GPS Faculty and Staff Present at Statewide TAIS Conference

Earlier this month, Girls Preparatory School proudly welcomed independent school educators from across the state as the host of this year’s Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) Annual Conference, and GPS faculty and staff took center stage.

With dozens of session leaders, panelists, and roundtable facilitators, GPS emerged as one of the most widely represented schools in the program, sharing expertise across academic disciplines, student support, technology, admissions, and leadership.

The conference, which brings together teachers and administrators from Tennessee’s independent schools for professional learning and collaboration, highlighted innovative practices and forward-thinking approaches.

GPS presenters contributed to sessions on everything from arts integration and competency-based learning to college counseling trends, outdoor education, collaborative coaching, and the evolving role of school librarians. Several faculty members partnered with colleagues from other institutions, underscoring GPS’s strong statewide connections and collaborative spirit.

GPS Presenters & Sessions Included:

• Katelyn Dix — Arts Integration in the Humanities Classroom

• Hannah Richards & Alice Harris — Breaking Down Silos in Admissions

• Andrew Reich — What Just Happened? Making Sense of College Admissions Today and College Counseling Roundtable

• Sarah Clardy — Co-Teaching and Collaboration to Scaffold Reading & Writing Across Content Areas

• Katye Couch — A Free, Powerful Technology for Authentic Learning—And No, It’s Not AI!; Competency-Based Education Unpacked; Connecting Classrooms to Communities (panel)

• Ralph Covino — From Collaborative Discussion to Empowered Engagement (panel) and Latin Teachers Roundtable

• Rosie Espinosa & Che Sokol — Competency-Based Approaches to World Language Teaching at Levels 1–2

• Tracie Durhman & Liesl Neubert — Incorporating POGIL in the STEM Classroom

• Amanda Byars & Kara Rogers — Connecting Classrooms to Communities: Inspiring Local Collaborations

• Jill Pieritz & Pascale Haug — Learner-Centered Mathematics

• Jill Pieritz — Engaging Computer Science Projects

• Laurel Zahrobsky — Meaningful Movement in Any Classroom

• Brandon Noel — Advantages and Challenges of Project-Based Learning in an AP Course

• Kim Leffew — The Exchange for Alumni Directors

• Beth Wilson — Happy Little Trees: Bringing the Portrait of a Graduate to Life

• Andy Arick — Building Leadership and Resiliency through Outdoor/Experiential Education

• Andrea Becksvoort — Building Bridges: Fostering Collaborative Coaching Communities

• Amanda Hayslett — The Evolving Role of School Librarians

• Renee Romero — Learning Specialist Forum

• Clay Francis — Fail Forward: Grade for Courage—Not Correctness

Hosting the conference not only showcased GPS’s campus as a hub for innovation, but also affirmed the school’s role as a leader in shaping the future of independent school education across Tennessee.