Alanna Ramirez, a Shikellamy High School graduate, was one of 224 students also graduating from Pennsylvania’s Migrant Education Program. The 2024 ceremony was held at the Harrisburg Area Community College on May 15, honoring graduates from across Pennsylvania who have overcome unique challenges to complete their education. Family members, educators, and community leaders came together to recognize the students' hard work and support their future endeavors. The event highlighted the importance of educational equity and access and reflected the program's commitment to providing all students with the resources and support needed to succeed.
Each year, speakers are selected from the four project areas. Alanna was chosen to represent the CSIU project areas and shared her experiences at the graduation ceremony and the CSIU Board meeting. She eloquently detailed her experience immigrating to America and specifically to Central Pennsylvania while receiving support and services through the migrant program.
Best wishes to Alanna as she moves to the next stage of her educational career.
Photo Caption: Lainee Gather delivers her graduation speech during the May 2024 ceremony.
CSIU’s Work Foundations+ program graduated 24 students on Thursday, May 23, 2024. The ceremony began with a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by graduating student Isaac Keefer. The program included a procession of the graduates, an address by CSIU Executive Director Dr. John Kurelja, a welcome address and words of encouragement by Assistant Executive Director/Chief Academic Officer Dr. Alan Hack, student keynote speakers, and pre-recorded student messages about what they will miss, their after-graduation plans and messages of thanks to family, friends, and faculty. Following her remarks, WF+ Special Education and Off-Site Facilities Support Program Supervisor Dr. Jessica Harry awarded the program certificates.
The graduates are from the Lewisburg Area, Line Mountain, Midd-West, Mifflinburg Area, Millville Area, Shamokin Area, and Shikellamy school districts.
Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units Annual ConferencePAIU’s Annual Conference, the gathering of Pennsylvania's 29 intermediate units, was held on May 28-30, 2024, at Kalahari Resort, Pocono Manor.
Each year, teams from intermediate units across the Commonwealth join together for professional development, sharing, networking, and fellowship. It's a time for IU leaders to learn, innovate, and imagine the next-level solutions IUs can implement to continually improve their services to students and schools in their regions.
This year, several CSIU employees were selected to present breakout sessions. They included:
Rae Ann Crispell, Dr. Alan Hack, IU 16: Building Team Cohesion in the Workplace Using DiSC
Daren Moran, IU 15; Brian Snyder, IU 16; Jon Rice, IU 10: Panel discussion on innovation and the role of the business office.
Melissa Smith, IU 24; Dr. Bernadette Boerckel, IU 16: Communication Remix: Unleashing AI Magic
National Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Conference Photo Caption: 2024 National Social and Emotional Learning Conference Keynote Speaker Katya Stepanov, CEO of the Inheritance Project, engages attendees during her presentation, “From Conflict to Connection: 7 Skills for Challenging Conversations.
The 2024 National Social and Emotional Learning Conference was held May 21-23, 2024, at The Alloy Hotel in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The event attracted over 250 attendees from 16 states and Chile. There were more than 45 presenters for the six institutes and 18 workshops. Approximately 20 exhibitors provided resources and materials for educators on child well-being, mental health support, and building social and emotional skills. Katya Stepanov, CEO of the Inheritance Project, provided the opening keynote. The presentation of the prestigious Dr. Myrna B. Shure Award to the Fundación San Carlos de Maipo (FSCM) from Santiago, Chile, recognized their exemplary training of educators to implement the I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) program and their unwavering dedication to SEL instruction in Chile. Marcelo Sanchez, General Manager, and two ICPS program facilitators accepted the award on behalf of FSCM.
Photo Caption: Center for Schools and Communities and Center for the Promotion of Social & Emotional Learning Training and Organizational Development Associate Stephanie Colvin-Roy provides Fundación San Carlos de Maipo Chile with the 2024 Myrna B. Shure Lifetime Achievement Award.
The conference concluded with a plenary session by Dr. Ross Whiting, co-lead for SEL4PA, where he shared his report from the listening sessions held with Pennsylvania's educators, SEL providers, and community-based organizations from February–April 2024, and participants celebrating the relaunch of SEL4PA.
Upcoming Board Meetings: August 21, September 18, October 16, November 21
PAIU’s Annual Conference, the gathering of Pennsylvania's 29 intermediate units, was held on May 28-30, 2024, at Kalahari Resort, Pocono Manor. 
