MCSS Annual Conference
April 10-11
8am-4pm
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
Tuesday, March 10th
8:30am-3:30pm
Eastern Michigan University
Keynote Speaker, Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodríguez
Tuesday, March 10th
8:30am-3:30pm
Eastern Michigan University
Keynote Speaker, Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodríguez
Tuesday, March 10th
8:30am-3:30pm
Eastern Michigan University
Keynote Speaker, Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodríguez
Civic Educators Summit 2026
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, March 10th, 2026 at the Upshur Institute for Civic Education at Eastern Michigan University.
Breakfast & Check-In
8:00 – 8:45 AM
Lobby
Welcome
8:45 – 8:55 AM
Brigid Beaubien, EMU
Scott Koenig, MDE
Keynote & Q&A
8:55 – 9:55 AM
Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodriguez
Break & Resource Tables
9:55 – 10:20 AM
Book signing available in the lobby
10:20 – 11:15 AM
Using Civics to Grow Historians: Primary Sources for the Elementary Classroom
Shaelynn Farnsworth, Bill of Rights Institute
Congressional Inquiries that Engage the Next Generation
Lauren Jasinski, Levin Center
Student Voice: A More Perfect Union With Adults
Judy Walton, Harrison Community Schools
11:25 AM – 12:20 PM
Getting at the Root: Bringing a Place-Based and EcoJustice Approach to Informed Civic Action in Elementary Classrooms
Anna Balzer, Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition
Moving from Civic Knowledge to Civic Participation
Scott Koenig, Michigan Department of Education
School Community Civility Projects
Karen Twomey, Bloomfield Hills
We, the Students: Advancing All Students’ Constitutional Scholarship in and Beyond the Classroom
Ellen Zwerenstyn, Michigan Center for Civic Education
Lunch & Resource Tables
12:20 – 1:00 PM
Coalition Time
1:00 – 1:20 PM
Tabletop Discussion Activity
1:30 – 2:25 PM
It All Begins With Me: Civic Empowerment for Elementary Classrooms
Shernita Rogers, Detroit PBS
Civic Courage: The Art of Challenging Our Own Certainties
Brigid Beaubien, Upshur Institute for Civic Education
Engaging the Next Generation in Democracy
Nicole Richard, YMCA Michigan Youth in Government
From the Classroom to the Juror’s Box: Building Civic Skills and Engagement Through Jury Service
Zenell Brown, Michigan Supreme Court
2:35 – 3:30 PM
Foundational Civics for Our Youngest Learners
Annie Whitlock, Grand Valley State University
Civics For The Sake of Civics
Ben Walton & Brigid Beaubien, Upshur Institute
The MiVoice, MiVote Initiative: Teaching About Michigan Elections and Voting Through Simulations
Roneka Matheney, Michigan Center for Civic Education
Fostering Civic Engagement Through Collaborative Problem-Solving
Florian Feucht, Thinking Habitats
Happy Hour
3:45 – 5:00 PM
Aubree’s
