American Falls School District #381

Yesterday was an amazing first day of our annual Family & Community Engagement (FACE) Conference! More than 250 school administrators, teachers, school counselors and community organization staff are gathered in Boise or attending virtually to increase active participation and communication between families, schools, and communities! Our first speaker was Rudy Ruettiger, the Notre Dame alumnus who inspired the movie RUDY after overcoming a host of obstacles to realize his underdog dream of playing football for the Fighting Irish then sacking the opposing quarterback in the game’s final play and getting carried off the field by his teammates. Attendees then enjoyed a speech and cooking demo from local culinary coach and activist Chef Christina Murray, who has partnered with the Idaho State Department of Education in providing cooking classes to school districts throughout the state. Rodney Smith Jr. shared how he mowed his way through all 50 states and 8 countries after founding Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service. Attendees heard from members of the Idaho school community, Mari Ramos, Family Community Resource & Engagement Coordinator for the Nampa School District, and from American Falls School District #381 Superintendent Randy Jensen and American Falls SD Family Development/Engagement Specialist Angie Harker. Dr. Belinda George, a Texas principal internationally known for reading to students online via Facebook Live for "Tucked in Tuesdays" shared her strategies for involving families. We finished the day with Dr. Rick Rigsby's famous speech, "Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout". What an amazing day, thank you to our attendees, our speakers, and our organizers!