With the aid of a grant through the Maine Community Fund, East End Community School (EECS) was able to send four BIPOC staff to the Model Schools Conference this month, to further develop their leadership skills.

East End was able to send the following staff to the conference, held June 26-29 in Orlando : Carla Reyes (kindergarten teacher), Bulina Ahmad (kindergarten teacher), Hana Tallan (ELL teacher) and Ina Demers (ELL teacher).

"Sending teachers to conferences is an investment in our people.  The returns of attending the Model Schools conference can reverberate for years and have a long-lasting impact on the school and greater community,” said EECS Principal Boyd Marley. “By empowering teachers, encouraging teacher leadership and voice, the whole community is strengthened. This opportunity for brainstorming, exchange, and innovation allows EECS teachers to develop their skills and continue to learn how to best support the East End community."

This year was the 30^th Annual Model Schools Conference, which is run by the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). ICLE’s mission is to encourage, inspire and support today’s educators. The conference provides a forum for thousands of passionate teachers and leaders to share innovative and creative strategies for developing the minds of our future.

Last year, ICLE named EECS a 2021 Model School for the school's relentless focus on student outcomes in an unprecedented year. EECS recognized opportunities for growth, collectively established a vision, and systematically worked together to take action.

EECS was one of only 16 Model Schools from across the United States to share its best practices at ICLE’s Model Schools Conference last year. Marley said school staff spoke on topics that included EECS’ family liaison initiative, student engagement, and “empowering students of the World for the World.”

This year, rather than presenting again at the Model Schools Conference, EECS decided to focus on sending BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) staff to the conference, Marley said. EECS wrote a grant and secured $8,250 in funding through the Maine Community Fund.