In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, APSL will be moving to an online peer support format. Please contact us to learn more.
Silver Spring Civic Building
1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD 20910
9 am - 3 pm October 12, 2018
Students from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, will speak frankly about school mental health: what's working, what's not working, and what school administrators need to know. Come join us for an interactive panel presentation led by students, a catered lunch, networking, a school awards ceremony, and supportive, evidence-based workshops from leaders in the field.
Proceeds from this event will support Adolescent Peer Support League's ongoing Peer Support training and operations, and will help develop scholarship funding for individuals who want to become certified peer supporters in their state. Please note that space for this event is limited, and that registration is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
8:30 am - 9:15 am: Registration
9:15 am: KEYNOTE
9:30 am: Student Panel Presentations
10:15 am: Q & A
11 am: Mid-morning break
11:15 am - 12 pm: Breakout sessions/ workshops
12:00 pm - 1:15 pm: Catered Lunch (see detailed menu on registration form)
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm: Breakout sessions/ workshops
2:30 pm- 3 pm : School Awards Ceremony
3 pm- 3:15 pm: Voice Montage Presentation
3:15 pm: Closing Ceremony
THIS YEAR'S STUDENT PANEL
aLEXANDER MORENO, cOLLEGE FRESHMAN
Alexander Moreno is one of the founding members of the Virginia Students Coalition for Mental Health. He has helped write and lobby for various policies at both the local and state-wide level, including Senate Bill 953. This bill mandates that the Commonwealth of Virginia must teach mental health in ninth and tenth grade health classes and was passed into law during the summer of 2018. Alex is a freshman at the University of Virginia and is planning on studying public policy and economics with the long-term goal of attending law school.
choetsow tenzin, college freshman
Choetsow Tenzin is a co-founder of the Virginia Students Coalition for Mental Health, through which she co-authored and lobbied for Senate Bill 953. Aside from writing policy proposals and lobbying, Choetsow's interests include Model United Nations, Student Government, and community service. As a Tibetan American, she maintains a strong passion for human rights issues and international affairs. She is currently taking a gap year traveling and studying abroad before heading to Harvard University next fall.
lucas johnson, college freshman
Lucas Johnson is a co-founder of the Virginia Students Coalition for Mental Health. Earlier this year, he co-authored and assisted in passing Senate Bill 953. Currently a freshman at Bowdoin College, he is majoring in government/legal studies and economics, with the intention of eventually attending law school and going into public service. A resident of Charlottesville, Virginia, he has spent much of his time attempting to help improve his community, having worked on issues pertaining to refugees, global health, and environmental conservation.
Nyana Martin, High school Senior
Nyana is a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy, a public charter high school in Washington D.C. 'Thurgood Marshall Academy prepares students to succeed in college, and instills in students an understanding of democracy and advocacy for themselves and for others.' (TMA 2018). Nyana is active in her school and the local community. She serves as a Student Advisory Council Member of the District’s State Board of Education, and she is a founding member of “Pathways to Power”, a student-led activist group. Next fall, Nyana plans to attend college and major in political science.
rohini "RO" nambiar, COLLEGE SENIOR
Rohini "Ro" Nambiar is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park majoring in Public Health Science with a minor in Business. She was elected by the undergraduate student body in April to serve as the 2018-2019 Vice President of Student Affairs for UMD's Student Government Association. Last year Ro served as UMD SGA's Director of Health and Wellness where she discovered her passion for mental health through advocacy and programming on campus. She was awarded the Student Wellness and Mental Health Advocacy Award this May for demonstrating a commitment to college student mental health and wellness through her work with SGA and the UMD Counseling Center.
Anthony James, High School Senior
Anthony is a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy, a public charter high school in Washington D.C. 'Thurgood Marshall Academy prepares students to succeed in college, and instills in students an understanding of democracy and advocacy for themselves and for others,' (TMA 2018). Anthony spent this summer at Stanford University participating in a STEM program for high school students. A native Washingtonian, Anthony is committed to breaking stereotypes of African-American young males in his community, and he is working with the school’s college counselor on ways to help more of his peers get into college. Next fall, Anthony plans to attend college and major in biology and neuroscience.
Rachel Epstein-Shuman,
High School Sophomore
Rachel Epstein-Shuman attends Woodrow Wilson High School and is a sophomore. She loves getting involved in communities and doing hands-on work to make the world a better place. Rachel interned at Break the Cycle, and became a member of the "Let's be Real" community, advocating for young teens who were sexually assaulted or had experienced dating abuse. She spoke on a panel organized by the MOST Club, which circulates DC Public Schools and Break the Cycle.
Dawn Bunch, COLLEGE FRESHMAN (KEYNOTE SPEAKER)
Dawn Bunch is a freshman at UMBC Honors College, attending as a Sondheim Fellow, majoring in Psychology. She graduated from Albert Einstein's International Baccalaureate Program. In her freshman year of high school, Dawn became the youngest student ever to intern at the American Psychological Association (APA), where she did research and writing in their Public Interest Directorate Office. During the summer of her sophomore year, Dawn worked in APA's Women’s Program Office, where she sat on the planning committee for the American Psychological Association "I'm Psyched" Annual Conference. Dawn later founded Adolescent Peer Support League (APSL), as a direct response to what she saw as epidemic levels of suicide, depression, and bullying in high school communities across the country. Through her continued work with APSL, Dawn is a strong proponent of using peer support in schools, as a viable solution to the problems facing students in her generation.
aLEXANDER MORENO, cOLLEGE FRESHMAN
Monday - Friday 11:00 - 18:30
Saturday 11:00 - 17:00
Sunday 12:30 - 16:30
What Helps, What harms?
A Presentation of Qualitative Data from the 2016 Study by the Maryland Coalition of Families’ Youth Group and On Our Own of Maryland's TAY Project
COLESVILLE ROOM
What Helps, What Harms Maryland is a quality improvement project launched in August 2014 by On Our Own of Maryland's transitional age youth outreach project in partnership with Taking Flight, The Maryland Coalition Of Families, Youth Adult Advisory Board. This initiative was designed to infuse the youth and young adult voice into strategic planning process and policy actions for systematic change in youth serving systems.
Facilitator:
Lauren Grimes
Director of Network and Peer Services
On Our Own of Maryland
Facilitator:
Ann Geddes
Director of Public Policy
Maryland Coalition of Families
CoORdinated Student ServIce Teams
A Presentation by the Maryland State Department of Education.
GREAT HALL
Coordinated student services and student service teams exist in all Maryland Public Schools. They use a multi-tiered approach to prevention and intervention for student mental health and school success. This workshop will provide information about the coordinated student service model and the intervention strategies used to address mental health and school climate.
Facilitator:
Lynne E. Muller, Ph. D., NCC, LCPC
Section Chief, Student Services and School Counseling
Facilitator:
Deborah Nelson, Ph. D., NCSP
Section Chief, School Safety and Climate
IT HURTS! MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN AT SCHOOL
A presentation by Pain Psychologists from Children’s National Health System.
ELLSWORTH ROOM
This workshop will focus on introducing types of chronic pain common to children and adolescents, the ways school stress impacts both pain and mental health, and recommendations for school support and accommodations for these students informed by research and best practices in pain psychology.
Facilitator:
Laura Gray, Ph. D.
Attending Psychologist, Behavioral Pain Medicine
Children's National Health System
Facilitator:
Angela Fletcher, Psy. D.
Director, Behavioral Pain Medicine
Children's National Health System
Peer Generation Youth Training
Peer Generation is a program run by Doors to Well being, providing a mutual learning environment based on foundations of resiliency, including Hope, Connection, Self Determination, and Meaning.
FENTON ROOM
Peer generation is a workshop developed for youth and emerging adults to identify personal pathways to empowerment, resiliency and wellness. In this interactive, upbeat workshop, participants are given the opportunity to learn about the Peer Generation Movement of Empowered Young Leaders.
Facilitator:
Kelly Davis
Director of Peer Advocacy, Supports and Services at Mental Health America
Co-Facilitator:
Ryan Tempesco
Program Support Coordinator
Doors to Wellbeing
IS IT ANGER OR SOMETHING ELSE?
A workshop presented by professors at Trinity Washington University and Bowie State University.
SPRING ROOM
This workshop will explore symptoms of adolescent depression and how it differs from adults. Furthermore, this workshop will explain the relationship between depression and anger using examples that are more likely to be seen in a school setting.
Facilitator:
Christopher L. Bishop, Psy.D., LICSW
Associate Professor of Psychology and Human Relations at Trinity University
Facilitator:
Charla A. McKinzie Bishop, Ph.D., M.S.ed.
Associate Professor and Coordinator of Child and Adolescent Studies at Bowie State University
So what is normal?
On the common challenges youth & young adults face when living with a mental health diagnosis, by the Washington DC Department of Education.
ELLSWORTH ROOM
This workshop is geared towards students and parents and is a guided conversation on the stigma young people may face when they live with a mental disorder. We will discuss ways to reduce the stigma and normalize the conversation on mental health.
Facilitator:
Teresa King
Resiliency Specialist
Department of Behavioral Health
Co-Facilitator:
Shanica Raiford
BREAKING BARRIERS
A Presentation by a junior and mental health advocate at Georgetown University.
COLESVILLE ROOM
Mental health treatment plays a vital role in the journey of recovery. However, there are many barriers to seeking care, especially for young adults. This workshop explores what programs universities can create to provide further support for students. We will examine what strategies are being taken at Georgetown University in order to address students' needs.
Facilitator:
Kenna Chick
Chair of the Georgetown University Student Association Mental Health Policy Coalition
Improving Mental Health By the Way we talk and listen
Talking with virtual teens to build our skills in using research-proven communications techniques and strategies that are designed to promote behavior change. Presented by Kognito.
Conference attendees will each receive free access to one full-length Kognito Simulation of their choice.
SPRING ROOM
In this hands on session, we will explore the power of conversation to support mental wellness, and how we can all get better at having those conversations by engaging in role play with virtual people. We will talk about why this is true and how we know it.
Facilitator:
Kimberly Wieland
Senior Client Experience Executive
Kognito
The Bully,
The By- Stander, and the Victim
A Presentation by Clinical Professional Psychologist, Deon Brown.
FENTON ROOM
This workshop presentation will focus on teaching school administrators, teachers, and other personnel the differences in a school setting between The Bully, The By- Stander, and the Victim. Common myths concerning bullying will be explored, and debunked. Signs to look for to identify students who are actively victims of being bullied will be explored, along with viable tips to help them. The community approach to handling the epidemic of bullying as a team will be explored as well.
Facilitator:
Deon Jarmall Brown
Counselor, LCPC, LCADC, CCTP
Individual Registration $135 per person.
Group Registration $90 per person.
Register as a group to wave your school or organization's banner!
If your browser cannot open the registration form, please call us at 301-312-2407 to receive a pdf version of the form.
*please note speakers full biographies are listed under the "2018 SPEAKERS" section
School Awards
Nominate a School in your district to receive an award for spearheading resources in support of student mental health!
Award Categories
High schools and colleges/universities will be judged seperately
• Platinum Award: School Champion Award
Given to schools that currently have active programs to support school mental health, and have made significant progress in support of the health and well being of their student community
• Gold Award: Health Program Award
Given to schools that have invested resources to expand their current student mental health programs, and that are actively engaging students in student crisis prevention training and education.
• Silver Award: Outreach Engagement Award
Given to schools that are actively seeking creative ways to improve their support of student mental health programs and activities
To Nominate a School Email us at info@adolescentpeersupport.org
ANNUAL AWARDS COMMITTEE
Mark is a business development manager at BHS, which provides a range of behavioral health, mental health, employee wellness and well being programs.
Mark has served in a number of roles throughout his career, with experience in coordinating major events, program management, and the management of major awards and recognition programs.
A native of suburban Baltimore, Mark graduated from Towson University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology. Mark continues to give back to his community through volunteer work and his support of local charities.
Mark Schubert
Awards Committee, Chair
Katie Schubert taught as an early childhood teacher for Baltimore County Public Schools for five years, including as a second and third grade teacher at a Title 1 elementary school. Throughout her career, Katie practiced many mental health and wellness activities with her students, many of whom came from low income families.
Katie Schubert
Awards Committee
Born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania, Laura attended Binghamton University and graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in Human Development. She then attended graduate school at East Stroudsburg University, graduating with a her Elementary Education Teaching Certification and Masters in Education in 2012.
Laura Franceski
Awards Committee
EVENT SPONSORS
EVENT Champions
EVENT Partners
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Light Breakfast, Lunch and desserts catered by our
Event Partner,
Saint Germain Catering
Lunch Menu
FAJITA STATION
• Char-grilled chicken breast and skirt steak with fresh cilantro and spices, accompanied by sautéed peppers and onions
• Grilled flour tortillas
• Fresh shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, SGC signature guacamole, sour cream and hand-shredded cheddar
• SGC spanish rice and ranchero beans with peppers, onions and fresh cilantro
• Hand-fried fresh tortilla chips and fire roasted tomato salsa
Seasonal Baby Green Salad with fresh vegetables and duo of SGC dressings
SMOOTHIE STATION - MADE ON-SITE
Fresh Strawberries, Blackberries and Blueberries, Greek Yogurt, Ice, Local Honey, Fresh Bananas
GOURMET CUPCAKE FAVORS
Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream, Rich Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Buttercream
Peach Belini Cupcake with Champagne Buttercream