2022-2023 SPEAK Lecture Series

Colorado Academy presents the 2022-2023 Series for Parent Education about Kids, the SPEAK lecture program.

The 2022-2023 SPEAK (Series for Parent Education About Kids) lecture series is a highlight of the school’s CA Connects initiative. CA is committed to providing access to leading voices in the community and country, focused on the top issues that families are facing. Our SPEAK lecture program is provided in collaboration with the CA Parent Association as a free service to the CA community. Presentation times vary to accommodate parent schedules. Please visit the CA website at coloradoacademy.org to confirm details and register for the events. When possible, recordings of the lectures are posted on the password-protected pages of CA’s website.

Colorado Academy ofrece servicios de interpretación para estos eventos. Si el español es su idioma preferido, comuníquese con Abel a abel.ramirez@coloradoacademy.org o 303-914-2573.

Questions? Contact Marsha Martinez, CA Events Manager, at 303-914-2509 or marsha.martinez@coloradoacademy.org.

Timely topics presented by leading speakers headline this year’s SPEAK program.

Presented by:

Overcoming Adversity using G.R.I.T.

Austin Hatch

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 5:30 p.m.

Leach Center for the Performing Arts

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Adversity comes along in every life. Austin Hatch has certainly had his share. Hear his inspiring story to live his dream of playing basketball at the University of Michigan despite incredible tragedy. Learn about his approach to overcoming obstacles by applying what he calls the G.R.I.T framework. See how G.R.I.T can help individuals and organizations achieve their goals.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

5:30 p.m.

Schotters Music Center

As members of the Colorado Academy community, the Harris family has shared their mission to help those in earthquaketorn Haiti by inviting groups of CA students and staff to travel with them on The Road to Hope since 2012. Earlier this year, after being delayed by the pandemic, the Harris family returned to Haiti. Join us for this special SPEAK session, when they share their incredible journey back to Mara and D’s home, as they returned for the first time since being adopted after the 2010 earthquake. Their story is sure to inspire other families to see the connections that develop through philanthropy, as they discuss the power of giving back.

Return of The Road to Hope

The Harris Family: Lisa, Mara & D

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Changing the World, One Child at a Time: It begins NOW!

Dr. Rosemarie Allen

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Monday, October 3, 2022

5:30 p.m. Leach Center for the

Performing Arts

It has been said that we can change the world in just one generation. This IS the generation that can. Join us as Dr. Rosemarie Allen shares, by focusing on the development of social emotional skills and the relationship between the heart and brain in building inclusive environments, that this generation of children can create a world where everyone belongs. A national leader in early childhood education, Dr. Allen is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver and Founder, President, and CEO of the Institute for Racial Equity & Excellence.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

5:30 p.m. Dining Hall, Campus Center

The college admission process is undergoing change. Rick Clark shares an insider’s view of the trends and shifts in the application process and offers suggestions on what families should really consider when discussing college goals. Clark is the Associate VP of Enrollment Management and Executive Director of Undergraduate Admission at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). In this role, he directs the Institute’s recruitment and enrollment efforts, manages the review and selection of all undergraduate applications, and leads the admission team. Under his leadership, the Institute has dramatically increased brand awareness, improved overall academic class profile, and exceeded strategic goals.

Clark is currently a member of NACAC’s Committee on Leadership in College Admission. He travels annually to U.S. embassies to discuss the admission process and landscape of higher education.

Reframing College Selection Goals

Rick Clark

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Fostering Independence During Middle School: A “How To” Guide

Abby Johnson, MS

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

9:45–11:00 a.m.

Choir Room, Schotters Music Center

Independence and responsibility must occur in harmony; providing your child with the independence they crave when in Middle School while instilling responsibility is a delicate and important balance. Join Abby Johnson, CA’s Middle School Counselor, to learn hands-on strategies for encouraging (and managing) adolescent independence.

The session will be preceded by brief MS Parent Association announcements and a question and answer session with Bill Wolf-Tinsman, MS Principal.

Thursday, November 10, 2022

8:30 a.m. Sadler Room, Campus Center

Students deal with some form of stress on most days. Alex Yannacone, as Director of Education and Community Programs at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center, will talk about the five stressors that children face the most and offer tips to help them build skills to work through that stress. Yannacone previously has been a regular speaker at Colorado Academy on the subjects of promoting student mental health and resilience.

Helping your Children Manage Stress

Alex Yannacone, MA

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Got Study Skills?!

Dr. Morgan Beidleman

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

9:45-11:00 a.m. Sadler Room, Campus Center

An important part of a young person’s journey is to develop the tools, skills, and executive function strategies that allow them to be organized and to find success as a student.

Dr. Morgan Beidleman, Director of REACH and school consultant, will share her insights into how to support young people to develop the life skills that will help them in school and beyond. Dr. Beidleman will also share aspects of the work she is doing with the Middle School faculty and students.

The meeting is preceded by brief MS Parent Association announcements and a question and answer session with Bill Wolf-Tinsman, MS Principal.

Thursday, January 19, 2023

9:45–11:00a.m.

Sadler Room, Campus Center

Tech “360” Panel Discussion Tech Experts, Counselors, and Students

Learn from a panel of CA experts, both adult and student, how to better navigate the sometimes bewildering and changing world of technology and social media. Comprised of members of our CA Tech Team, our MS counselor, and Middle/Upper School students, the panel will both make a presentation and hold a Q & A session. The session will be preceded by brief MS Parent Association announcements and a question and answer session with Bill Wolf-Tinsman, MS Principal.

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Building a More Sustainable Future

Kat Cadungog

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

5:30 p.m. Leach Center for the Performing Arts

Want to better understand sustainability and what environmental stewardship is all about? This SPEAK event aims to help. Join Kat Cadungog, Executive Director of the Foundation for Environmental Stewardship. Cadungog is passionate about empowering youth to take impactful action on sustainable development. In this presentation, she takes a close look at the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are both an urgent call for action by all countries and a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

5:30 p.m. Sadler Room, Campus Center

Communicating with others about social identity is important, but it can be tough. Author Brenda Allen, PhD, offers a simple and warm approach that will motivate attendees to think about valuing difference as a positive, enriching feature of society. Allen retired in April 2019 as the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus. During almost 30 years in the University of Colorado system, Professor Allen developed a track record for scholarship, teaching, service, mentorship, organizational communication training, social identity, and leadership.

Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity

Brenda Allen, PhD

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

ThinkingLAB WorkshopFrom Thought to Paper: Encouraging Young Writers

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Thursday,

February 23 9:00-10:15 a.m. Sadler Room, Campus Center

Each year the Middle School offers a window into its efforts to help students learn to think critically and problem solve. This year’s focus is Eighth Grade English and helping students become insightful and purposeful writers. This is a hands-on workshop for up to 20 persons, so please come prepared to have some fun learning to write with Eric Augustin and Olivia Wall, our Eighth Grade English team.

Eric Augustin and Olivia Wall

Thursday, March 2, 2023

5:30 p.m.

Leach Center for the Performing Arts

Bring your questions, as Dr. Hinduja welcomes any and all that pertain to cyberbullying. Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and Professor at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University, and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University, Hinduja is recognized internationally for his groundbreaking work on the subjects of cyberbullying, sexting, and social media and gaming abuse. Join us, as he takes us into the digital world our children are, or will be, traveling in throughout their lives.

Cyberbullying: What Parents Need to Know about Today’s Digital World

Sameer Hinduja, PhD

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

State

of

the School

Dr. Mike Davis, Head of School

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Thursday,

March 16, 2023

8:30 a.m. Leach Center for the Performing Arts

Join Head of School Dr. Mike Davis as he reflects on the current school year and looks ahead to CA’s future. This SPEAK session is preceded by a brief Parent Association presentation which includes voting on the Parent Association Officers slate for the 2023-2024 school year.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

9:45-11:00 a.m. Sadler Room, Campus Center

Join Dr. Charles Park, board-certified in both general and addiction psychiatry, and Dr. HyGia Park, a psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry, for a presentation on marijuana, alcohol, and vaping. Learn about marijuana trends, vaping, alcohol, how to recognize the signs of addiction, and ways to support children to make sound choices for their own health and wellness. The meeting is preceded by brief MS Parent Association announcements and a question and answer session with Bill Wolf-Tinsman, MS principal.

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Maintaining Family Unity Despite Differences of Opinion

Check the CA website for up-to-date information on locations and times.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

6:00 p.m.

Leach Center for the Performing Arts

Children, today, are bringing home many new thoughts as they learn about society, politics, and culture. This event is all about gaining important perspectives on how to discuss potential differences of opinion without creating division in the family. Ramesh Ponnuru is a respected journalist, American political commentator, and conservative thinker. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies politics and public policy with a particular focus on the future of conservatism. Concurrently, he is the editor of National Review, where he has covered national politics and public policy for 25 years; a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion; and a contributor to CNN.

Ramesh Ponnuru

COLORADO

ACADEMY

Creating curious, kind, courageous, and adventurous learners and leaders.