ISBE School Wellness Conference

A growth mindset guru, Karen’s work as a keynote speaker, author, coach, and thought leader has helped thousands of people and organizations - including the likes of Google, Experian, and YouTube - improve their lives by implementing various practical, simple techniques that incorporate mindfulness, positive psychology, neuroplasticity, and mental strength training.
At just 29 years old, Karen lost her husband suddenly and tragically, and she found herself struggling to move forward. That is, until she realized that it was up to her to make the conscious choice to let go of the negative thoughts and energy and turn them into positive, productive action— her life, and the life of her then two-year-old son, depended on it. She has given TED Talks and has been featured in Forbes, MSNBC, as well as other global media outlets.The ups and downs of life are often comparable to the problems we face as leaders. When overwhelmed, it's easy to get stuck in negative thought loops. However, the greatest leaders recognize the transformative power of a growth mindset, emphasizing adaptability in both personal and organizational settings.
Enter Stop & Shift, a mental framework that helps you develop a growth mindset to enhance leadership journeys and promote a thriving workplace culture.

The Behavior Assessment Training (BAT) Project is a newly awarded statewide initiative, funded by the Illinois State Board of Education and housed at Illinois State University, designed to strengthen how schools and districts approach Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs). Moving beyond compliance-driven practices, BAT emphasizes function-based, instructionally meaningful behavior planning that supports both student outcomes and adult capacity.
The BAT Project provides tiered professional learning, coaching, and implementation guidance focused on building sustainable district and school team capacity for effective behavior assessment and intervention. A central goal of this session is to introduce the BAT Project while beginning to build it in partnership with the field. This conference provides an ideal opportunity to listen and learn from educators, administrators, and support staff who are navigating behavior support challenges in real time.
During the session, participants will be invited to share their perspectives, needs, and priorities through intentional interactions designed to inform the professional learning content, resources, and targeted supports the BAT Project will develop as it launches. Input gathered will help shape how BAT focuses its training and technical assistance to best meet district and school needs across Illinois, ensuring supports are practical, relevant, and responsive to the realities of school-based practice.

Hot take: educators don’t need one more thing. They need one simple thing they’ll actually use.


Teachers, administrators, counselors, and support staff are constantly being asked to do more... more SEL initiatives, more mental health support, more interventions, more documentation, more everything. And while the intention is good, the reality is that overload doesn’t build connection. It builds burnout. The real need isn’t another program, it’s a universal tool that fits into the hallway, the classroom, the office, the meeting, and the moment a student (or colleague) is clearly not okay.


In this interactive session, Brittany Richmond shares that tool: three words that can change a conversation, a relationship, and sometimes the entire direction of a life—“Tell me more.” Brittany introduces her signature, evidence-based
Tell Me More Method™ — a practical framework rooted in the power of curious questions. Rather than trying to fix, lecture, or force teens to open up, the Tell Me More Method™ teaches educators how to create psychological safety, reduce shame, and invite honest dialogue that builds trust and belonging.


Grounded in real school-based experience and storytelling, Brittany uses the relatable lens of The Breakfast Club not just as a movie reference, but as a mirror of her own lived experience navigating anxiety and isolation as a student. Along with other personal stories, they highlight a powerful truth: students don’t need perfect adults—they need present adults who know how to respond with empathy and confidence.


This session is designed to support students and the adults who serve them. Participants will learn how the Tell Me More Method™ can be used with students, families, and coworkers, because school staff needs tools that strengthen connection not only with teens, but also within their own teams. Educators will practice real-life language, experience the method in action, and leave with a simple strategy they can use immediately to build connection, reduce isolation, and create a culture of support.
Because when educators feel supported, students feel supported and sometimes the most powerful intervention is just three words: Tell me more.

Transform your educational environment through Farm to School integration that connects students to local food systems across the entire school campus. Join ISBE and Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom to learn more about what Farm to School is and explore strategies and resources for implementing agricultural literacy through standards-based, cross-curricular classroom lessons, books, videos and more!

Chef Andy presents tips and tricks of the trade to safely and efficiently prepare and serve nutritious fruits and vegetables to students. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn food production kitchen hacks, knife skill demonstration, and what you can do with a Sunkist Sectionizer.

If you teach health, physical education, recreation or dance, then this session is for you! The Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) educational organization, which through the action of its members, continuously strives to fulfill the following mission: to provide professional support and guidance to educators throughout the state as they develop and conduct educational programs. This session will go through the ins and outs of the association including membership, programs, awards, grants, social media, and advocacy. 

Join us for an overview of how restorative practices fosters a sense of belonging and supports student well-being in our schools. You will learn about the continuum of restorative practices and the importance of employing these practices at the classroom and schoolwide level. The presentation will also touch on practical tools and strategies to create a positive school culture where every student feels valued and connected. 

School Social Workers are essential mental health personnel who have been shown to positively impact students and schools. The need to respond to challenges facing schools and students can reduce the amount of prevention work that SSWs are able to complete. Additionally, the job responsibilities of school social workers are continuously expanding. This qualitative study gathered data utilizing the Illinois School Social Worker Association listserv. This study consisted of 56 participants who all self-identified as school social workers in Illinois. Two open ended questions were asked of school social workers. The first was, “If you believe that additional supports are needed, what supports could they provide?” The second open-ended question was, “As a school social worker what supports do you need to function more effectively?” These questions enabled us to understand perspectives of challenges and solutions that school social workers across the state have in regard to social work services and supports. Challenges and solutions were discussed by participants and provide guidance to school districts and school administrators about the services that school social workers can provide as well as the support they need to continue doing their jobs effectively. The two most prevalent challenges included the need for support through MTSS, and the lack of tier 1 SEL programs in schools. Solutions focused practice implications are explored in the perspective of the school social worker.

In this interactive session, educators will discover evidence-based wellness strategies that create healing classroom environments while preventing teacher burnout. Participants will learn applicable techniques to integrate into their daily routines—no special equipment or extensive time required.
Through hands-on practice and real classroom examples, attendees will explore:

• Simple breath work and grounding exercises to regulate stress for both teachers and students
• Trauma-informed approaches that build trust and emotional safety
• Morning and transition routines that set a positive tone without sacrificing instructional time
• Self-care strategies educators can sustain even during the busiest seasons

Participants will leave with a personalized wellness toolkit they can implement the very next day, along with concrete strategies for modeling self-regulation and resilience. Whether you're experiencing burnout or seeking to deepen your practice, this session offers compassionate, practical support for cultivating joy and balance in your professional life while nurturing student well-being.
Session Format: Interactive presentation with experiential activities, and small group discussion. 
Ideal For: K-12 educators, counselors, administrators, and support staff seeking practical wellness integration

Students across Illinois are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress, trauma, and emotional dysregulation, impacting learning, behavior, and school engagement. This interactive session equips educators, clinicians, and school leaders with practical trauma-informed strategies that strengthen student relationships, emotional regulation, and resiliency. Participants will explore how trauma affects the brain and learning while gaining concrete tools to help students identify triggers, regulate emotions, and transfer coping skills from counseling and support sessions into daily classroom life. This session supports districts in building trauma-responsive systems aligned to MTSS, SEL, and school climate initiatives that improve outcomes for both students and staff.

The speaker(s) will discuss their efforts to bring BTAM to a traditional law enforcement agency. The program will also cover establishing BTAM teams in your school, where to start and how to get buy in from your staff and community.

This session highlights the partnership between Hawthorn District 73 and Youth and Family Counseling to expand access to student mental health services by providing therapy on site during the school day. Participants will learn how this district–community collaboration reduces barriers to care, supports student wellness, and maximizes impact through coordinated scheduling and systems-level planning. Attendees will leave with practical insights for developing similar partnerships in their own districts.

SOS Signs of Suicide teaches students how to identify signs of depression and suicide in themselves and their peers, while training school professionals, parents, and community members to recognize at-risk students and take appropriate action. Using SOS, 90% of schools have seen an increase in students seeking help for themselves or a friend, with 95% believing the program also reduced stigma in schools.

Hot take: educators don’t need one more thing. They need one simple thing they’ll actually use.


Teachers, administrators, counselors, and support staff are constantly being asked to do more... more SEL initiatives, more mental health support, more interventions, more documentation, more everything. And while the intention is good, the reality is that overload doesn’t build connection. It builds burnout. The real need isn’t another program, it’s a universal tool that fits into the hallway, the classroom, the office, the meeting, and the moment a student (or colleague) is clearly not okay.


In this interactive session, Brittany Richmond shares that tool: three words that can change a conversation, a relationship, and sometimes the entire direction of a life—“Tell me more.” Brittany introduces her signature, evidence-based
Tell Me More Method™ — a practical framework rooted in the power of curious questions. Rather than trying to fix, lecture, or force teens to open up, the Tell Me More Method™ teaches educators how to create psychological safety, reduce shame, and invite honest dialogue that builds trust and belonging.


Grounded in real school-based experience and storytelling, Brittany uses the relatable lens of The Breakfast Club not just as a movie reference, but as a mirror of her own lived experience navigating anxiety and isolation as a student. Along with other personal stories, they highlight a powerful truth: students don’t need perfect adults—they need present adults who know how to respond with empathy and confidence.


This session is designed to support students and the adults who serve them. Participants will learn how the Tell Me More Method™ can be used with students, families, and coworkers, because school staff needs tools that strengthen connection not only with teens, but also within their own teams. Educators will practice real-life language, experience the method in action, and leave with a simple strategy they can use immediately to build connection, reduce isolation, and create a culture of support.
Because when educators feel supported, students feel supported and sometimes the most powerful intervention is just three words: Tell me more.

Chef Andy presents tips and tricks of the trade to safely and efficiently prepare and serve nutritious fruits and vegetables to students. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn food production kitchen hacks, knife skill demonstration, and what you can do with a Sunkist Sectionizer.

This session will reviews Illinois requirements and guidance related to physical education, fitness testing, and recess.  Topics include instructional time, student exemptions, FitnessGram expectations, and recess considerations, including alternatives to withholding recess.  Time will be included for questions and discussion around common school scenarios.

Join student athletes, Ary & Milan Bansal, as they share their perspectives as high school students juggling sports, academics, clubs, and school work. Through their grassroots efforts, these students have identified ways to strengthen the school-to-home connection, fostering a community of teachers, social workers, students, athletes, and community partners focused on supporting and promoting messages of  positive mental and physical health, along with balanced academics and extra curricular activities. P.A.S.S. (Peer Athlete Student Scholars) program -a grassroots initiative started in 2023- seeks to grow its impact, spreading the powerful message of peer-to-peer support and teamwork, encouraging overall excellence and balanced well being and positivity for students. Key questions answered: What do students need today to feel successful? How can they best be supported? How do you encourage students to take advantage of existing student wellness resources in school? How do we leverage community partners to meet kids where they are at and provide much needed support, encouragement, and positivity to school activities and academics? How do we mobilize parents and engage our audience better? Attendees receive a tool kit to implement the P.A.S.S. program in their schools. 

1. Since its inception in Dec 2023, P.A.S.S. has supported over 500 hours of free study groups and tutoring hours, mentored hundreds of students, recruited local community partners, participated in local charity events, and supported measurable outcomes for students that include academic growth, positive role modeling, and stronger school engagement at Hinsdale Central. These outcomes include improved grade performance in core content subjects, study skills clinics and final exam prep sessions offered twice a year, recruitment of over 50 volunteer tutors, and countless parent and student reviews on how peer-to-peer support can be a powerful way to engage students.
2. The P.A.S.S. program is simple: by harnessing the power of peer-to-peer relationships, P.A.S.S. Volunteers are able to serve as role models, friends, study buddies, and mentors for other students in the community and build and strengthen relationships between teachers, social workers, students, coaches, school leadership, PTO, and classes. Who better to support students stressed and overwhelmed in school, feeling lonely, then other students? “When we work together, we excel together” is our motto. The program brings support models to the frontlines-when students need it most: after school, evenings and weekends, before school, and even during the school day and ensures stronger lines of communication between staff, teachers, coaches, and parents and students.  This program can easily be replicated in any school throughout Illinois. P.A.S.S. showcases how school staff and administrators, social workers, clubs, students, and local libraries and community centers can come together to foster change, empower students, and  encourage positive role models and support for student health, well being, and academics. Catch the P.A.S.S. today! 

This session presents a community-based model for supporting the whole child by addressing the social-emotional, physical, and basic needs that impact student success. Grounded in the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about the youth mental health crisis, it highlights the importance of meeting foundational needs such as food, clothing,  healthcare, and emotional support. Participants will learn how early, strong community partnerships create a coordinated and sustainable system of care that promotes student stability, resilience, and long-term success. Attendees will leave with a practical blueprint for building and sustaining these partnerships to support students and families

What if your strongest Tier 3 SEL supports didn’t come from a new program but from the people already in your building? This session explores how Hadley Junior High strengthened MTSS-B by starting small, building relationships, and embedding SEL supports into existing systems.


Participants will learn practical strategies such as affective statements, restorative circles, mentor programs, and creative PBIS practices that prioritize connection without overwhelming staff. Walk away with a simple What–Who–How framework and actionable ideas to ensure every student has someone in their corner.

A silent transition is impacting a massive percentage of our most experienced educators, yet it remains professionally taboo. With women comprising over 76% of the education workforce, perimenopause profoundly affects adult well-being and accelerates burnout. This urgently needed session confronts the stigma head-on. Together, we will explore why creating spaces for open conversation is a transformative act of school leadership. Participants will learn how to foster a culture of profound, systemic support that retains invaluable talent and models a new standard for adult well-being in your district.