2011 Summer FCSEM Annual Conference Provided Great Opportunities to
Move Forward Together to Strengthen Families

True to the summer 2011 conference theme, “Moving Forward Together to Strengthen Families”, many organizations gathered together to inspire each other to promote their FCS programs. Attendees from FCSEM, MAFCS, MEAFCS, FCCLA and Michigan Jump$tart joined together to exchange ideas and support one another in the quest to prepare Family and Consumer Science professionals to educate students and their families, as well as community, district, and state leaders, regarding the value of Family and Consumer Science programs.

The conference opened Tuesday evening on a sweet note as Ken Bollinger from CEV Multimedia hosted the Hospitality Hour with a chocolate fountain.
Nationally known speaker, Wendy Shepherd, set the tone by teaching us how to be optimistic, even in the face of reality. Norma Tims, Michigan Dept. of Ed, provided an overview of recent policy changes that affect Parenthood Added Cost funding. It was exciting to see the participants organize into regional groups to identify linkages to resources within their educational communities. They plan to continue meeting throughout the year to provide support for one another and to promote FCS programs statewide.

Learning ZoneXpress sponsored our keynote speaker, Max Peterson, 2006 Minnesota Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year and American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Top Teacher in the Nation. Max provided great tips for the conference participants to take back to their schools this fall to win support for their FCS programs from students, staff, parents and community. Teachers gained new ideas for engaging students as Max shared her best practices teaching strategies along with her nationally renowned course, “Sr. Strategies: Preparing Students for Post-Secondary Success and Life Beyond”.

Deanna House returned to act as hostess for the Share Your Best session. She was sponsored by husband, George, from the Michigan Allied Poultry Association. Deanna delivered her tips on egg cookery along with a dash of her fantastic sense of humor and we all enjoyed the prizes donated by George. The sharing of lesson plans continued long after this session closed.

The sessions included a wide variety of presenters on every area of the FCS curriculum. Dr. Mark Menestrina, Medical Director of the detox unit at Brighton Hospital, gave us up-to-date info on the use and dependence on drugs and emphasized that what we don’t know can harm them. Kevin Epling, Bully Police, USA, Co-Director, raised our awareness about the attitudes and the culture surrounding bullying in schools and provided strategies to implement changes on a community-wide level. The ever-popular, Su Nottingham, CMU instructor, taught three sessions on how to make your lessons interactive and fun. The team of Kathie Beck and Jennifer Warner presented their tips, tricks and tools to teach Personal Finance. These are just a few of the informative sessions that were experienced by the participants.

A highlight of the conference was the Teacher of the Year presentation by Lake Trust Credit Union. Kathie Beck is the very deserving recipient of the award. We are grateful to Nicole Piche from Lake Trust for her dedication in working out the details to sponsor the luncheon and the plaque that was presented to Kathie.

The United Dairy Industry of Michigan once again provided substantial support for our conference by sponsoring the Thursday breakfast and all day milk breaks. UDIM representative, Amy Viselli, outlined the steps whereby teachers can join the “Fuel Up to Play 60” program to help their schools create a healthier environment. Cindy Salfate was delighted when Amy made a surprise announcement of a grant awarded to Durand Area High School.

Kay Reed from The Dibble Institute took us back to the roots of Home Economics to rediscover the values that birthed our profession. She encouraged us to get involved in the national initiatives and be recognized as providing solutions to the challenges in today’s culture. Kay sent us out with practical tips for creating new strategies to promote FCS programs in our schools and communities.

The relaxing summer atmosphere of Frankenmuth and the excellent hospitality of the Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center provided the perfect place to re-energize. Again and again, the attendees said they prefer a summer conference because they will have time to take the conference information home and organize the new strategies into their curriculum to have it ready for fall classes. They commented that when they attended in the fall, they were so busy that everything stayed “in the bag” and there was no time to thoughtfully implement the concepts.

The 50/50 drawings that took place at the luncheons provided funds for FCCLA and FCSEM scholarships. The conference concluded with participants taking home numerous door prizes donated by many generous exhibitors.

We are very grateful to our generous conference sponsors:
Keynote Speaker: Maxine Peterson, Learning ZoneXpress
Tuesday evening Hospitality: Ken Bollinger, CEV Multimedia
Wednesday Breakfast: Dave Oestreicher, Hodgson Mill
Wednesday Lunch: Diane Mattis, InVEST: Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America and Edwin Southerland, ASVAB Career Exploration Program, Dept. of Defense, Lansing MEPS
Wednesday Snack: Gretchen Hofing, Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee
Share Your Best Session: George and Deanna House, Michigan Allied Poultry Industry
Thursday Breakfast and All-Day Milk Breaks: Anne Guyer and Amy Viselli, United Dairy Industry of Michigan
Thursday Lunch and Teacher of the Year: Nicole Piche, Lake Trust Credit Union

We are thankful for the conference volunteers who contributed their time and energy. Catherine Proulx, retired Byron FCS teacher, assisted the exhibitors. Ginny Slovey, Chippewa Valley FCS teacher, and Linda Oestman, retired Walled Lake FCS teacher, worked at the registration table. Donna Hensey, retired UDIM, helped organize the door prizes. These dedicated volunteers made the conference run very smoothly.

The summer 2012 FCSEM Annual Conference will be held again at the Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center in Frankenmuth, July 31-August 2, so make plans now to join us for another inspirational conference where we will continue to move forward together to strengthen families.

2011 FCSEM Conference Press Release

Family and Consumer Science teachers instruct middle and senior high students in curriculum based courses addressing health, nutrition, culinary arts, personal finance and interpersonal living skills. ________________, Family and Consumer Science Educator from _____________________ attended the Family and Consumer Science Educators of Michigan Conference on August 2-4 in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The conference was entitled “Moving Forward Together to Strengthen Families.”
Tuesday Evening motivational speaker Wendy Shepherd deliver ed her message, “Optimistic . . . Even in the Face of Reality: Tips and Strategies to Focus on the Positive”. She reminded the attendees that an upbeat, realistic, and positive keynote will help them stay brave in tough times. The second speaker of the evening was Norma Tims, Michigan Department of Ed, presented up-to-date information regarding Family and Consumer Science education in Michigan.
Wednesday morning the keynote speaker was Maxine Peterson, 2006 Minnesota Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year and American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Top Teacher in the Nation. Her keynote speech, “Advocacy: Supporting Family and Consumer Science Programs – How to Win Support from Students, Staff, Parents and Community”, that prepared FCS teachers to take action to gain respect for his/her FCS program. In a breakout session Max shared her comprehensive program designed to help students face college life and beyond with confidence, “Senior High Strategies Lesson Plan: Preparing for Success in Life Curriculum”.
Kay Reed, Executive Director of The Dibble Institute and AAFCS 2009 21st Century Community Champion Award winner, was the speaker at the wrap up session on Thursday afternoon, “Staying in the Game – Reclaiming the Relevance of Family and Consumer Science” was the topic of Kay's presentation.

During the two day conference, additional sessions included financial literacy, classroom management, creative lesson planning, wellness, substance abuse awareness and healthy relationships.
Several exhibitors sponsored the events this year. The Tuesday evening hospitality was provided by a new exhibitor, CEV Multimedia with Ken Bollinger as the representative. Wednesday lunch was sponsored by InVest Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. The United Dairy Industry sponsored the Thursday breakfast, along with all-day milk breaks Wednesday and Thursday. Lake Trust Credit Union very generously sponsored the Teacher of the Year Awards and the Thursday Luncheon.. Vendors from textbook companies and representatives for support materials were also available to update teachers on the latest information and materials for Family and Consumer Science classes. For more information on FCS visit the Family and Consumer Science Educators of Michigan website at www.fcsem.org