NASSP Ambassador and Monett Middle School Principal Jay Apostol attends NASSP’s annual conference.

From Ignite to UNITED, One School Leader Keeps Learning

It’s been four months since nearly 2,000 school leaders gathered in Denver, CO, for Ignite 2023, the premier conference for secondary school leaders. The conference featured over 100 peer learning opportunities and interactive experiences at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. Principal Leadership asked Jonathan “Jay” Apostol, the principal of Monett Middle School in Monett, MO, what he got out of the sessions offered and what he’s most looking forward to at UNITED, the NAESP and NASSP National Conference on School Leadership, July 15–17, in Nashville, TN.

What did you enjoy most about Ignite?

This is my fifth or sixth time attending an NASSP summer conference, and what I always enjoy is that it includes a great combination of experts in the field as well as experienced practitioners. It provides a chance to learn about new curricula and best practices that are out there. I think that post-COVID, what our teachers need is more social and emotional learning resources for themselves and for their students. This year, I was more inclined to attend those kinds of sessions to get resources that our teachers can add to their toolboxes.

Were there any sessions that were especially helpful?

One that I gravitated toward was the “Brain Power Classroom.” It’s based on the book, The Brain Power Classroom: 10 Essentials for Focus, Mindfulness, and Emotional Wellness. Those are soft skills that are definitely needed post-COVID that can help students with self-regulation during the school day. Academically speaking, we have continued to grow in our unique and diverse rural community. But I also know we’re trying to educate the whole child. Normally, my teachers get nervous whenever I go to a national conference because they’re wondering what ideas I’m going to bring back. My goal was only to share information that could help rejuvenate them and their students this school year.

Next year’s UNITED conference will be held in conjunction with NAESP. Are you looking forward to interacting with school leaders across all grades?

I’ve talked with our superintendent, who is relatively new, about what a great experience Ignite was, and he’s already blocking off multiple days so that when we are in Nashville, we can not only learn together, but we can also hold our own administrative team retreat. We can engage in some team building as well as hear about best practices from presenters. One thing I love in our district is that when we have all of our elementary and secondary school leaders meeting together, we are reminded that we share a common vision and mission, which is student-focused and future-driven. We’re already trying to find ways to make the transitions between different grade levels more efficient and provide excellent services for kids from kindergarten all the way through their senior year in high school. For me, Ignite was the highlight of the year in terms of professional development for school leaders. It helped me look forward to this school year and think about how we can keep the torch burning and provide the best education for our kids.

Learn more about UNITED at nassp.org/UNITED.