On Thursday, June 15, 2023, the Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education’s (RCOE) Public School Partnership hosted the second annual Innovation Expo, which included presentations from the 13 school districts and four schools. The event's purpose was to showcase innovative ideas and practices schools are implementing to meet the needs of students and their communities.
Each presentation focused on the following goals:
- Identify – Locate educational innovation in the region.
- Elevate – Support and showcase exemplary innovation work in the region.
- Collaborate – Connect with innovation partners across the region.
- Scale – Engage with innovation partners across the state and beyond.
“Our northwest NC region is full of such creative and innovative problem solvers who co-construct solutions for their contextual problems every day,” said Dr. Betsy Rosenbalm, director of the Public School Partnership. “The Innovation Expo is just one way that the RCOE Public School Partnership chooses to elevate and celebrate such collaboration and success each year!”
The presentations ranged from connecting high school students across the globe to moving to a four-day instructional week to conducting productive (and magical!) meetings. A complete list of topics and presenters is below.
“The 2023 Innovation Expo was a phenomenal way to collaborate, share resources, and gain insight into truly innovative practices,” noted Penny Williard, Director of Innovative Programing for Mount Airy City Schools. “Our team walked away feeling inspired by the great work happening in North Carolina public schools around us, and this event reaffirmed what we believe every day — public school works!
“We appreciate the consistent support of App State’s Public School Partnership, and their willingness to serve others with strong support and consistent resources,” she added.
The partnerships extended beyond the K-12 schools and included Caldwell Community College, North Carolina New Teacher Support Program, Northwest Regional Educational Service Alliance, as well as RCOE’s College Access Partnerships and Mathematics and Science Education Center.
For Amy Philyaw, STEM director and grant coordinator for Caldwell County Schools, the Innovation Expo was “a wonderful opportunity for districts to showcase their visionary leadership to surrounding counties.”
“Learning about all the extraordinary programs and practices served as a springboard to generate ideas while inspiring growth within our own communities,” she added.
In addition to the presentations from the schools, business sponsors also shared ways they are impacting the community and schools:
- Blue Ridge Energy - awarding grants to increase collaboration between schools and businesses.
- District C - preparing the next generation of diverse talent for modern work.
- GoogleLNR - awarding grants to increase collaboration between schools and businesses.
- Merlyn Mind - integrating technology in the classroom in a seamless way.
- My Future NC - a statewide nonprofit focused on educational attainment and is the result of cross-sector collaboration between North Carolina leaders in education, business and government.
- Open Way Learning - providing creative ways to generate and brainstorm ideas.
- Participate Learning - building students’ competencies into global citizens and leaders.
- Skyline/Skybest - maintaining broadband access to the region and awarding scholarships to area students.
Full list of topics and presenters:
School District | Innovative Idea | Presenter(s) |
Alexander County Schools | Coding and NCVR Adventures | Jessica Esposito, Digital Learning and Innovation Specialist |
Alleghany County Schools | Trojan Trax | Melissa Vestal, Executive Director of Alleghany Educational Foundation |
Appalachian State University Lab Schools | Four-Day Instructional Week | Sean Gaillard, Principal Academy at Middle Fork Emma Hatfield-Sidden, Principal Academy at Elkin Hannah Reeder, RCOE Assistant Dean and Director of Lab Schools Amie Snow, Director of Curriculum & Federal Programs |
Ashe County Schools | Increasing Parent Participation | David Blackburn, Principal of Mountainview Elementary School |
Avery County Schools | The Amazing Shake | Shannon Silver, Teacher |
Burke County Schools | Multilingualism for All | Hellen Lannie Simpson, Curriculum and Instruction Director of English Language Learners |
Caldwell County Schools | STEM Bus | Amy Philyaw, Director of STEM Education |
Catawba County Schools | North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate: Applying Durable Skills to Real Life Scenarios | Lee Miller, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction |
Elkin City Schools | Cultural Connections | Ruthann McComb, high school science teacher April Swarey, high school English/language arts teacher Tonya Smith, high school vocal/music teacher |
Mount Airy City Schools | Bear Bus: STEAM and Public Outreach | Penny Willard, Director of Innovative Programming |
North Carolina School for the Deaf | Magical Meetings | Shirley Fore, Interim Principal Mark Patrick, Superintendent Thea Wilson, Audiologist |
North Carolina School of Science and Math | The Instructional Insider Podcast & NCSSM Connect | Camilla Brothers, Director of Instructional Leadership Morgan Pittman, Instructional Designer and Curriculum Specialist |
Newton-Conover City Schools | N-C Teach | Ashley Pack, Coordinator of Auxiliary Services |
Watauga County Schools | Bridge Camps for Rising 6th and 9th Graders | Meredith Jones, Director of Middle Grades Education |
Wilkes County Schools | Outdoor Classroom: Mulberry Elementary | Callie Grubb, Chief Academic Officer Nikki Patrick, Principal |
Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools | SEL Implementation | Lindsey Hayek, Social Emotional Learning Coach Samantha Massey, Social Emotional Learning Coach |
Collage of photos from the Innovation Expo
