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

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 Putting Google AI to Work: A Practical Guide to Prompt Engineering and Productivity with Gemini - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey From Policy to Practice: Navigating Utah’s 2026 Early Literacy Changes CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dr. Jennifer Throndsen • Piper Riddle Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Nathan Blackner The Dignity Index: How to disagree without being disagreeable GC 303 - General Classroom Building, Room 303Stephan Seabury Teacher Leaders as the Engine of School Improvement: From Strategy to Practice SC 114 - Science Center, Room 114Cori Groth • Shalon Jones-Miller • Kody Colvin • Sarah Jarnagin Building Science Thinkers Through Literacy and Data Analysis Strategies GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Jennifer Mackay The Power of Tier 1: Planning and Delivering Explicit Instruction SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Jenny Blauer 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 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

2:50pm 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 Your New AI Teacher's Aide from Google: Fast-Track Your Prep with NotebookLM - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey From Generic to Gem: Building Your First Gemini Gems ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Emma Moss 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 “This Class is Therapy” Gamification, Learning, and Mental Health SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129David J. Rodríguez Sanfiorenzo 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 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) GC 303 - General Classroom Building, Room 303Lauren Ezzell

9:45am MDT

20 in 20: Rapid-Fire Strategies for Classroom Engagement ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Emma Moss A Kickstart with Gemini: Demystifying the Tech - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey 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 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 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 GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Rebecca Kirkman • Wendy Rex Atzet The Power of Student Voice: Enhancing Literacy Through Oral Language GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Denice Maedgen Supporting Multilingual Learners in the ELA Classroom SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Dr. Jennifer Throndsen Printable Potential: Using 3D Printing in the Classroom GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Becca Robison zSpace AU - Auditorium FoyerBrandon Harrison Going for Gold: The New Gold Medal Schools Framework AU - Auditorium FoyerJodi Paker Teaching Communication to Replace Challenging Behavior AU - Auditorium FoyerRhea Palkhiwala • Dr. Audrey N. Hoffmann Kinesthetic Astronomy 4th grade GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Jayceen Craven Walker Patterns & Partnerships GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Heather Paulsen

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

Google AI as a Catalyst for Creative Inquiry - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey 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 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 Beyond the B.E.A.C.O.N.: Lighting the Way for AI in Education SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Becca Esplin Chaos Coordinators: Frontload the Calm, Teach the Tough CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Kristin Hellmann • Dana Blazzard Positive Childhood Experiences in the K-12 Setting ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Phillip Bertoch Easily Supporting Students Through Emotional Regulation & Relationships With Real-Time Skills GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409Nick Marsing • Celeste Marsing The Science of Learning in Utah Math Classrooms GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Jennie Earl

11:52am MDT

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

1:50pm MDT

Supporting Students with Complex Needs ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rachel Jacobsen • Rhea 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 Writing Formative Assessment Clusters GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Jared Wright • Dallas Brooks • Samantha Tinkey 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 Modern Classroom tips from teachers who love it. GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409DawnRae Smith • Machelle Maxwell Prompting, Not Cheating: Building Authentic Literacy Skills in the AI Era - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Top Ten Ways to Differentiate in Canvas ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Jason Snow Teacher's are Leaders Inside and Outside of the Classroom ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Stephan Seabury 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 3D in 8th Grade Science - Oxidation in Action in Utah GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Maggie Grindstaff 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

2:11pm MDT

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

2:32pm MDT

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

3:10pm MDT

Supporting Student Learning and Creativity with Google Vids ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rob Bentley Your Custom AI Toolbox: Save Time by Building Reusable Gemini "Gems" - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey Scaffolding Tier 1 Phonics Instruction CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Dr. Jennifer Throndsen 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 106Kristy Stevens • Carla Winterholler 3D Science lessons- Gravity and Inertia GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Kristine Erickson • Westen Miller Implementing the Success Sequence: Key to Updated Health Education Standards SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Jodi Parker Virtual Field Trips at the Springville Museum of Art SC 127 - Science Center, Room 127Peyton Richards • Cheynie Wray

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 - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey NUES TAP: Building Better Questions Together with the NUES Teacher Assessment Project CC Red Hills Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Red Hills Room (200 Level)Jason Snow AI and the Classroom: Protecting the Student Thinking Process CC Vermillion Cliffs - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Vermillion Cliffs Room (100 Level)Melanie Valentine 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 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 New Teacher Retention: The Experiences That Shape Career Decisions ED 204 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 204Pamela Pedersen Strategies for Students Reading Below Grade Level in Middle School GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson • Laura Mauer Unplug and Play: Teaching Computational Thinking Skills Through Game Play SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Traci Rindlisbach 3D Science Assessments and the New HS RISE GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Milo Maughan Understanding & Supporting Student Behavior: A Teacher-Centered Approach GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Amanda Powell Grow Lab GC 409 - General Classroom Building, Room 409Heather Paulsen Thinking on our Feet: A Building Thinking Classrooms Experience GC 306 - General Classroom Building, Room 306Wendy Moss-Doong

11:10am MDT

Navigating the Noise: Empowering News-Literate Students with Checkology CC Whiting Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Whiting Room Room (200 Level)Chris Haught Bringing Characters to Life Using Adobe Character Animator ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Rob Bentley Real or Rendered? Promoting Digital Media Literacy in the Age of AI - USBE + Google Sponsored Session ED 104 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 104Chris McCaffrey 4-Part Model to School Culture ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Amy Robinson • Stuart Hepworth Building Sustainable School Wellness Systems In Rural Communities SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Halee Ficklin • Mary Kathryn Curcio Stoddard The Future Ready Student: Resources for Early Postsecondary Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Deanna Taylor From Notes to Writing: Using Two-Column Notes to Strengthen Student Thinking SC 129 - Science Center, Room 129Jenny Blauer 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. GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Amy Mahoney Beyond the Read Aloud: Bringing Stories to Life CC Charles Hunter - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Charles Hunter Room (100 Level)Sally Baird