COCKEYSVILLE STUDENT

SUMMER STORIES: BCPS STUDENTS ATTEND EDUCATORS RISING NATIONAL CONFERENCE

A Cockeysville Middle student earns first place in public speaking competition

By TEAM BCPS

FUTURE EDUCATORS HEAD TO NATIONAL CONFERENCE

During the last weekend in June, seven BCPS students climbed onto a bus and headed to Washington, D.C., for the four-day 2024 Educators Rising National Conference at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Educators Rising is a national career and technical student organization for students interested in becoming educators. The organization offers a curriculum, competitions, conferences, networking, and more to more than 20,000 students in 1,000 chapters nationwide.

The BCPS students who participated in the national conference are:

• Rosalie Caribe, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts
• Ololade Lawrence, Western School of Technology
• Aryel Lyons, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts
• Jax McGowan, Cockeysville Middle School
• Peyton Miller, Cockeysville Middle School
• Madison Thomas, Towson High School
• Sandy Xu, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology

On the bus headed to Washington

Left to right: Jax McGowan, Peyton Miller, Irene Hudson, Megan Thomas, Ashley Macejka, Aryel Lyons, Rosalie Caribe, Madison Thomas, Sandy Xu

They were accompanied by Irene Hudson, a chaperone from Northwest Academy of Health Sciences, and Educators Rising advisors Ashley Macejka of Patapsco High and Megan Thomas of Cockeysville Middle.

LEARNING, COMPETING, AND EXPLORING

The BCPS students participated in breakout sessions, interacted with more than 3,300 students from across the country, met educators, and attended a college fair. The keynote speakers at the event were Rebecka Peterson, from Oklahoma, the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, and Amy Loyd, assistant secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Breakout sessions taught by educators from across the nation touched on a wide range of topics including special education, leadership, diverse learners, educators of color, science education, testing, artificial intelligence, ethics, and college admissions.

At the conference, Peyton Miller earned first place nationally and Rosalie Caribe placed in the top 10 in the Educators Rising Moment competition.

Five of the attending BCPS students had qualified to compete nationally after placing at the state level for Maryland. At the conference, Peyton earned first place nationally and Rosalie placed in the top 10 in the Educators Rising Moment competition. This competition challenges students to present speeches about why they want to be an educator before a panel of judges and a live audience. Sandy also competed in the Educators Rising Moment. 

In addition, Aryel participated in the Creative Lecture competition, a TED Talk-type event where students addressed the topic of teacher salaries before judges and an audience. Madison participated in the Children’s Literature competition in which students design and write original children's books with original artwork for students either PreKindergarten to Kindergarten or Kindergarten to Grade 3.

Students visit college and universities at a College Fair to learn more about degrees and programs across the country that specialize in education.

Aryel Lyons gives Ted Talk about teacher salaries for the Creative Lecture Competition.

Jax McGowan and Peyton Miller sit and prepare to practice for Peyton's competition.

Peyton Miller explaining her Educators Rising Moment and why she wants to become a teacher to a live audience and judges.

Rosalie Caribe explaining her Educators Rising Moment and why she wants to become a teacher to a live audience and judges.

Ashley Macejka, Aryel Lyons, Rosalie Caribe, and Madison Thomas

Sandy Xu, Jax McGowan, Peyton Miller, Aryel Lyons, and Madison Thomas pose for a photo following the Educators Rising National Conference Awards Ceremony

Peyton Miller with her certificate and medal for first place in the Educators Rising Moment National Competition for Middle School.

While in D.C., the students also explored the city including visits to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Washington Monument.

REFLECTIONS

“As an educator and Educators Rising advisor, it was great to see students attend a professional conference and interact with and learn from students and professionals from all over the country, " said Thomas. “Students were fully engaged and got to envision their future and problem-solve issues that educators face."

Macejka added, “I have been working with Educators Rising since 2019 and had the pleasure of attending the national conference with students for the past two years. I cannot thank BCPS, Towson University, and the state of Maryland enough for providing this opportunity for our students. It has been enriching and empowering for our students to see so many young people from all over the country who are eager to take on the calling of a career in education. Programs like Educators Rising are essential to our task of ‘Growing Our Own' here in BCPS.”

"The conference allowed me to take notice of new perspectives and opened my options to colleges and subfields of education. I truly had the time of my life experiencing nationals in D.C."– Aryel Lyons

The participating students were similarly impressed. Aryel said, "The conference allowed me to take notice of new perspectives and opened my options to colleges and subfields of education. I truly had the time of my life experiencing nationals in D.C."

Peyton concurred. "I got insight on what I should be prepared for in a future career as an educator,” she said. “I also got a chance to meet a bunch of amazing teachers and national officers who left me with great advice and more determination to achieve my goals. Overall, I had an incredible experience at this national conference."

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