UAF's K-12 Outreach/Educators Rising �ֻ�ֱ�� to host over 200 participants in Juneau

UAF photo by Eric Engman
Participants of the 2023 Educators Rising �ֻ�ֱ�� Conference gathered for a group photo, which was held on the UAF Troth Yeddha' Campus.

Middle and high school students and their teacher leaders from across �ֻ�ֱ�� will attend the annual Educators Rising �ֻ�ֱ�� State Leadership Conference, held this year on the UAS campus, Feb. 22-23. The annual state conference rotates amongst UA’s three main campuses: UAF, UAA and UAS to provide an immersive experience in the education field. This years’ conference is expected to have over 200 attendees. The conference follows two days of virtual leadership competitions held Feb. 12 and 13.

Educators Rising �ֻ�ֱ�� is an organization focused on inspiring �ֻ�ֱ�� students to enter the education field, and given the current teacher shortage, its role is more important than ever. Educators Rising �ֻ�ֱ�� is housed in the K-12 Outreach Department at UAF under the School of Education and serves districts, teachers, and students statewide.

Prior to the conference, students have an opportunity to compete in various competitions that demonstrate their knowledge and leadership in education. Those students who participate and place in the top 10 of their competitions are eligible to attend the National Educators Rising Conference, which will be held in Washington, D.C., from June 28 through July 1 this year. Competition categories include Creative Lecture, Public Speaking, Lesson Planning, Children’s Literature, Exploring Support Services and Careers, Public Service Announcement-Teacher Recruitment and Job Interview.

The state conference kickoff will be Thursday, Feb. 22 on the UAS Campus where attendees will hear from inspirational speakers including 2023-24 �ֻ�ֱ�� Teacher of the Year, Catherine Walker, Interim UAS School of Education Dean Carlee Simon, and state leaders. Students will then attend breakout sessions for two days, relating to entering college, education careers and more.

An award ceremony in the Juneau Arts and Culture Center will wrap up the conference on Friday, Feb. 23 to recognize those who competed. Students will see presentations from UA President Pat Pitney, UAS Chancellor Aparna Palmer, Senator Lisa Murkowski and Representative Mary Peltola, followed by a closing ceremony including performances from Woosh.ji.een Dance Group and All Nations Children’s Dance Group.

Link to watch ceremonies: bit.ly/42EQw25

For more information about Educators Rising �ֻ�ֱ�� please . You may contact Putt Clark or Amara Froese for more information or questions about the event.

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Educators Rising �ֻ�ֱ�� is a diverse, teacher and student-led grassroots movement that aims to inspire high school and college students to serve their communities by entering the field of education. School-based chapters are in every U.S. state, where students practice the necessary skills to lead a classroom while adding student voice to State and National discussions around education.