On Friday, September 10, 2021, the Mizzou Academy Team held a school leadership conference with coordinators and administrators from our Brazil partner schools. The conference had nearly 50 attendees with more than 30 schools represented. The theme for the conference was A New Season in School Leadership.

“Mizzou Academy has always operated on the belief that the world is small and deeply connected,” shared Executive Director Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver in her opening remarks on the conference theme. “This last year, however, has shown us new dimensions and possibilities for our connected world. Without leaving our homes, our team has spent more time in partner classrooms around the world than ever before. With your support, we have launched new programs, expanded access to new communities, iterated courses, and deepened our own knowledge about the potential for blended learning.”

The conference opened with a zoom dance party followed by remarks from Interim Dean Erica Lembke. Faculty and staff facilitated sessions on our Dual Diploma program (high school), Mizzou Global Scholars (middle school), and Mizzou Elementary programs.

Additionally, several school leaders offered practitioner presentations. Rossella Beer and Bert Garner from Colegio Dante shared media artifacts and stories from a student leadership project with their Grade 8 students. Amanda Francatto gave a presentation on how her school, Colegio Uripururu, has integrated the Grade 5-9 Mizzou programs into their core content for all students. Érica Constantino of Mackenzie Tambore shared strategies and photos from their beautiful socially distanced, on-site graduation event.

Other highlights of this full and dynamic day of learning included a bilingual poetry performance and sessions on inquiry-based learning and wellness. Karen Scales, Global English Language Arts Chair, led an escape (zoom) room challenge. The conference closed with a keynote by Cristiano Carvalho, Coordinator at Leonardo Da Vinci, on the power of persistence and learning.

In reflecting on the conference, Brian Stuhlman, Mizzou Academy Middle School Coordinator, remarked that “The Mizzou Academy conference was both intellectually stimulating and emotionally gratifying! It was, as always, a delight to spend time with colleagues and friends; I learn so much when we’re able to converse ‘in person,’ listen to each other, and reinforce our commitment to educating some really compassionate and engaged students. It’s so important from time to time to share successes and challenges, to revisit best practices, and to re-establish connections as colleagues and friends.”