Earlier this month, school administrators, teachers, and staff gathered from across Northwest Indiana at the Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana Leadership Conference. Each year, the conference delivers specifically curated content as well as a variety of professional development opportunities.
“Big Shoulders Fund is a nonprofit, non-religiously affiliated organization. Our main goal is to support schools which provide a quality, values-based education,” Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana Director of Community Partnerships and Engagement Gisele Jones said. “We support our network schools within the Diocese of Gary as a vehicle for high-quality education for the students of Northwest Indiana. It is our goal to make certain that families and children have access to high-quality education through our schools.”
This two-day leadership conference began three years ago after Big Shoulders Fund noticed principals and teachers were yearning for more professional development opportunities as well as ways to gather as a community to learn from one another. Originally, the conference was open to principals and immediate leadership staff, but last year the invite was extended to anyone school principals wished to bring.
“Throughout the conference, there are a variety of breakout sessions for all of our attendees, covering topics from classroom management to school marketing, as well as everything they need to motivate them going into the new school year,” Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana Managing Director Dan Kozlowski said.
Attendees can choose what breakout sessions to attend during the conference based on their school’s needs. All sessions are focused on improving support for students.
Keynote speaker Roger Powell, Jr., head men’s basketball coach at Valparaiso University, emphasized the importance of supporting the youth of the community and the large difference one individual can make. Jones reiterated that these investments also have big picture impacts, including in areas such as economic development and community activism.
“We have a heart for children,” Jones said. “We are willing to work within various communities to provide families with access to quality education. We also strive to help students at their respective grade levels to succeed so that they can become better members of the community someday. Once they leave for college and come back, they can pour their gifts back into the community.”
The Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana Leadership Conference equips educators and administrators with the tools needed to better support the students within their communities. The conference also helps school staff to learn from and celebrate each other as they prepare for the upcoming school year.
“We look to this conference as a celebration of the incredible people that they are to serve this mission, and also as a celebration of the upcoming school year. We also hope to give them an extra dose of inspiration to start the year off strong,” Kozlowski said.
For more information regarding Big Shoulders Fund, please visit bigshouldersfund.org.
