AMS Secondary Symposium

Keynote presentations and workshops will be yours for 5 weeks of easy access:

• Keynote Speaker: Jamie Margolin | “Youth to Power: How Students Can Use & Find Their Voices”
• Keynote Speaker: Rachel Ignotofsky | “Art & Identity”
• “Preparing the Adolescent Environment” | Gideon Smith
• “Tying It All Together: The Three Period Lesson in Secondary STEM Classes” | John Branch
• “The #thisiscovid Journalism Project” | Sandra Stevenson & Susan Kambrich
• Featured Workshop | “Erdkinder: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” Part 1
• Featured Workshop | “Erdkinder: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” Part 2

Friday, November 6

Saturday, November 7

All times are Eastern.

Featured Workshop: “Erdkinder: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”

Join Montessori Secondary experts and other veteran educators for a holistic look at the concept of Erdkinder, from Dr. Montessori’s initial writings to the innovative implementations happening today. Learn More>>

Unconference Sessions

Prior to the symposium, you will have the opportunity to submit a topic for group discussion during the “unconference” sessions. All attendees will vote on submitted topics, and the 3 with the most votes will be added to the program.

Jamie Margolin

Jamie Margolin is an 18-year-old Colombian-American climate activist, former Montessori student, and current film and television student at New York University.

She is cofounder of Zero Hour, an international youth climate justice movement that grew out of frustration she and her friends were experiencing at the fact that youth voices were almost always ignored in the conversation around climate change and the profound impact that it would have on young people. They decided that a national day of mass action, led by youth, would be an ideal platform to ensure that young voices were not only centered in this conversation, but heard, moving elected officials and other adults to action—and out of that, Zero Hour was born.

Since those initial conversations in 2017, Zero Hour has grown into a movement with over 200 chapters worldwide. Among its initiatives are the Youth Climate Marches in Washington, DC, and 25+ cities around the world (2018); Youth Climate Lobby Days on Capitol Hill (2018 and 2019) and a Youth Climate Summit (2019).

Jamie is a plaintiff on the Our Children's Trust Youth v. Gov Washington state lawsuit, Aji P. vs. State of Washington, suing the state of Washington for denying her generation their constitutional rights to a livable environment by worsening the climate crisis. 

In September 2019, she testified before the U.S. Congress alongside fellow youth activist, Greta Thunberg, holding her leaders accountable for taking urgent climate action.

A prolific writer, Jamie has authored countless op-eds for publications including The New York Times, Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, DAZED, Refinery29, and The Guardian.

Her debut book, Youth to Power: Your Voice and How to Use It, with a forward by Greta Thunberg, serves as a guide to organizing and activism.

Jamie is one of Teen Vogue’s “21 Under 21” girls changing the world in 2018, one of People Magazine’s 25 women changing the world in 2018, Fuse TV’s Latina Trailblazer of 2018, one of The Today Show’s 18 under 18 Groundbreakers of 2019, MTV EMA Generation Change winner of 2019, one of the BBC's 100 most influential women of 2019, and one of GLAAD’s 20 under 20 LGBTQ+ people changing the world.

Rachel Ignotofsky

Rachel Ignotofsky is a New York Times-bestselling author who creates educational artwork promoting scientific literacy and historical inclusivity. 

Her first book, Women in Science, highlights the contributions of 50 notable women to the fields of STEM from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. 
 
Her second book, Women in Sports, covers the achievements and stories of 50 female athletes from the 1800s to today, including trailblazers, Olympians, and record-breakers in more than 40 sports, from Billie Jean King to Simone Biles. 

Ignotofsky’s newest book, Women in Art, continues the series and highlights the achievements and stories of 50 notable women in the arts—from well-known figures like painters Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe, to lesser-known names like 19th-century African American quilter Harriet Powers and Hopi-Tewa ceramic artist Nampeyo.  

Ignotofsky has also published The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth, a beautifully illustrated tour of our planet that reveals ecosystems large and small, from reefs, deserts, and rainforests to ponds, backyard gardens, and even a drop of water. Through exquisite drawings, maps, and infographics, she makes earth science accessible and entertaining, explaining how our planet works, from its diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants to the levels of ecology, the importance of biodiversity, the carbon cycle, weather cycles, and more.
 
Ignotofsky grew up in New Jersey on a healthy diet of cartoons and pudding. She graduated from Tyler School of Art’s Graphic Design program in 2011, and lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Geoffrey Bishop, ArcD, executive director and founder of Nature’s Classroom Institute and Montessori School, Mukwonago, WI. Member of the AMS Board of Directors, chair of the Montessori Life Editorial Advisory Board, and co-chair of the AMS Development Committee. AMS-credentialed (Administrator).

John Branch, EdD, Secondary math and science teacher at School of the Woods, Houston, TX. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Meg Broz, adolescent guide and junior high head teacher, Near North Montessori School, Chicago, IL. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Betsy Coe, PhD, executive director at the Houston Montessori Center and a former president of the AMS Board of Directors. Founder of the middle and high school programs at School of the Woods, Houston, TX. AMS 2008 Living Legacy. 2015 recipient of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education’s Wisdom of the Elders Award. AMS-credentialed (Early Childhood, Elementary I – II, Secondary I – II, Administrator).

Harry Cole, cofounder, Bauhaus Montessori School, New Orleans, LA. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Rachel Cole, MEd, founder and head of Bauhaus Montessori of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Erika Eicholz, MEd, Middle School founder, math and science teacher, and school administrator, Montessori School of Westfield, Westfield, IN. Cohort director, Cincinnati Secondary Teacher Education Program (CMStep), Cincinnati, OH. AMS-credentialed (Elementary I – II, Secondary I – II).

Kyle Herman, MEd, Secondary II humanities teacher, academic advisor, and curriculum coach at Community Montessori, New Albany, IN. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Nicci Johnson, MEd, Elementary II teacher, Nokomis Montessori Magnet School South Campus, St. Paul, MN. AMS-credentialed (Early Childhood, Elementary I – II).

Susan Kambrich, Ed.D.  Executive Director of Twin Parks Montessori Schoolsand former treasurer of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (Administrator,  and AMI credentialed Elementary I – II).

Katie Keller-Wood, EdD, executive director at the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program (CMStep), Cincinnati, OH. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Zakiya Lasley, Middle School directress, Montessori Academy of Chicago, Chicago, IL. AMS-credentialed (Elementary I – II, Secondary I – II).

Danielle Manzo, MA, Secondary studio support coordinator at Community Montessori Charter Public School, New Albany, IN. Montessori-credentialed (Sec I, II).

Hailey Nicholson, Secondary teacher, Houston, TX. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II). 

Danchi Duc Nguyen, MEd, program director, Camelback Montessori College Preparatory High School, Phoenix, AZ. AMS-credentialed (Early Childhood, Secondary I – II).

Brian A. Odom, MBA, MEd, Secondary teacher, W.G. Sanders Montessori School, Columbia, SC. AMS-credentialed (Secondary).

Amy Ricketts, MEd, Middle School lead and school curriculum director at The Montessori School for Shreveport, Shreveport, LA. Cohort director for Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program (CMStep), Cincinnati, OH. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II). 

Barb Scholtz, former lead teacher at Clark Montessori High School, Cincinnati, OH. Former member of AMS Teacher Education Action Commission (TEAC) and mentor for the AMS Emerging Leadership Fellow Program. Past employee of CMStep, the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Gideon Smith, MEd, intervention specialist at Clark Montessori High School, Cincinnati, OH. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Sandra M. Stevenson, assistant editor, photos, at the New York Times and former member-at-large on the AMS Board of Directors. 

Alissa Stolz, MEd, head of school at Montessori Family School in Berkeley and El Cerrito, CA. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II, Administrator).

Ann Sutton, PhD, Secondary instructor and field consultant at Houston Montessori Center, Houston, TX. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Krista Taylor, MEd, is the assistant principal at Mercy Montessori Center in Cincinnati, OH. She is the co-author of the book, Angels and Superheroes: Compassionate Educators in an Era of School Accountability. She is also co-founder of the blog AngelsAndSuperheroes.com, which provides “strategies, solutions, and encouragement for compassionate educators.”

Josh Vogt, Secondary teacher and service program coordinator at James N. Gamble Montessori High School, Cincinnati, OH. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

Your registration also includes complimentary registration to The Montessori Event 2021, taking place virtually March 5 & 6. This complimentary registration will be processed after the AMS Secondary Symposium concludes.*

*This event does not qualify for AMS PD vouchers. Vouchers apply to webinars, online classes, and PD bundles only. Read more about how to use AMS PD vouchers.

** CPD certificates for up to 15 participants.

Please note: If you are unable to attend this event, you may cancel by October 28, 2020 and receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation fee. Should you choose to cancel your registration, you also forfeit your complimentary registration for The Montessori Event 2021.