Superintendents and other district leaders came together at Mashpee High School for a 3-day conference for the 29th Annual Paul J. Andrews Executive Institute. The conference is always a great opportunity for district leaders to come together!
Pre-Conference activities on Monday included welcoming the 14th Cohort of superintendents of the New Superintendent Induction Program and a retreat of the Urban Superintendent Network with DESE and Keynote, Ayanna Cooper.
On Day 1, John Doherty, retired Superintendent of Reading Public Schools and Chair of the Professional Development committee, welcomed attendees and spoke on the conference theme of “Students are OUR Why: Leading Diversity, Belonging, Equity & Inclusion (DBEI) Toward a Healthy and Successful School Community”. Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler issued key remarks shared his vision for our state for education, to stabilize as we recover from the pandemic, heal and strengthen our relationships, and transform our educational system for the future. He also participated in panel with Project 351 students. A big takeaway from the student panel is the importance of authentic celebration of student initiatives that extend beyond the classroom and how this recognition enhances connections to the school community and feelings of value. Keynote presenter Nancy Koehn joined us in the afternoon. M.A.S.S. presented the 3rd annual Assistant Superintendent Leadership Award to Lori Gallivan, Assistant Superintendent of the Winthrop Public Schools. Day 1 was also filled with outstanding breakout sessions and an operational breakout thread.
Day 2 welcomed Michael Bonner who brought his energy and enthusiasm. Bonner emphasized the need to connect and the importance of our relationships should center all our work in schools. Attendee response to Bonner was incredibly positive with a standing ovation. On Day 2, we also recognized our 2023 Christos Daoulas Award winner. Congratulations to Timothy Piwowar, Superintendent of Schools, Westwood Public Schools. In the afternoon, members of the REDI Standing Committee presented the REDI work for 22-23, plans for 23-24 and the updated Guide. Another day of creative and well-done breakout sessions from district leaders.
Day 3 was filled! Commissioner Riley joined us in the morning to deliver remarks, followed by our partnership with the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police sharing their Safety Guide. The highlight was a keynote by Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson. And we closed the conference with Attorneys Mike Long and Kelly Gonzalez, who are always a wealth of information.
We hope our attendees had a wonderful time at the conference and were energized to return to their districts. We were excited to roll out our new App which allowed attendees to access the agenda, see speaker bios, visit sponsor profiles, and participate in our leadership board competition. Thank you to all our sponsors for making this conference possible and thank you to Paul Andrews as we continue his legacy.
We look forward to seeing everyone for the 30th Annual in 2024!
M.A.S.S.