Ten RPS 205 school social workers spent March 11-15 attending the 2024 School Social Work Association of America national conference in Baltimore, MD. The SSWAA is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The conference theme was "PEARLS OF OUR LEGACY- Resilience, Strength, Growth". The keynote sessions focused on caring for personal health and well being, using intentionality regarding the energy we show others, and the changing political climate and its impact on the mental health of our students. It should be noted that natural pearls grow when a grain of sand or some other irritant becomes trapped in a mollusk shell. From this irritant, a beautiful gem may form. In the same way, some of the irritants we encounter on a daily basis, may help us to create change and ultimately develop beautiful "pearls" within our school social work practice. The conference was a wonderful learning and networking opportunity for our social workers.
The social workers in the photo from L-R are: Carolyn Luczak, Dena Winterton, Michelle Adam, Nicole Rundall-Royal, Teisha Hoppe, Katie Dombeck, Traci Parker, Emily Burd, Tracey Parker, Laura Lindell
Michelle Adam is a school social worker at Jefferson High School. This is her 20th year working for RPS and her 30th year as a master degreed social worker. She is a proud alumnus of Rockford Public Schools and hopes to eventually "graduate" (retire) from Jefferson HIgh School. Go J-Hawks!