2019 Conference

In 2017 we were in Greensboro, in 2018 we went to Sunset Beach. For 2019, we’re headed west to Cherokee at Harrah’s Cherokee Resort & Convention Center July 21-23!  Owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, this resort contains over 1,100 hotel rooms and suites making it the largest hotel in the state.  The resort is located just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the U.S.  Its 31,000 square foot conference center accommodates up to 3,000 guests.  Resort amenities include a fitness center, indoor & outdoor pools, lounge, spa, family bowling alley & arcade, food court, Las Vegas style casino, and upscale restaurants including Ruth’s Chris Steak House.  We will update conference information as we get closer to the conference, so we ask that you check this page regularly.  We hope that you will join us!

Sydney Chaffee

Humanities Teacher
 
Codman Academy Charter Public School, Dorchester, MA
 
Chaffee is the 2017 National Teacher of the Year and the 2017 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.  Prior to joining Codman in 2007, she served as a Teaching Fellow at Citizen Schools’ 8th Grade Academy in Codman Square and the Coordinator of Boston Public Library’s Homework Assistance Program, where she recruited, trained, and supervised Boston high school students to tutor K-8 students in every library branch across the city.  In 2015, Sydney earned her National Board Certification in the field of English Learning Arts (adolescence and young adulthood), the highest professional certification available in education.
 
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Alex Kajitani

Speaker, Author, California Teacher of the Year
 
Kajitani Education, LLC
 
Kajitani is a 2009 California Teacher of the Year and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year.   He is a highly-sought after keynote speaker who supports and motivates teachers and staff nationwide.   Alex delivers powerful keynotes and insightful breakout sessions that are honest and real, fresh and funny, and capture the essence of what it means to be a teacher and a leader today, in any setting.   Through heart-touching stories, thought-provoking ideas and immediately implementable strategies, Alex inspires us all to teach and lead, not only for the world as it is, but for the world as it can be.
 
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Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis

Former Sandy Hook Elementary Teacher, Founder Classes4Classes, Author of Choosing Hope
 
Roig-DeBellis is Founder & Executive Director of Classes 4 Classes, Inc, a social network, for every student in the US to engage in social emotional learning.  Due to her work, Roig-DeBellis was selected in 2016 as a Top 50 Teacher by The Global Teacher Prize, out of over 8,500 teachers in 155 countries.  As a former teacher in the first classroom of Sandy Hook Elementary, she saved the lives of all 15 of her students by locking them all in a small bathroom until authorities told her it was safe to come out.  Roig-DeBellis speaks internationally, sharing her story.
 
Read More about Kaitlin

Conference Schedule

Breakout Sessions

The Association is offering attendees with opportunities to experience the beauty and fun of Western North Carolina!  If you plan to arrive early or stay after the conference, click here to see a list of special pricing for adventures you can enjoy while you’re there.