🌍🔎 Welcome to the 2025 Academic Innovation Conference! 🔎🌍
“Where in the World...?”
Welcome, education trailblazers, to a conference unlike any other—where we set out on a high-stakes global mission to transform our classrooms into communities for the future! 🌎✨
Just like the legendary Carmen Sandiego, our students are on an adventure—but instead of searching for stolen treasures, they are discovering knowledge, cultures, digital tools, and opportunities that prepare them to be true global citizens. The question is: How do we equip them with the tools to navigate and thrive in an ever-changing world? That’s where YOU come in!
Over the course of this conference, we’ll decode the mysteries of innovation, track down best practices from around the globe, and unlock the strategies that will empower our students to think critically, collaborate across cultures, and make meaningful contributions—no matter where their journey takes them.
So, grab your thinking caps and passports, because together, we are about to embark on an educational expedition that ensures our students do not just ask where in the world they belong—but boldly go out and shape it through citizenship.
Explore the transformative power of global learning and join us for an informative session on the Global Leaders Teacher Fellowship, an experience designed to help educators cultivate global leadership in their classrooms. Participants will learn about the Global Leaders Teacher Fellowship, its scope, and its impact on cultivating global leadership in classrooms. Participants will explore inspiring stories from past fellows and explore key components of the Global Leaders framework.
Director of Partnership Development, Participate Learning
Freebird McKinney is a Village Teacher and a Global Educator. It is his calling and his purpose. As the 2018 North Carolina State Teacher of the Year, he had the honor of inspiring countless young men and women inside and outside of the classroom, both in public high schools (for... Read More →
Program Manager | Strategy Coach, Participate Learning
Caroline Baker serves as a Global Leaders Strategy Coach at Participate Learning, where she partners with schools to implement the Global Leaders framework, fostering globally-minded students and strengthening leadership across the school community. With a background as a special education teacher and a passion for action-driven learning, Caroline specializes in hel... Read More →
Global Leaders Strategy Coach, Participate Learning
Jamie Fernandez-Schendt is a Global Leaders Strategy Coach at Participate Learning, where he supports schools in utilizing the Global Leaders framework to cultivate globally-minded students and foster leadership across the school community in alignment with their school improvement priorities. With over a decade of experience in public education, Jamie specializes... Read More →
Wednesday June 11, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am EDT Global Citizenship RCOE Room 229Reich College of Education Building, College Street, Boone, NC, USA
Imagine transforming Social Studies and ELA from dusty textbook lectures into vibrant, immersive learning experiences that ignite student curiosity and empathy. This dynamic session reveals how project-based learning can turn complex historical and contemporary topics into hands-on, interactive journeys of discovery. Participants will explore innovative strategies that empower students to become critical thinkers, global citizens, and active problem-solvers by bridging Social Studies and ELA through engaging, cross-curricular projects. By providing students with meaningful opportunities to explore, connect, and take action, educators can create powerful learning environments that inspire lifelong learning and transform how young minds understand the world around them.
Middle Grades Teacher, North Carolina School for the Deaf
Taylor Hughes is a passionate deaf education professional with a unique blend of academic expertise and classroom enthusiasm. Armed with a Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language and a Master of Education from Kent State University, she currently teaches middle school at the North... Read More →
Wednesday June 11, 2025 10:05am - 11:05am EDT Global Citizenship RCOE Room 229Reich College of Education Building, College Street, Boone, NC, USA
