#ASCA24 Conference Highlights - Presentations, Simmering Sessions, Friends, Food, and Fun!


I’m still #FiredUp from the ASCA Conference in Kansas City, MO! During the ASCA Conference, I presented two sessions, attended inspiring presentations, and connected with school counselors from across the country. I also made sure to carve out some time for fun! Here are some highlights from my ASCA Conference experience this year. 


Presenting at #ASCA24

Market Your School Counseling Program

On Day 1 of the ASCA National Conference I presented “Market Your School Counseling Program.” During my presentation I shared ways to market your school counseling program to educational partners. Anytime I present my goal is to share real-life examples and practical resources that you can begin using right away. 




I am so glad Angela Avery was able to capture some pictures during my presentation. One of the main points I try to get across during my presentation is that marketing your program is professional advocacy. When school counselors share about their school counseling program, it’s not bragging! Sharing about your school counseling program allows others to understand what you do to support the academic success, social-emotional well-being, and career development of students. Advocating allows you to educate others about what it is you do and helps to define your role. If you do not define your role, it will be defined for you.

Technology Tools for Productivity and Connection

On Day 2 of the ASCA Conference I presented “Technology Tools for Productivity & Connection” with Andrea Burston. During our session we shared our affinity for Canva and all of the amazing things you can do with a FREE Canva Educator account. We shared tons of examples of things we created in Canva and how you can WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER, by using the amazing free tools that Canva has to offer. 


Our session, “Technology Tools for Productivity and Connection” was recorded as part of the ASCA Virtual Conference. If you registered for the ASCA National Conference (in-person or virtual) you have access to our presentation until October 16th. Once you login to the conference dashboard you can view our session here: Technology Tools for Productivity and Connection. 

Sizzling Sessions 

There were so many amazing sessions at the ASCA National Conference. Below I highlighted three of my favorites. 

Dr. Beth Ruff - Visual Notetaking for Students 

One of the most unique sessions I attended this year was Dr. Ruff’s presentation on Sketch Notes. 


She shared research about how Sketch Notes can help students remember information. Her presentation was interactive and fun! 


During her presentation, Dr. Ruff shared some of her own Sketch Notes. It was so cool to see her Sketch Notes from my “Market Your School Counseling Presentation.” 

Dr. Ruff shares amazing ideas all year-round on her instagram account - @theartsyfartsycounselor.

Franciene Sabens and Leslie Goines - K-12 Career Development 

Fraciene Sabens and Leslie Goines shared lots of great data and information relevant to ALL school counselors regarding career development. I especially appreciated the data about what skills people entering the workforce are lacking and what skills and attributes are in-demand.


Franciene and Leslie’s session, “K-12 Career Development,” was recorded as part of the ASCA Virtual Conference. If you registered for the ASCA National Conference (in-person or virtual) you have access to their presentation until October 16th. Once you login to the conference dashboard you can view their session here: K-12 Career Development. 

For more school counseling resources and inspiration, visit Francience’s blog, School Counselor Space. She recently did a post on her “Instagrammable Office” and the super cute photo wall she created. 

Dr. Sarah Kirk and Dianne Andree - School Counseling Calendars 

During their session Sarah & and Dianne shared information about calendars. They discussed weekly and annual calendars and how they can help you advocate for the work you do as a school counselor. 


I always love attending sessions by Dr. Sarah Kirk. She has a wealth of knowledge on all things ASCA National Model. On her Counselor Kirk website, Sarah shares a ton of information and resources including a YouTube Channel with videos about all aspects of the ASCA National Model. You can also follow Sarah on Instagram (@counselor_kirk).

Last year, I had the privilege of presenting with Sarah and Andrea at the ASCA National conference. We presented “Leverage Funds for Your School Counseling Program” and shared practical ways to get funding for your school counseling program. We also presented a session for ASCA@Home about securing funding for your school counseling program.

Friends, Food, and Fun! 

The ASCA National Conference gives you so much information and lots to think about for your program. It is so important during the conference to enjoy your down-time. Below are some pictures from my adventures in Kansas City, MO.



One of my favorite places we went to in Kansas City was Messenger Coffee Company and Ibis Bakery. Angela Avery and I met up at Messenger Coffee Co. and fell in love with it!




Their cold brew was excellent and the food was out of this world. The whole place smelled amazing. Messenger Coffee has multiple floors of seating including rooftop seating! 

It was so fun spending time with Sarah Ritchie (@kindhearted_counselor), Andrea Burston (@jyjcounselor), and Angela Avery (@schoolcounselorproject). We had dinner together and went Insomnia Cookies. I had the ice cream and it was delish!



Another cool restaurant Angela and I went to was Mildred's. They had avocado everything... The place was soo cute and the food was excellent.



Last but not least, I loved the hotel Andrea and I stayed at in Kansas City was amazing. We stayed at Hotel Indigo. It was cheaper than the host hotel and just a short walk from the Kansas City Convention Center. We really loved the vibe here!



I snagged a picture in front of the photo wall at the Hotel Indigo before heading to the conference.

There's No Place Like Home

Now that I am back from the ASCA National Conference I am taking some time to process all the information and amazing learning from the conference. I can’t wait to use the ideas I gained to fuel my school counseling program. I am also going to check out the ASCA Conference Dashboard and watch virtual sessions. It is so excellent that you are able to view the sessions until October 16, 2024. 


I am sad #ASCA24 is over, but I am already California dreaming about #ASCA25. The 2025 ASCA Conference - Navigate and Innovate will be held in Long Beach, CA. You can get more information and submit a session for the 2025 ASCA Conference on ASCA's website here. 

What are your favorite highlights of the ASCA Conference this year? Are you planning to attend the 2024 ASCA Conference in Long Beach, CA?

Need a presenter for your local, state, or national conference? I present in-person and virtually about professional advocacy, marketing your school counseling program, technology for school counselors, and more! Contact Danielle Schultz, PhD at via email or complete this online inquiry form at http://bit.ly/drsrequest.

I love connecting with other school counselors! Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Popular posts from this blog

Take What You Need, Give What You Can Sticky Note Board

Image
Last year, I saw a lot of "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" Bulletin Boards popping up everywhere. I decided to fuel my new found love of printing on sticky notes and make a sticky note version. The idea behind the "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" board is that you take a positive message that you "need" to hear or "give" (write) a positive or uplifting message for someone else to take. I displayed the "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" sticky note board on a window near the school counseling office. A traditional bulletin board could also be used to display this sticky note board.  I created 18 different positve messages to print on sticky notes for the "Take What You Need" side of the board. To make this "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" sticky note board, you will need the following items: A printer Printer paper to print the sticky
Read more

Spring Mindfulness Bulletin Board with QR Codes

Image
I created this colorful, interactive, spring bulletin board for our March & April PBIS theme, mindfulness. I made this bulletin board interactive for students by adding QR Codes with different mindfulness activities. Since most things need to be touch-less right now, I thought using QR Codes would be an easy way for students to access some mindfulness activities. If you are not familiar with QR Codes, QR stands for Quick Response. QR Codes are scannable with a smart device camera (iPad, tablet, or smart phone). you can easily make your own QR codes by using a QR Code generator. You can link the QR Code to a website or online document. When the user scans the QR Code they will be directed to the link. I used  QR Code Generator  to create the QR Codes.  I got the idea for this bulletin board while looking for mindfulness resources. I stumbled upon a New York Times article about "Pinwheel Breathing." This sent me down a rabbit hole of brainstorming a
Read more

FREE Career Interest Games and Inventories on VA Career View

Image
I have been searching for fun and interactive career activities to facilitate with students this year. I rediscovered  Virginia Career View , which has a wealth of computer based and printable career activities. I have used this website many times, but each time I visit I am surprised by how truly awesome this site is. In the K-5 Section of  Virginia Career View  there is an interactive game called  Career Town ! I used the  Career Town  game with some 5th grade students last year and they loved it. Career Town has three levels with different games to learn about jobs on each level.  The  Career Town  has an educators guide  for each "level' of the game. The  educators guide  has ideas of how you can utilize the game to meet standards and includes ideas for extension activities.  In the 6-8 Grade section, there is a career cluster assessment activity called "Who R U?" . It is web-based. The Virginia Career View website also has printable resources tho
Read more