NORTH TEXAS TECH PREP REGIONAL CONFERENCE
NOVEMBER 8, 2005
MULTI-PURPOSE EVENTS CENTER
1000 5 TH STREET
WICHITA FALLS, TX
FEATURED SPEAKER: TOODY BYRD
Every once in a while, you run across someone who speaks from the heart. Toody Byrd is that person. She is motivational, has worked with difficult students, and has insights for administrators.
Toody Byrd, a teacher, counselor, author, and speaker has spent her career helping people meet the challenges of education, even “in times like these.” She tells humorous stories from her former teaching and administrative career in Texas. A natural communicator, she moves across the educational spectrum reaching students, parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, and the whole community with humor and home-grown Texas wisdom.
She did her undergraduate work at North Texas University, Del Mar College and Texas A & M University in Corpus Christi, and her graduate work at the University of Texas in Austin. She taught for many years in school districts in rural and suburban Texas. Never one to shy away from any topic, she brings a rich, lifelong set of interesting experiences to any issue at hand, and she will move the audience to want to investigate and learn.
In recognition of her unique contribution to education and community life around the state of Texas, Toody was declared a State Treasure by the 71 st Legislature.
Her genuine love for people (especially young people) coupled with her extensive educational experiences, which reach from being a teacher of all subjects in the seventh and eighth grades in a three-teacher county school to serving as the Director of Guidance and Student Services in a large suburban school district, have made her a sought-after speaker in more than thirty-five states.
She spoke on “School May Be A Headache But It Never Is A Bore!” Toody Byrd addressed the audience from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on this topic and from 12:30 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. after lunch on “Stress Management.”
Breakout sessions included: “What Do Employers Want?” by Allison Kirkpatrick of Saint-Gobain Vetrotex America and Kathleen Pirtle of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital.
Peggy Southall of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board presented on “The Roadmap to a College-Going Culture”.
Terry Brock of Weatherford College and the Texas Counselors’ Network spoke on “Counselors: Removing the Stigma of Technical Education in our High Schools.”
Anita Hinojosa, Tech Prep Director of the Coastal Bend Tech Prep Consortium, spoke on “Career Clusters: Pathway to Achievement”.
Pam Foster of the Texas Cooperative Extension presented on “Communicating Across the Generations”.
Cheryl Groves and Roger Mooney of the Graham Education and Workforce Center presented on the new education concept in Graham, TX.
Tim Chase, President of the Wichita Falls Board of Commerce and Industry presented on “Labor Market Information/Economic Development in North Texas.
Mickey Cole, Assistant Tech Prep Director from the South Plains Tech Prep Consortium presented on “Brain-Up”.
Taylor Hollingsworth and Seymour students presented on “Sporting Math and Science through Robotics and other Technologies”.
Kristin Harris and Jo Ann Marquart, counselors at Vernon College presented on “Getting Ready to Attend Vernon College”.
Nancy Holcombe from Region 9 presented on “PEIMS Coding and Weighted Funding”.
Romona Vaughan and Peggy Knaup from the Tech Prep office presented on 1+1+1 = 3 Best Tech prep Practices. Steve Carroll of the Wichita Falls Police Department told about his experiences during Groundhog Job Shadowing Day, Michelle Fielder of Wichita Valley Rehabilitation Hospital and Sharon Wallace from Vernon College told about their sessions for the 8 th Grade Junior High Career Safari at MPEC and how it helps students make career choices for their future. Billie Rees and Jimi Bates from Graham High School and Sheila Gholson spoke about participating in the Summer Teacher Internship program and about the curriculum they developed.
The conference was a success with about 130 people attending. All are looking forward to next year’s conference.
