BEA Members Attend SPARKS Retreat
On October 7-9, 2011, fifteen participants from the Boise Education Association gathered at Bear Creek Lodge, outside of McCall, for this year’s SPARKS retreat. BEA members in their first to fifth year of teaching experience are invited once every other year to participate in a SPARKS retreat. It provides an opportunity for new to career professionals to meet and get to know other teachers from around the Boise School District, as well as learn from each other about critical classroom issues.
At each retreat, two members from a previous SPARKS group are asked to facilitate the latest weekend retreat. Participants are surveyed about what they would like to discuss at the retreat, and the facilitators put together an agenda that supports the needs of the participants. In addition to classroom and career advice, the retreat is also used to inform members of the importance of a strong Association, and to help those newer to the profession see the many opportunities for BEA involvement.
This year’s participants are pictured above. (see photo, L-R: Kathy Yamamoto (BEA), Lucia McLaughlin (South), Stacey Day (Riverglen), Christine Olley (South-facilitator), Nicole Wellard (Collister), Staci Sells (Koelsch), Krista Brunelle (Koelsch), Mackenzie Retter (Morley Nelson), Allison Bigham (Maple Grove), Amanda Stewart (Riverglen), Morgan Coats (White Pine-facilitator), Ann Brasley (Horizon), Layne McInelly (Morley Nelson), Andrew Rath (BEA), Ed Walters (Garfield).
