11th Annual Innovation Institute

Sign in at the registration desk and collect your resource bag for the event. The conference organizers (Dr. Lisa Ockerman, Vice President of Academics and Strategic Initiatives, Jessie Metzger, Director of Educational and Technology Design and Upper School Dean of Faculty Services, and Dr. Wendy Swanson, Director of Faculty Learning and Recruitment Coordinator) will provide a welcome presentation and overview of Day 1 events for the Innovation Institute.

All Innovation Institute attendees will receive a complimentary lunch with their registration. Please notify Meagan Obst (meagan.obst@pinecrest.edu) of any dietary restrictions.

During this session, attendees will learn about Pine Crest’s Schools commitment to social entrepreneurship. In May 2024, Pine Crest proudly expanded the EDGE Wing - Entrepreneurship Dedicated to Global Engagement - reflecting our mission to foster entrepreneurial thinking with a strong emphasis on global collaboration and impact for our pre-kindergarten through grade twelve students. This innovative hub is designed to spark creativity and innovation through cutting-edge technology to promote global collaboration and engagement. The dynamic space embodies our commitment to process over product, empathy-driven engineering, and experiential learning while cultivating critical thinking, communication, creativity, and future-focused innovation. During this session, attendees will learn about Pine Crest School’s pre-kindergarten through grade twelve social entrepreneurship curriculum. They will learn best practices for fostering intentional communities and collaborative teams among adults, essential for building life-impacting student experiences and programming. Most importantly, participants will hear from students enrolled in the three-year Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program as they describe their paths toward creating positive social change.

The conference organizers (Dr. Lisa Ockerman, Vice President of Academics and Strategic Initiatives, Mrs. Jessie Metzger, Director of Educational Design and Technology and Upper School Dean of Faculty Services, and Dr. Wendy Swanson, Director of Faculty Learning and Recruitment) will provide a welcome presentation and overview of Day 2 events for the Innovation Institute.

During this presentation, a panel of Pine Crest School’s Computer Science and Technology Specialists, facilitated by the Director of Educational Design and Technology, will share how we have been navigating the rapid changes in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and our newest initiative to create more immersive learning experiences for our students.

All Innovation Institute attendees will receive a complimentary lunch with their registration. Please notify Meagan Obst (meagan.obst@pinecrest.edu) of any dietary restrictions.

Wrap up learning at the institute with an interactive reflection closing session. Attendees will reflect on their conference experience and make plans to take the learning back to their school communities. Learn how you and your colleagues can partner with Pine Crest neXt to support your school’s innovative initiatives with unique in-person professional development offerings, online learning, and consulting services. Make plans to continue learning with Pine Crest School as you think about “What’s neXt?” Reflection is a vital component of the learning process during professional development sessions. Systematic reflection allows one to make connections from newly learned concepts to gain new insights into practice. During this session, attendees will work collaboratively with one another and Pine Crest School’s innovation team to share ideas, draw on support from others, and share strategies for tailoring ideas.