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

margaret wanjiku

11:00am MDT

Conference Credit Online Form Conference Registration, Badge Pick-Up & Text Alerts Opt-In AU - Auditorium Foyer Presenter's Lounge & Workspace CC Rondthaler Room - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Rondthaler Room (200 Level) Conference WiFi and Tech Support Information ED Level 2 Foyer, East - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Level 2 Foyer

12:00pm MDT

Conference Welcome, NUES & CUES URSA Award, Friend to Education Award AU - Auditorium

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 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 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)Dr. Jennifer Throndsen • Piper Riddle Why PD Sucks (and Why Personalization is the Cure) SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Kayla Towner • Dani Sloan Carrots over Sticks: Transforming School Culture Through Positive Incentives GC 109 - General Classroom Building, Room 109Nathan Blackner Coaching Learning Intentions and Success Criteria as Formative Assessment Opportunities GC 407 - General Classroom Building, Room 407Stephanie Davis The Dignity Index: How to disagree without being disagreeable GC 303 - General Classroom Building, Room 303Stephan Seabury Increasing Student Attendance CC Yankee Meadows - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Yankee Meadows Room (100 Level)Megan Menlove 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 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 Building Science Thinkers Through Literacy and Data Analysis Strategies GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Jennifer 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

2:30pm MDT

⚡ Break Time: Snacks, Drinks & Exhibitor Hall Showcase CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level)

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! GC 311 - General Classroom Building, Room 311Nicole 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 Palkhiwala • Dr. Audrey N. Hoffmann Bridging the Gap: Addressing Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Rural Utah Schools SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128Celina Poppe What Worked When It Mattered? Pandemic Recovery Success in Utah ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Andrea Rorrer • Kody Colvin 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 114 - Science Center, Room 114Lisa Wisham • James Jordan The Teacher Brain Budget Hack CC Shooting Star - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Shooting Star Room (100 Level)Mary Saylor

4:00pm MDT

Evening Activities Cedar City, Utah

8:00am MDT

🎒 Explore the Exhibitor Hall & Educational Partners CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level) Conference Registration, Badge Pick-Up & Text Alerts Opt-In AU - Auditorium Foyer

8:30am MDT

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

9:45am MDT

Canva Reimagined: Unlock the Magic ED 102 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 102Kayla Towner Printable Potential: Using 3D Printing in the Classroom GC 201 - General Classroom Building, Room 201Becca Robison Making Sheets Work For You ED 203 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 203Stacey King Brad Montague Breakout Session AU - AuditoriumBrad Montague Why Some PLCs Pop and Other Don't: Small Shifts That Lead to Big Results SC 128 - Science Center, Room 128David Boren 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 Stop Doing All the Work! Simple Adaptations for Your Classroom GC 106 - General Classroom Building, Room 106April Stevenson 20 in 20: Rapid-Fire Strategies for Classroom Engagement ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Emma Moss Teaching Communication to Replace Challenging Behavior AU - Auditorium FoyerRhea Palkhiwala • Dr. Audrey N. Hoffmann Taming the AI Dragon: Practical Gemini & Notebook LM for Educators ED 202 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 202Clint Stephens Supporting Multilingual Learners in the ELA Classroom SC 122 - Science Center, Room 122Dr. Jennifer Throndsen

11:10am MDT

AI as a Design Variable AU - AuditoriumDavid Long 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

1:50pm MDT

Supporting Students with Complex Needs ED 215 - Emma Eccles Jones Education Building, Room 215Rachel Jacobsen • Rhea Palkhiwala

8:00am MDT

🎒 Explore the Exhibitor Hall & Educational Partners CC Great Hall - R. Haze Hunter Alumni Center, Great Hall (200 Level) Conference Credit Online Form

8:30am MDT

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

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 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