Upcoming Events

Join us February 21st at The Gateway Center in Collinsville, IL.  Get inspiration to carry you through to the end of the school year from three amazing keynote presenters.  We will be joined by Michael Bonner, Joe "Mr. D" Dombrowski and Monica Genta!  These presenters all exhibit what this day is about...POSITIVITY, ENERGY, and PURPOSE!  Space is limited to the first 300 registrants.

In-person workshop!
Location: The Gateway Center
Registration: 8:30 a.m.
Workshop: 9:00-3:00 p.m.

Lunch on your own

5 PD hours

Keynote Presenters:

Michael Bonner is a renowned leader, innovator, and performance booster, who is a trailblazer in leadership development and organizational culture. He is a dynamic keynote speaker as seen on The Ellen Show, NBC Nightly News, and Time for Kids. He is the CEO of Bonnerville, a business that promotes the value of self-care and a highly respected team member at the famed Ron Clark Academy.

He empowers leaders to build genuine relationships and establish a positive organizational culture, vision and team development. His seminars challenge listeners to reflect, strategize, and execute in order to increase their efficiency in the workplace and personal areas. He empowers listeners to build genuine relationships with their teams and colleagues because "You cannot demand a withdrawal from someone you have never invested in."

Michael Bonner's transformative approach leaves C-suite and nonprofit leaders, educators, and administrators confident and prepared to become world-changing citizens who garner significant impact.

To learn more about Michael Bonner, visit michael-bonner.com and follow him on all social media platforms at @michaelbonner_.

Joe "Mr. D" Dombrowski had been routinely posting creative, innovative and most importantly, fun ideas to his social media channels he executed in his fourth grade classroom since he began his teaching career, but it was one in particular that captured the hearts of 20 million people: the April Fool's Prank seen around the world.

The video he shared connecting to his students through a lighthearted fake quiz with hilariously inventive words (complete with silent letters) left an impact on so many due to the obvious investment of the students, the sheer creativity, humor, and of course, the clear passion of Dombrowski for what he does. In a matter of days the viral video made its way to Good Morning America, had its own "Twitter Moment" and finally, to The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Ellen DeGeneres promoted Dombrowski's appearance on her show's social media channels by stating, "He may be one of my favorite teachers ever." Once on the show, DeGeneres praised Dombrowski when she said his lessons filled with laughter would make his students not only remember him, but what they were learning. Dombrowski also used his platform to speak about selfless teachers across the country using their own money to create a topnotch education experience.

Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Central Michigan University, where he was a Featured Student Teacher Spotlight Spring 2012, Dombrowski took up a residency as an improv comedy artist at Go Comedy Improv Theater. His comedic timing and improv studies have translated into the classroom. His teaching approach with humor lends itself to make the curriculum material relatable and less intimidating. He continued this residency through graduation from Oakland University with a Masters in Educational Leadership, High Honors.

Dombrowski has been highlighted on the Kelli Pickler & Ben Aarons Show where he discussed his love for education and humorous teaching style. Dombrowski speaks internationally and enjoys speaking to crowds of all walks of life, helping them reconnect to the joy of life through laughter. Joe tours with his stand up comedy show "Indoor Recess and also hosts his own podcast called Study Hall with Mr.D covering a range of topics. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as @mrdtimes3 and on YouTube as Joe Dombrowski.

A few years into her teaching career Monica Genta attended a professional development workshop. She was eager to absorb every moment and hoped that the event would be a game changer for her classroom.

One day into the conference Monica was terribly disappointed. This PD didn’t feel life changing. Monica was bored as presenters read off power-points, told unrelatable stories, and didn’t capture her heart or head.  She thought, “I can’t believe I wrote sub plans for this.” and “I feel bad my school spent a lot of money for me to be here.” It seemed like a waste of time and resources and that just wasn’t right.

It was at that event Monica realized teachers deserve better than this. Teachers should walk away from professional development with practical ideas, engaging strategies, and hear stories that motivate and inspire.

And Monica has now created that type of impact  with over 500,000 teachers from all across the world.

As a current classroom teacher, everything Monica presents on is real, raw, and relevant to what is happening in schools today. And that makes a big difference.

Monica is the author of six books, including the best-seller 180 Days of Awesome, a classroom teacher, and international educational consultant and keynote speaker. Monica’s TED talk has been viewed by thousands of educators from all over the world. She has earned a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction and a Masters in Educational Leadership & Administration and is a National Board Certified teacher.

In her free time, she enjoys long road trips, accomplishing new challenges, eating unique pizzas, and impromptu dance parties. She is pumped to share her life and experiences with you and is confident you will laugh along the way.   Monica lives in Illinois and is surrounded by loving friends and family.

This workshop is FREE thanks to the ISBE SEL Hub grant and co-sponsored by the Area 5 ROEs (ROE 3, 40, 41, 45, 50) Any questions, please contact: Ryan Wamser rwamser@roe40.com