research Meets Rural Realities ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Kody Colvin • Amy Reynolds • Julianne Zemaitis We can help your students learn more about engineering. CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Morgan Boyack Scam Academy - Teaching Students to Outsmart the Algorithms CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dani Sloan Managing Change as a New School Administrator SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Doug Stump Everything that Matters Begins with Trust: How to Create It, Sustain It, and Restore It SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Dale COX Engagement 101 CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Melissa Metcalf Engagement Strategies for the Middle Years 6th-8th Grade GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Melodie Garcia Exploring Utah's Writing Benchmark Platform SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Dallas Brooks 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 Chaos Coordinators: Frontload the Calm, Teach the Tough CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Dana Blazzard • Kristin Hellman Positive Childhood Experiences in the K-12 Setting ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Phillip Bertoch The Science of Learning in Utah Math Classrooms GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Jennie Earl

11:31am MDT

Unmuting Your Classroom: Supporting Multilingual Learners ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Kelli Cannon

11:52am MDT

Igniting STEAM ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Kathleen Riebe

1:30pm MDT

Supporting Students with Complex Needs ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rachel Jacobsen • Rhea Rayomand Palkhiwala From Data to Insights: Monitoring Student Achievement Over Time via Utah RISE CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Brooke Anderson Great Grading! CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Tony Campbell • Jared Wilkinson • Angela Poulton Digital Resilience: Strategies for Managing Social Media and Student Focus in Grades 6–12 ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Davina Sauthoff From Prompt to Page: Building Better Canvas Content with AI CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Crystal Stott From Fragmented to Focused: Strengthening Your School’s System of Support SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127David Boren Leading High Leverage Practices in Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Quinn Kellis Teacher's are Leaders Inside and Outside of the Classroom ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury A Beginners Guide to Augmentative and Alternative Communication ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Alyssa Roylance Today's Middle School Student GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson 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 Rediscovering Health Through Rural and State Partnership SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard 3D in 8th Grade Science - Oxidation in Action in Utah CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Maggie Grindstaff Building Better People Through Lessons from History, Lessons from the Holocaust GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Leigh Routman Writing Formative Assessment Clusters GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Jared Wright • Dallas Brooks • Samantha Tinkey The Reclaimed Classroom: Leading AI for Teaching and Learning ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Kayla Towner • Kody Colvin • Matt Winters Art Tools and Teacher Tricks GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Liz Brown Evidence-Based Instruction Available to Your Area from The UURC BC 103 - Braithwaite Liberal Arts Center, Room 103Breyanna Evans

1:51pm MDT

Virtual Field Trips: Instructional Resources ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Heather Kennedy

2:12pm MDT

Simulating Moon Phases using your hand ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Jayceen Craven Walker

2:30pm MDT

Refreshment Break Location TBD

2:50pm MDT

Supporting Student Learning and Creativity with Google Vids ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rob Bentley Becoming Digitally Deliberate GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Talmage Erickson Literacy, Mental Health, and School Engagement for Students with Learning Disabilities CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Paul Black Scaffolding Tier 1 Phonics Instruction CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Jennifer Throndsen Current Problems in School Leadership: A Think Tank Experience SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Jenna Olson Teachers are leaders and should be the shapers our profession ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury 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 106April Stevenson • Kristy Stevens Navigating Sensitive Materials and Collection Development: Updated Strategies for School, Library, and Classrooms ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Davina Sauthoff 3D Science lessons- Gravity and Inertia CC Sage Valley - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Sage Valley Room (100 Level)Kristine Erickson • Westen Miller Implementing the Success Sequence: Key to Updated Health Education Standards SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jodi Parker Demystifying Mastery: The What, the Why and the How of Proficiency Scale Construction CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Nathan Auck

4:00pm MDT

Evening Activites

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