NOTE: We are accepting applications for student groups interested in performing at the 2010 NAIS Annual Conference. Click here for more details.
At our secret headquarters in cyberspace, NAIS staff and Annual Conference think tank members have analyzed the Gotham-esque nature of our world as it moves through chaotic times to become more adaptive and reflexive, building new strengths required for such fast-paced change. We have concluded that extraordinary times like these demand extraordinary powers. Therefore, we invite you to join us in a storied battle between The Past and The Future when we meet next February for the 2010 NAIS Annual Conference. Our community will gather in San Francisco to examine the current state of our campaign and call on the power of our collective wisdom and creativity to not only adapt but also survive and thrive in the 21st century.
NAIS sees multiple parallels between comic book mythology and the work of leadership today. Like comic book superheroes, born during the Great Depression as archetypes to project good triumphing over evil, school leaders must demonstrate unprecedented mental prowess and engage in daring acts in order to remain a force to be reckoned with on today's educational stage. What hidden superpowers do you and your school offer to our world? And what exactly constitutes "superpower" in education?
We posit that successful independent schools of the future must exhibit:
- Extraordinary stamina to remain strong in the face of unrelenting threats (financial, governmental, etc.);
- Moral steadfastness to remain true to ethical codes and principles that form the foundation of independent schools;
- Selfless commitment to demonstrate a strong sense of community responsibility in support of equality and justice and a willingness to take risks in the service of the greater good;
- Inclusive leadership, teaming with a supporting cast of characters and super friends to tip the scales in the struggles ahead; and
- Extraordinary powers of "vision" to see "around corners" to what's down the road.
The 2010 NAIS Annual Conference is designed to support interests expressed by independent school leaders - all of whom face intrinsically difficult issues within their unique positions. In the climate of today's enormous and unsettling change, school heads, board chairs/trustees, admission directors, business directors, diversity directors, division heads and department chairs, associate heads, development directors, and teacher-leaders are called upon to do what sometimes seems impossible. At the 2010 Annual Conference, NAIS intends to model the power of divergent thinking by profiling unique success stories and by bringing together thought-leaders who are known for their resilience, adaptivity, and success in triumphing against the odds. We intend to heed the call of 2008 NAIS Annual Conference speaker Sir Ken Robinson by embracing humor, creativity, and breakthrough thinking in San Francisco so that our collective community can harness our own superpowers to change the world.
In addition to more than 125 one-hour workshops and speakers, we invite you to uncover superpowers within your own institution: What about the administrator who balanced a budget during a historically difficult time? The teacher who is using technology and creativity to teach to a wide variety of interests in his or her classroom? The fund raiser who exceeded the annual fund goal by communicating your message and needs successfully? The school administrative team that pulled together to GROW the school during a time when other schools were struggling to fill seats? The NAIS Annual Conference will highlight these success stories and give you hope for the future. Don't miss your chance to join the ranks of the superheroes dedicated not only to protecting the "Global Way" but also to projecting past it.
Just as NAIS heralded the start of a new educational renaissance (in 2008, New York City) and called on its member schools to sail confidently into the winds of change (in 2009, Chicago), we now invite you to join us in a city defined by its own adaptive ability to rebound and redefine itself. From a wilderness outpost to a rebuilt city, a finance capital during the 1929 stock market crash to a cosmopolitan destination, San Francisco offers a symbolically rich home for our conference, where independent school leaders will gather to change, adapt, and build new muscle for the continued challenges that lay ahead.
