Hundreds of Prince George County Public Schools teachers spent one of the last days before the start of the 2023-24 School Year engrossed in engaging team building and learning sessions during the district's first-ever IgnitePG professional development mini-conference event on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
The event was born out of a desire to give new and returning teachers valuable information and resources ahead of the upcoming school year focused on topics of interest to educators. Throughout the spring, district leadership, and school administrators partnered to develop the conference-style structure, including soliciting topic suggestions from staff. Those suggestions helped guide the creation of the event program, with dozens of breakout sessions hosted by school staff members.
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Event volunteers spent Monday, August 14, preparing the host venues, with elementary teachers' sessions taking place at the newly opened Middle Road Elementary School, and secondary educators - J.E.J. Moore Middle, Prince George Education Center, N.B. Clements Junior High, and Prince George High School - spending the day at the district's high school campus.
Following a morning social hour, former Prince George educator and recent Virginia State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Steve Staples delivered remarks, seeking to inspire the hundreds of teachers assembled by reminding them of the importance of their work every day in the lives of their students and community.
The day then saw attendees transition to various breakout sessions. Across the elementary and secondary IgnitePG events, teachers got hands-on experience with innovative learning technology like programmable Ozobots and science kits for students, while others learned how to edit video in WeVideo, a video platform that puts valuable tools in an easy-to-use package for novice and advanced users alike.
Other sessions discussed Virginia's Tiered System of Supports (VTSS), a systemic, data-informed approach that allows teachers to provide targeted, evidence-based interventions to create effective learning environments for students, ways to encourage student engagement, and reenergizing classroom management plans.
IgnitePG also saw support from several local businesses, with Homebase Credit Union supporting the event, along with Luca Italian Restaurant providing lunch to elementary teachers at Middle Road Elementary and Roma Ristorante Italiano serving up meals at Prince George High for secondary instructors. Other sponsors include Richard Bland College, Brightpoint Community College, Destination Church, Scaly Adventures, Strawbridge, and Discovery Education, among others.
As attention turns to the start of the 2023-24 School Year on Monday, August 21, 2023, volunteers and district leaders are already preparing for next year's IgnitePG event, using feedback from attendees to help shape the professional development mini-conference in 2024.