2021 KSPA Professional Development Event

KSPA is committed to assisting schools that are not able to fund this important professional development experience. If your school needs assistance, please complete this short application for a full scholarship to the event. The scholarship is for the Sunflower Level Registration.

Sunflower Level Registration – $100

• Registration for the 2021 KSPA Professional Development event
• Professional Development Certificate for your teaching portfolio
• A boxed lunch (options to be provided after registration)
• Adviser lanyard & nametag

Ad Astra Level Registration: $200

• Registration for the 2021 KSPA Professional Development event
• Professional Development Certificate for your teaching portfolio
• A boxed lunch (options to be provided after registration)
• Adviser lanyard & nametag

Plus, the $370 of additional value . . . 

• Access to KSPA 2020 Virtual Fall Conference videos: lessons you can immediately share with your students (see details here) $275
• One on-site critique or lesson plan chat during the event $25 value
• 4 individual KSPA monthly contest entries to be used by May 2022 (see details here) $20 value
• 2 individual 2022 Regional Contest entries $30 value
• 10 student press passes with KSPA lanyards $20 value

The Engel Level Registration: $300

• Registration for the 2021 KSPA Professional Development event
• Professional Development Certificate for your teaching portfolio
• A boxed lunch (options to be provided after registration)
• Adviser lanyard & nametag

Plus, the $450 of additional value . . . 

• Access to KSPA 2020 Virtual Fall Conference videos: lessons you can immediately share with your students (see details here) $275
• One on-site critique or lesson plan chat during the event $25 value
• 8 individual KSPA monthly contest entries to be used by May 2022 (see details here) $40 value
• 4 individual 2022 Regional Contest entries $60 value
• 25 student press passes with KSPA lanyards $50 value

The KSPA staff has researched the best public health practices regarding the COVID virus in advance of planning these events. We will be complying with all university, city, county, state and national directives, if not exceeding those recommendations. Our goal is to keep our members and staff safe, while preventing community spread of COVID. Our plan represents the safest way to gather for professional development and mitigate the spread of the virus.

We strongly encourage all advisers to complete the full course of vaccinations before attending the conference. Vaccinations have been proven to reduce the spread of the virus while also reducing the chance of serious symptoms and hospitalization.

Our virus mitigations will include:

• Mandatory indoor masking for all attendees and staff
• Restricting attendance to only teachers, rather than students
• Using the largest rooms available in each union to encourage social distancing
• Seating advisers at large tables to allow for social distancing

In addition, our campus facilities have implemented their own mitigations, including upgraded air filtration and more frequent cleanings.

Our events will offer a dining card to purchase a meal at the various university food courts or in some locations a selection of boxed lunches for teachers and attendees. The price for the meal will be included in the registration cost. We will contact teachers after registration to confirm their food selections and assist with dietary restrictions.

Each event will feature a keynote, three breakout sessions, a lunch and a lot of time to learn from fellow teachers. 

8 a.m. Registration opens

Welcome to the KSPA Professional Development Event 2021! Visit the registration desk to receive your welcome packet and let us know you’ve arrived.

8 a.m.-9 a.m. Yearbook Showcase

We have missed our yearbook representatives so much during the few years. This is a chance to reconnect, make plans for upcoming school visits and check out the great books they publish.

8:00 a.m.-9 a.m. Pastries and coffee reception PLUS publication swap

Enjoy time with your fellow advisers after so much time apart. A light breakfast will be provided. Bring a copy of your most recent publications — yearbooks, magazines, newspapers — to exchange with other teachers.

9 a.m.-9:10 a.m. Welcome from host institutions 

Hear from campus leaders at each university and learn about ways that students can learn more media skills on their campus.

9:10 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Welcome from KSPA board and staff

We will welcome you with introductions to fellow teachers, provide an outline of the day and announce some landmark awards from the past 18 months.

9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Keynote speaker

Hear big ideas from our four keynote speakers:  one for each event location.

10:15-10:30 a.m. Keynote Q and A

We will provide time for teachers to follow up with questions for our keynote speakers.

10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Breakout sessions #1

We will offer a variety of sessions from fellow teachers, professional journalists and university instructors. If you have a suggestion for a session that would help you in your classroom, let us know at staff@kspaonline.org.

10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Tentative: Keynote speaker breakout session

At some locations, our keynote speakers may be able to lead a workshop style class for advisers who choose to attend after their keynote presentation.

10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Publications Critiques 

While your students may not be at the event, you can bring some expert feedback home to them. Sign up for one of our 20-minute critique sessions for your newspaper, yearbook, video program or online publication. Feel free to also use this time to meet with a fellow teacher about a lesson plan you need help with — we will pair you up with someone super helpful!

10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Mentoring Sessions

Are you a new teacher? If so, this is the perfect time to meet your mentor or find a new mentor. Sign up on the registration form and make an in-person connection with a teacher who can be a life line as you begin teaching.

11:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Breakout sessions #2

We will offer a variety of sessions from fellow teachers, professional journalists and university instructors. If you have a suggestion for a session that would help you in your classroom, let us know at staff@kspaonline.org.

11:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Publications Critiques 

While your students may not be at the event, you can bring some expert feedback home to them. Sign up for one of our 20-minute critique sessions for your newspaper, yearbook, video program or online publication. Feel free to also use this time to meet with a fellow teacher about a lesson plan you need help with — we will pair you up with someone super helpful!

11:15 a.m.-12 p.m. CTE meeting 

Career and Tech Education likely plays an important role in your life as a publications teacher. Come meet with fellow CTE teachers to learn recent developments and the best ways to complete CTE tasks.

12 p.m.-1 p.m. Lunch

KSPA will arrange a boxed lunch for each teacher. Once advisers register, they will receive more information about food options at each location. KSPA will work to provide food that accommodates dietary restrictions. Lunch is included in the registration fee.

12 p.m.-1 p.m. Yearbook Showcase

During lunch you might again visit with your yearbook representative at our yearbook showcase.

1 p.m.-1:45 p.m. Breakout sessions #3

We will offer a variety of sessions from fellow teachers, professional journalists and university instructors. If you have a suggestion for a session that would help you in your classroom, let us know at staff@kspaonline.org.

1 p.m.-1:45 p.m. Publications Critiques 

While your students may not be at the event, you can bring some expert feedback home to them. Sign up for one of our 20-minute critique sessions for your newspaper, yearbook, video program or online publication. Feel free to also use this time to meet with a fellow teacher about a lesson plan you need help with — we will pair you up with someone super helpful!

1 p.m.-1:45 p.m. How can KSPA better serve your school? 

KSPA wants to always be listening to you, our member advisers. This session will allow the KSPA board members to update you on our projects for the year. Help improve KSPA by offering your ideas on contests, awards, scholarships, events and online programming.

1:45 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Implementing curriculum

The parade of great ideas from your professional development day demands time to implement. You won’t get it all done during this final session, but break out your laptop, your calendar and your lesson plans. Let’s work on these new teaching strategies.

1:45 p.m.-2:30 p.m Tour of university facilities

Each university welcomes you to tour its media facilities to get new ideas for your classroom and to see the technology that your students will find at college.

2:30 p.m.-3 p.m. Concluding the event

Look forward to the rest of the KSPA with an outline of the KSPA calendar, information about KSPA awards. Also, we will provide you with your certificates of attendance for your teaching portfolios.

On-site critiques have been one of the most popular features of the fall conferences in previous years.

While your students may not be here, you can still sit down with a faculty member from the university or an expert publication adviser. Review the most recent issue or volume of student work and gain insights that will help you make clear goals for the upcoming year. We will have tables ready for you to meet and review your yearbook, newspaper, magazine, website or broadcast program.

Or, you can review a lesson plan or teaching dilemma that you are having

Come armed with questions to make the most of your 20-minute session. Sign up when you register for the conference.

The deadline to register for each event will be one week before the event. Please see the list of registration deadlines below:

• Registration deadline: Sept. 13 for Sept. 20 event Kansas State University in Manhattan CANCELED
• Registration deadline: Sept. 15 for Sept. 22 event Fort Hays State University in Hays
• Registration deadline: Sept. 20 for Sept. 27 event Wichita State University in Wichita
• Registration deadline: Sept. 22 for Sept. 29 event University of Kansas in Lawrence

If the number of teachers registered does not make the events possible, we will cancel immediately after the registration deadline. We will issue a full refund to all registered schools.

Do you have a great teaching idea to share? The KSPA Professional Development Event is relying on great teachers like you to present to your fellow teachers. Here are some ideas of what you might share:

• Ways to revise your lesson plans adjusting for COVID realities
• Ways to ensure that students are covering a diverse set of voices in coverage
• Ways to introduce students to new media professions
• Ways to cover your school community during the pandemic
• Ways for students to share, revise and update their work in the virtual newsroom
• Ways to encourage critical thinking and planning
• Ways to finance your publications, including advertising, fundraising, grant-writing or subscriptions
• Ways to encourage student leadership, including staff editor applications, leadership activities or welcoming activities
• Ways to use online or digital media to reach new audiences

Please submit a proposal to present a session or host a roundtable here.

KSPA is proud to offer sponsorship opportunities to our friends in student journalism. During the past 18 months we have missed you, our supporters, along with the students and teachers. And KSPA teachers miss seeing you!

This event will enable you to connect with teachers at a time that you might not otherwise be able to see them. And all in one place!

Please consider sponsoring the KSPA Professional Development Event by attending, presenting or sponsoring. More information will be posted here soon.

We would be excited to receive your All-Kansas yearbook entry. Bring it along to the conference along with the completed entry form.

KSPA understands that teachers and journalism advisers are some of the most active staff members on their campuses. Many of you serve as coaches and other activity sponsors, meaning that you must be back to school at a particular time. If you need to arrive late or leave early, we understand. Please attend for as long as possible.

The student fall conferences have been postponed. We will offer student conferences as a “side-car” event to the Regional Contests in February. At those February events, students will be able to both attend conference sessions and compete in contests. Stay tuned for more details about those events.