Four days of sharing best practices at the Simon Youth Foundation Annual Conference

SYF Annual Conference attendees

From issues of attendance to student substance abuse and homelessness to fundraising, 50 Simon Youth Foundation educators shared personal experiences, best practices, and other valuable anecdotes over three days at the 2011 SYF Annual Conference in Schaumburg, Ill., which wrapped up on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

"One Simon Youth Academy teacher's personal classroom experiences have the potential to benefit another teacher who encounters similar circumstances or situations," says J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., the President and CEO of Simon Youth Foundation, who served as a master of ceremonies for the conference. "This is why we are proud to host the SYF Annual Conference to bring our educators together so that they can interact and benefit through information sharing."

SYF educators at a brainstorm session

In one of four SYF educator sessions, teachers matched their best practices to questions posed by other teachers on ten topics that most impact their Simon Youth Academies, which are non-traditional high schools for students who are at-risk of dropping out of their traditional high school due to homeless, pregnancy, bullying, or other challenging personal circumstances.

"I learned so much from talking to the other Simon Youth Academy teachers from other states," says Charity Woods, a teacher at the Simon Youth Academy at Hickory Hollow Mall in Nashville, Tenn. "I heard great ideas and am motivated to better my own academy."

During its conference, SYF also named its 2011 National Teacher of the Year, Beth Bruton, from the Simon Youth Academy at Northgate Mall in Seattle, Wash. As part of her award, Brunton presented her most effective strategies for success with at-risk students at the National Dropout Prevention Network Conference, which ran in conjunction with the SYF Annual Conference and was attended by nearly 700 nationwide teachers and administrators. A second SYF educator, Michael Flushman, the principal of the Simon Youth Academy at Hickory Hollow Mall, also presented to the Prevention Network audience.

Rena Wertheim, from Richmond Heights, Ohio, and
Ernie Sweat, from Wichita, Kan., in an SYF brainstorm session

Educators in SYF session 

SYF 2011 National Teacher of the Year Beth Brunton presents at the
National Dropout Prevention Network Conference

SYF educator Michael Flushman, in tie, from Nashville, Tenn., presents at the
National Dropout Prevention Network Conference

Kara Larkin, from Whiteland, Ind., at the SYF conference's teacher gift exchange

Alex Van Grondelle, from Orlando, Fla., at the SYF conference's teacher gift exchange

SYF conference attendees vote on the teacher who is the "most branded"
with the colors of SYF during a group dinner