2025 MCELA Conference Presenter Resources
Click here for the full program with workshop descriptions
Click here for the full program with workshop descriptions
Session A
- Indigenous Voices: The Importance of Representation in the Learning Spaces
Brianne Lolar: Panawahpskek Citizen, Wabanaki Studies Specialist at the Maine Department of Education
Kaya Lolar: Panawahpskek Citizen, Harvard Senior - The “B” Word: Body Image, Body Literacy, and Social Justice in the English ClassroomMiranda Snyder: English Teacher & Civil Rights Team Advisor, Mount Desert Island High School, “Be Body Positive” Licensed Facilitator
- Out of Focus: Teaching in the Age of Digital Distraction
Jonathan R. Werner: MLTI Ambassador Program Facilitator for the Maine Department of Education
Stephanie McGruder: Instructional Coach, Ellsworth School Department - Daily Reading and Writing Conferencing Enabling Voice and Choice
Katy Inman: Head of School, Center for Teaching and Learning
Angela Latham-Ballard: Art Teacher, Center for Teaching and Learning - Sparking Curiosity in the Unfamiliar
Trevor Paul: Camden Hills Regional High School English teacher, author of “The Legacy Chronicle” series - Writing Marathons: Exploring and Creating Writing Opportunities Across the Curriculum
Kellie Hooper-Bressler: Literacy Coach, Westbrook; Southern Maine Writing Project Consultant; Co-Facilitator Writing Institute
Kelly Tukey: Grades 3-5 Literacy Coach, Scarborough; Southern Maine Writing Project Teacher Consultant; Co-director, SMWP Young Authors Camps - How Compelling Characters Teach Us Life’s Most Important Lessons
George Jreije: Acclaimed HarperCollins author; Inaugural Writer-in-Residence for Concord, MA; MWPA Dibner Fellow; Creative Writing Instructor Gotham - Book Challenges Discussion
Dr. Stacy Haynes-Moore: Assistant Professor of Education, Coe College Writers Workshop; Highlights Foundation, SCBWI
- Stories and Strategies from Multilingual Teachers: Empowering Language Learners
- Whitney Geleney: ESOL Teacher at King Middle School, Portland, ME; B.A. Arts and Humanities; M.S. Ed Literacy Education
Chia-ju Phoebe Hsieh: Chinese Teacher at Thornton Academy; C.A.S. Literacy Education, University of Southern Maine (May 2025); M.A. TESOL, New York University; B.A. History, Tamkang University, Taiwan
Yovana Karakitukova: ESOL Ed-Tech at Dyer Elementary School, South Portland, Maine; B.A. English and Educational Studies; M.S. Educational Literacy - Strategies to Increase Student Engagement: Building Thinking Classrooms in ELA Slideshow & Activity
Caitlin Saras: Literacy Instructional Coach, Lewiston High School; MCELA Executive Board Member - Censorship, Challenges, and Bans: How do teachers perceive censorship in the K-12 classroom?
Mindy Butler: Ed.D, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education, University of Southern Maine
Nadine Bravo: MSEd in World Languages and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)- Graduate Student in Native American Studies at Montana State University - Bozeman, Adult ESOL Teacher - University of Maine
Sarah Hinshaw: Graduate Student in Educational and School Psychology, University of Southern Maine - Strategies for Identifying and Building (Redirecting?) a Reader’s Identity
Michelle DeBlois: CEO REMO, MCELA Executive Board Member - Voices of the Past: Exploring Historical Events Through Literature and Social Studies
Michele Aronson: 2025 MCELA Teacher of Excellence; 7th grade ELA - Team Androscoggin, Mt. Ararat Middle School; Maine Writing Project Teacher Consultant
Jon Beede: 7th grade Social Studies - Team Androscoggin, Mt. Ararat Middle School - The Power of Proposals: Using Interdisciplinary Real World Writing to Put Students in the Driver's Seat
Eric Bosarge: Brunswick High School; M.F.A. (Stonecoast, University of Southern Maine);founder of Vernacular Books; Maine Literary Award, 2017; author - Using Interactive Notebooks in the ELA Classroom
Kimberly Sellers: Hall-Dale High School English (grades 10-11), M.Ed Literacy Education, Maine Writing Project TC/MT, MCELA Executive Board Member - Bringing Contemporary Stories and Poems into Classrooms
Gibson Fay-LeBlanc: Executive Director, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance; degrees from UC Berkeley and Columbia University
- Engaging Learners through Theatre: Sample lesson from To Kill a Mockingbird
Susan Palmer: Director and certified Theatre Arts and ELA Educator at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, Vermont; MFA in Theatre Directing, BA in Acting, Juried Artist with the Vermont Arts Council; Teaching Artist at The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, Vermont. - Letting Kids Read: How to Bring Back a Love of Reading in Middle School Students Through Student Voice and Choice
Robyn Rich: Grade 7/8 ELA teacher, Piscataquis Community Secondary School; 2024 Piscataquis County Teacher of the Year - Point of Generation and AI: AI in the Classroom
Aaron Thibodeau: Adjunct Faculty at the University of Maine and Husson University - Fostering Future Innovators: Empowering Classrooms through Unconventional AI Activities
Nicole Karod: Emerging Technology Digital Specialist, Maine Department of Education
Kate Meyer: English and Design Thinking Teacher, Mt. Desert Island High School; National Board Certified Teacher; Hancock County Teacher of the Year, 2020
- Revising Revision: Building Student-Centered Learning in Creative Writing Workshops
Dawn Potter: Poet; Director, Conference on Poetry and Learning at Monson Arts; Director, High School Studio Writing Program at Monson Arts
Marita O'Neill: Poet; English teacher, Yarmouth High School - Tech That Transforms: Going Beyond the Buzz Nicole Karod: Emerging Technology Digital Specialist for the Maine Department of Education
Jonathan Werner: MLTI Ambassador Program Facilitator for the Maine Department of Education - Cooperative Learning 2.0: Empowering Students to Thrive Together
Rachel Beckwith: Gifted & Talented, Leonard Middle School, Old Town; Masters Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction (University of Maine; Doctorate in Educational Studies (University of Northern Colorado) - Fostering Student Empathy Through Diverse Stories
George Jreije: Acclaimed HarperCollins author; Inaugural Writer-in-Residence for Concord, MA; MWPA Dibner Fellow; Creative Writing Instructor with the Gotham Writers Workshop; Highlights Foundation, SCBWI - Prompt Crafting for ELA Teachers: Getting the Most Out of ChatGPT
Kate Meyer: English and Design Thinking Teacher, Mt. Desert Island High School; National Board Certified Teacher; Hancock County Teacher of the Year, 2020 - The Power of Film to Level Playing Fields and Promote Empathy
Mel Graham: Humanities Teacher at Carrabassett Valley Academy; Master's in English (Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English); Master's in Writing (DePaul University) - The Inclusive English Classroom
Claire Nichols: English, Language Arts, & Drama Teacher–Madawaska High School - Incorporating Role-Playing Games in the Classroom
Angela Gilbert: English Language Arts Teacher, Bruce M. Whittier Middle School; Civil Rights Team Facilitator
2024 MCELA Conference Presenter Resources
ession A
- Artificial Intelligence for EL A Educators, presenter Kate Meyer
- Bridging Community & Connection Through Storytelling, presenters Allison Lerman-Gluck & Kate Laskey from Narrative 4, (link to request a meeting, link to sign up for free live, virtual facilitator training process)
- Genre, Forms, and More, presenter Michelle DeBlois (bonus handouts for students)
- Joyful Journaling, presenter Edith Berger
- Incorporating Queer Joy, presenter Landon Krandall
- Interdependent Learning Groups: Reimagining Cooperation in the Classroom, presenter Rachel Beckwith
- Literature Can Heal Us: Addressing Mental Health in English Class, presenter Emilie Throckmorton
- Finding Your Ikigai Resources, presenters Bre Allard and Caitlin Saras
- Centering Indigenous Voices, presenter Jane Chamberlain
- Students' Questions, Students' Answers, presenter Jamie Gillette
- The Educator's Balancing Act: Enhancing Teacher Workflow with AI, presenter Kate Meyer
- The Middle Level Brain in the Digital World: What's it Got to Do with Literacy, presenter Katie Rybakova (link to Magic School)
- “THE PLAY'S THE THING": Embodying Shakespeare’s Language, presenter Michael Dix Thomas
- Bringing Wabanaki Studies to the Classroom, presenter Brianne Lolar
- Cultivating Our Inner Lives for Greater Outcomes, presenter Christina O'Neil & Kent Pierce
- Fostering Creativity in the Classroom: Engaging Student Creative Agency, presenters Aaron Thibodeau, Amanda Garrod, and Cora Saddler
- Podcasting: Help Your Students Add Their Voices, presenter Tiff Shaw (Google Drive folder with docs & resources)
- Storytelling & STEAM: Integrating Robots into ELA, presenter Heather Webster (printable resources)
- The Joy of Graphic Novel Book Clubs, presenter Mindy Butler
- The Poetry of First Date Impressions, presenter Maya Williams, Portland Poet Laureate
- Using Character Analysis to Support SEL in the English Classroom, presenter Claire Nichols
- Literacy in Nature, presenter Jessica Archer
- Narrative Unlimited: Digital Storytelling and Your Curriculum, presenter Brett Pierce
- Unsealing the Envelope: The Power of the Epistolary Poem in the ELA Classroom, presenters Julia Bouwsma and Maya Williams