In consideration of today’s complicated K-12 environment (pressures associated with consolidation,
emerging personal/social issues, budget constraints along with questions regarding how to identify
and measure the many facets of a student’s success), the 2008 Conference Committee is very
excited to announce our keynote speakers for this year’s annual conference, which is being held on
November 13 th and 14 th at the Wyndham Hotel in South Portland (formerly The Sheraton).

In light of self-injurious behaviors, Wendy Schneider recently produced and released a video project (CUT: Teens and Self-Injury, A Documentary) where she interviewed and documented the personal struggles of several students that use “cutting” as an outlet (www.cutthemovie.com). Wendy, who lives in Madison, Wisconsin, has presented her perspectives around the country and is a highly respected and sought-after presenter who will be with us for both days of the conference. Her movie was nominated as an “Official Selection” for this year’s American Psychological Association annual convention, which is in Boston this year. She will have copies of her DVD available for sale at a discounted price at our conference.

From another perspective, the ongoing impacts of bullying and harassment are always of concern. New research suggests that exposure to bullying can actually result in significant post-traumatic stress disorder for many of our students (physiological implications). Cathy Lounsbury and Paul Pinnette from the Maine Psychological Trauma Institute will be presenting a keynote address along with two workshops where they will discuss their work in regards to these exciting new perspectives and connections (www.mpti.net).

Another question for school counselors is: How do we teach students new ways to cope with difficult personal/social situations? Former Maine assistant general in the civil rights unit and author Peggy Moss (www.saysomethingnow.com) will discuss her insights and strategies during her keynote presentation. Peggy, a former resident of Freeport, comes to us from Toronto with terrific recommendations and enthusiastic reviews.

Finally and in consideration of the refugee and multicultural experience, The Telling Room from Portland will be discussing the work they have been doing collecting life stories from some of Maine’s newest residents (www.tellingroom.org). Interestingly enough, I have presented some of these life stories to students and teachers at Cony High School and Southern Maine Community College, which resulted in some very interesting dialogs and rich reflections.

As always, we hope you find that this update is informative and are intrigued by this year’s impressive portfolio of keynote presenters. And, do you have any ideas or potential presenters that you would like to see at the conference? Let us know! If you would like to contact the conference committee directly, Tanya Reid, Bonnie Robbins, or David Klippert are always available via email and are happy to help. After all, it is everyone’s conference.

Click here for Program Proposal Form