This is a guest post written by Audrey Thornborrow, Technology Integrationist/Instructional Coach at Mississippi Heights Elementary School. Need a mini grant to purchase materials or fund a program? Apply here!

“That was amazing!”

“Can I go again next year?”

“This is the coolest thing we’ve done all year!”

These are just a few of the exclamations I heard from students as we left the 2019 Student Powered Conference which was hosted by a group of Central Minnesota technology integrationists/instructional coaches (MidMN EDU). The conference took place at the Sartell Community Center.

The whole day is truly powered by the students. Sure, the adults get them bussed there, make sure the projectors are working, and order the donuts, but the day wouldn’t be successful without the hard work from the students.

Our day started off with a keynote from a senior from Little Falls High School. He spoke about connections and how making connections with different people can open up doors of possibilities in your life. He did an amazing job and was so brave to get up in front of over 200 kids to share his message.

After the keynote we had 3 different time slots for different sessions such as How to Solve the Rubiks Cube, Art Internships, 3D Printing in the Medical Field, Breakout EDU, Cookie Decorating, and my favorite Cyber Bullying.

The Cyber Bullying session was a very powerful session because Nolan, a 4th grader at MHES, stood in front of a large group of students and told his story about his experience with be bullied, how it felt, and gave concrete ideas on how students can help stop or prevent bullying in their school. His peers were so respectful and kind. They asked great questions, offered positive feedback and gave Nolan a standing ovation along with hugs, fist bumps, and high fives. After his session, Nolan told me he felt like his favorite book character. He said, “my favorite character was rich, and famous, but most of all he was love, and that’s how I feel right now. Loved.”

We are so thankful to CMLE and their generosity for providing funding for the Sartell Community Center. Without your generosity, this magnificent day would not have been possible.