Association of Teachers of Exceptional Children
Coming Back Together - Celebrating Diverse Voices
October 28, 2022
Registration is now closed - Conference is full
(No refunds after October 14th)
ATEC is pleased to be back in person for October Conference 2022. We have a range of speakers with diverse backgrounds and experiences relevant to educators. Attendees will be provided with tools and strategies to support themselves and their students in today's classrooms and can expect to laugh and enjoy heart-warming stories.
Location
Cineplex - Dartmouth Crossing
Click on map to access directions.
Accommodations
Please Note: discounted rooms have been blocked off for ATEC participants for October 27th, 28th & 29th at The Holiday Inn Express Dartmouth (335 John Savage Avenue) until September 30th, 2022. Please call 902-431-1122 to book.
Standard Rooms (either with two queen beds or one king bed) at the special rate of $135 per night plus tax .Queen suites (2 queen beds and one pull out) at the special rate of $175 per night plus tax.
Please note that the teacher's rate is based on single occupancy. There is a $25 fee for additional persons in the room. This fee will be waived within the block ( September 30th) but if guests call to book outside of the block, they will be charged this fee.
Registration Information:
Conference Fee: $100.00
Substitutes / Retirees: $80.00
Pre-Service Teachers: $65.00
As per NSTU Operational Procedure 14 E. IV.: receipts of payment and attendance will not be distributed until the conference has concluded.
Deadline for registration is: October 14th.
Registrar: Amy Barron - atecconference@nstu.ca
Annual General Meeting
Friday, October 28, 2022 - 1:15-1:30 p.m
Note: Workshop numbers refer to the Theatre number where the session is taking place.
Session A 9:00 - 10:15 am
A1: I am the Difference
Educators have the power to transform their classroom AND their school! When we understand what drives us... we are able to capitalize on the potential we have to make a difference in the lives of those around us.
Workshop Capacity: 150
Presenter: Danny Steele
Danny Steele is beginning his 30th year of education, and this school year marks his second as the principal of Homewood Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama. Prior to this position, he has served as a principal, assistant principal, teacher, coach, and assistant professor of Instructional Leadership. In 2005, Steele was recognized as the “Assistant Principal of the Year” for the state of Alabama. And in 2016, he was recognized as Alabama’s “Secondary Principal of the Year.” He has presented at numerous state and national conferences and spoken in school districts around the country. He has written five books, including two with Todd Whitaker. Steele has an undergraduate degree in History from Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, GA); he has a graduate degree in History from the University of Alabama, Birmingham; he has an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Administration and an Educational Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership – both from Samford University. He resides with his wife and three (mostly grown) kids in Birmingham.
A4: Experiences and Successes Through Eskasoni
Workshop Capacity: 100
Presenter: Leroy Denny
Chief Leroy Denny is a graduate of Cape Breton University where he received his Bachelor of Arts, Community Studies in 1999. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Education at St. Francis Xavier University in 2002.
Always putting the wellness of his community first led to his career in politics and he was first elected as Chief of Eskasoni in 2010 and has held this position since.
In November of 2021, he received his Honorary Doctorate degree from CBU because of his dedication to his community and the people who live and work there.
Chief Denny is a strong advocate for education and wants to see true revitalization of the Mi’kmaw language. He has worked to open an immersion school in Eskasoni and hopes to see this lead the way for more Mi’kmaw immersion schools in other communities. He has been a strong advocate for language both in his own province, by working to develop language protection in Nova Scotia, and at the National level, through his work with the Assembly of First Nations on Bill C 91 - An Act Respecting Indigenous Language.
Chief Denny is the Chair of Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey (MK), a self-governing Mi’kmaw organization which operates under the Mi’kmaq Education Act – an agreement that recognizes their authority to support local band schools in delivering language immersion and other culturally rich programs and activities.
A6: Living with Resilience: The Art of Bouncing Back
Why do some people bounce back from tragedy and others fall apart? How do some people stay upbeat during tough times while others collapse? What makes one person thrive while another person barely survives in exactly the same circumstances? The answer to all of these questions is “resilience.” Resilience is that strength of spirit that lets you bounce back and make a go of it, despite adversity. Resilience is a skill mindset that can be developed. The key to resilience is perspective. How you see the world, how you see yourself and how you see the two in relationship to one another, are critical considerations that make all the difference.
Bill discusses such things as: self-talk; mirror neurons; toxic and tonic people and how they affect your day-to-day reality; understanding change as transformation; learning to be gentle with ourselves; learning not to “jury rig” in times of transformation; taking care with what you feed your head and heart; the negative role all media can play and how all this and much more effects your perspective; and finally how to nurture and grow your resilience when you need it most.
Like any skill, once you understand the mechanics and assemble the tools and apply yourself, you can become a master. The last year has been a difficult one and this year looks every bit as challenging – never has resilience mattered more and been more sorely needed. Let Bill guide you with wit and wisdom on how we can live with resilience!
Workshop Capacity: 325 
Presenter: Bill Carr
For over twenty-five years, Bill Carr has been making people laugh at what’s trivial while helping them think deeply about what counts. His unique blend of humour and insight inspires laughter and helps people see their world with a fresh perspective. Carr is an award-winning writer, speaker, actor, and coach.
Carr’s career has seen him perform on stages across the country most notably in Nova Scotia at Neptune Theatre, Mermaid Theatre, and the Atlantic Theatre Festival. He has written and performed in numerous radio dramas and news programs for CBC and has appeared on countless television programs and several movies.
Carr can currently be seen as “Judge Campbell” in season 2 of Diggstown on CBC and has a principal role as Jack in the movie, Spinster, which premiered at the Whistler Film Festival in December 2019. He has previously played Lloyd Dallas in Neptune Theatre’s live production of Noises Off. In 2020, Carr began hosting a weekly radio segment on Rogers 97.5 FM in Halifax called “Shift For Brains”, which examines current affairs and news.
A9: Building Soft Landings for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth
Building Soft Landings is a workshop about creating inclusive, welcoming, intentional spaces of exploration and support for 2SLGBTQIA+ students. In this workshop, we will discuss foundations of gender and sexuality 101 while also sharing stories, best practices, and affirming tools that can create spaces of care, celebration, and sustainable support networks for 2SLGBQTIA+ students. We will also discuss how covid-19 has impacted 2SLGBTQIA+ youth navigating the realities of coming out, isolation, gaps in localised resources, and building community while brainstorming ways to continue to build these students up and meet their needs. Bring questions and come as you are!
Workshop Capacity: 100
Presenter: Carmel Farahbakhsh (they/them), Youth Project Executive Director
Carmel is a community educator, arts maker, and youth worker. They transitioned from a five-year term coordinating South House Sexual and Gender Resource Centre to working as the Executive Director at the Youth Project for the past two years. As the Executive Director of the Youth Project, Carmel holds a youth-centric approach to organizational movement and support. Carmel builds their vision from their community education background and aims to apply an anti-racist and trauma-informed framework to their work. Seeing a direct link between 2SLGBQTIA+ (Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, intersex, acesexual,+) engagement and access to the creative sector, Carmel has also collaborated on the Khyber Centre for the Arts board for four years, and enjoys their position as Co-Director of local music festival EVERYSEEKER. Aditioanlly, they are passionate about collaborating and organizing with grassroots initiatives, artist-run-centres, and community partners with an aim to create wider 2SQTBIPOC (Two Spirit, queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, people of colour) community and support systems provincially.
A10: Disability Success Story - My Personal Journey
During the sessions, Kevin will share his personal experience as a person with a disability over the past three decades. This keynote will be motivational, informative, and a lot of fun!
Workshop Capacity: 75 
Presenter: Kevin Penny
In 1991 at the age of 15, Kevin was in a bicycle accident and as a result suffered a spinal cord injury which resulted in paralysis from the chest down. Through perseverance and determination, as well as community and family support, Kevin graduated from Horton District High School in 1995 and continued his post-secondary education at St. Mary's University. In 2000, Kevin earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship and in 2002 was hired as a Wage Subsidy Program Manager by the Department of Education. In 2005, Kevin was hired full time as Coordinator of Disability Services supporting students with disabilities at post-secondary institutions.
In March 2022, Kevin accepted the position of Manager of Post-Secondary Accessibility and will be utilizing his many years of experience by promoting and advocating inclusion for students with disabilities at post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia. During the past 25 years, Kevin has served on several boards including: Independent Living Nova Scotia, Teamwork Cooperative, Canadian Paraplegic Association, and Sail Able Nova Scotia. Through professional and personal endeavors, Kevin has become well-versed in issues that affect persons with cross-disabilities. This includes areas such as education, employment, accessibility, and recreation.
Kevin enjoys traveling, being an advocate for persons with disabilities, and has a "minor addiction" of sailboat racing and has competed across Canada at several regattas for persons with disabilities. Currently, Kevin is a social media influencer under the platform Accessible Adventurers. Kevin is going to continue to provide content around accessibility and inclusion under a new brand called Accessible Adventuring, consisting mainly of Instagram and Facebook posts and stories. YouTube videos may pop up every once in a while but at this time the focus will be on these platforms.
A11: Stress Awareness
Leanne is passionate about helping schools make the shift towards understanding the importance of self regulation, stress awareness and well-being through brain science and looking beyond behaviors to understand the “why”.
Workshop Capacity: 100
Presenter: Leanne Tattrie
Leanne Tattrie is a registered psychologist who has been working in the public school and private sector for 19 years. She is currently employed as a school psychologist within the CBVCE where she has been employed since 2006 while simultaneously running a busy private practice . Leanne also spent time working in Alberta as a full time individual and family counselor/psychologist.
First introduced to self-reg in 2006 when she had the opportunity to see Dr. Stuart Shanker present at a local conference and was hooked since that time. Since that time, Leanne completed the Level 1 Self-Reg Foundations courses as well as the Level 2 Self-Reg Facilitators course through the Mehrit Centre. Leanne has provided dozens of presentations within the CBVRCE on self regulation and stress awareness in schools for classroom teachers, student services support staff, TAs students and lunch ground/bus supervisors and more.
From Leanne: I consider myself an eternal learner. I love to learn and am highly interested in the impact of stress, trauma and the importance of connection within our schools and classrooms. I love to share knowledge and experiences of what I am learning and what I am observing across schools. I am a big advocate for “know better, do better” and not staying stuck just because it's “always been done that way”.
A12: Low Arousal Approach
Workshop Capacity: 150
Presenter: Adam Gardiner
Adam J. Gardiner was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, but now resides in nearby Dominion. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 (Cape Breton University) and Bachelor of Education in 2008 (Memorial University of NFLD)
From 2001 to 2018 Adam served with the Canadian Armed Forces Engineer Reserves, then from 2008 to 2012 Adam was a School Teacher with the CBVRCE .
Adam is a certified Low Arousal Instructor since 2016 from Studio 3 Training Systems in the UK. He is currently the Lead Trainer for Nova Scotia, and completed the ATLASS Program (Stress & Wellbeing) through Birmingham City University in 2020. Since 2012 Adam Gardiner is the Manager of Employee Development with Breton Ability Centre.
Session B 10:45-12:00 pm
Repeat of A Sessions
Session C 1:30-2:45
(note: C6 includes an informal meet and greet after the session from 2:45-3:00).
C1: I am the Difference
Educators have the power to transform their classroom AND their school! When we understand what drives us... we are able to capitalize on the potential we have to make a difference in the lives of those around us.
Workshop Capacity: 125
Presenter: Danny Steele
Danny Steele is beginning his 30th year of education, and this school year marks his second as the principal of Homewood Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama. Prior to this position, he has served as a principal, assistant principal, teacher, coach, and assistant professor of Instructional Leadership. In 2005, Steele was recognized as the “Assistant Principal of the Year” for the state of Alabama. And in 2016, he was recognized as Alabama’s “Secondary Principal of the Year.” He has presented at numerous state and national conferences and spoken in school districts around the country. He has written five books, including two with Todd Whitaker. Steele has an undergraduate degree in History from Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, GA); he has a graduate degree in History from the University of Alabama, Birmingham; he has an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Administration and an Educational Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership – both from Samford University. He resides with his wife and three (mostly grown) kids in Birmingham.
C4: Experiences and Successes Through Eskasoni
Workshop Capacity: 100 Presenter: Leroy Denny
Chief Leroy Denny is a graduate of Cape Breton University where he received his Bachelor of Arts, Community Studies in 1999. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Education at St. Francis Xavier University in 2002.
Always putting the wellness of his community first led to his career in politics and he was first elected as Chief of Eskasoni in 2010 and has held this position since.
In November of 2021, he received his Honorary Doctorate degree from CBU because of his dedication to his community and the people who live and work there.
Chief Denny is a strong advocate for education and wants to see true revitalization of the Mi’kmaw language. He has worked to open an immersion school in Eskasoni and hopes to see this lead the way for more Mi’kmaw immersion schools in other communities. He has been a strong advocate for language both in his own province, by working to develop language protection in Nova Scotia, and at the National level, through his work with the Assembly of First Nations on Bill C 91 - An Act Respecting Indigenous Language.
Chief Denny is the Chair of Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey (MK), a self-governing Mi’kmaw organization which operates under the Mi’kmaq Education Act – an agreement that recognizes their authority to support local band schools in delivering language immersion and other culturally rich programs and activities.
C6: Tareq Hadhad: Peace by Chocolate
(note: includes an informal meet and greet after the session from 2:45-3:00).
Tareq speaks on the compelling story of his family, the positive impact of newcomers, and the spirit of resiliency, entrepreneurship and giving back.
Workshop Capacity: 325 
Presenter: Tareq Hadhad
Tareq Hadhad is telling his story. He was a Syrian refugee and now living his new life with his entrepreneurial family in Canada’s east coast. He is the founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate, the recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2021 for Atlantic, named one of the Top 25 Immigrants in The Maritimes, selected by Google as the National Hero Case, and was awarded RBC’s top Immigrant Award and Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020 and Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Medal. All of this has happened since Tareq’s arrival on Canada’s East Coast in December 2015 as a Syrian-Canadian newcomer. In 2012 the Hadhad’s home and factory that housed the family chocolate-making business were destroyed which forced them to seek safety in other countries. A former medical student at Damascus University and long-time peacekeeping advocate, Tareq joined medical relief efforts after arriving in Lebanon. A new life began when Tareq and his family were welcomed to Canada on a community-based sponsorship. Passionate about peace and entrepreneurship, his family relaunched the family business to recreate the chocolates they once exported across the Middle East and their story turned into an international inspiring phenomenon.
Tareq and his family have a focus on job creation, utilizing a network of local community members and refugees from across Nova Scotia and Canada to help support the local economy. Now that their chocolates are distributed across Canada, they look to offer more employment opportunities as their business grows. In January 2020, Tareq received his official Canadian Citizenship which garnered international attention and has become one of the greatest accomplishments of his life. He has had the privilege to meet former President of the United States, Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Ministers, and has had conversations with many World Leaders.
Author Jon Tattrie wrote a book about the Hadhad’s story which has become a best seller. A feature film, Peace by Chocolate, also based on the family’s story premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and launched in Cineplex theaters across Canada in the spring of 2022. The film won several film festivals awards and accolades. Tareq has spoken at the Summit of The Americas, Amnesty International’s Human Rights Conference, TEDx events, and Chambers of Commerce Dinners. He delivered keynote presentations in Jamaica, London England, Paris, and Copenhagen, spoke to several corporate and government organizations both in person and virtually, and has done over 500 interviews with different news teams across the globe.
C9: Building Soft Landings for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth
Building Soft Landings is a workshop about creating inclusive, welcoming, intentional spaces of exploration and support for 2SLGBTQIA+ students. In this workshop, we will discuss foundations of gender and sexuality 101 while also sharing stories, best practices, and affirming tools that can create spaces of care, celebration, and sustainable support networks for 2SLGBQTIA+ students. We will also discuss how covid-19 has impacted 2SLGBTQIA+ youth navigating the realities of coming out, isolation, gaps in localised resources, and building community while brainstorming ways to continue to build these students up and meet their needs. Bring questions and come as you are!
Workshop Capacity: 100
Presenter: Carmel Farahbakhsh (they/them), Youth Project Executive Director
Carmel is a community educator, arts maker, and youth worker. They transitioned from a five-year term coordinating South House Sexual and Gender Resource Centre to working as the Executive Director at the Youth Project for the past two years. As the Executive Director of the Youth Project, Carmel holds a youth-centric approach to organizational movement and support. Carmel builds their vision from their community education background and aims to apply an anti-racist and trauma-informed framework to their work. Seeing a direct link between 2SLGBQTIA+ (Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, intersex, acesexual,+) engagement and access to the creative sector, Carmel has also collaborated on the Khyber Centre for the Arts board for four years, and enjoys their position as Co-Director of local music festival EVERYSEEKER. Aditioanlly, they are passionate about collaborating and organizing with grassroots initiatives, artist-run-centres, and community partners with an aim to create wider 2SQTBIPOC (Two Spirit, queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, people of colour) community and support systems provincially.
C10: Disability Success Story - My Personal Journey
During the sessions, Kevin will share his personal experience as a person with a disability over the past three decades. This keynote will be motivational, informative, and a lot of fun!
Workshop Capacity: 75
Presenter: Kevin Penny
In 1991 at the age of 15, Kevin was in a bicycle accident and as a result suffered a spinal cord injury which resulted in paralysis from the chest down. Through perseverance and determination, as well as community and family support, Kevin graduated from Horton District High School in 1995 and continued his post-secondary education at St. Mary's University. In 2000, Kevin earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship and in 2002 was hired as a Wage Subsidy Program Manager by the Department of Education. In 2005, Kevin was hired full time as Coordinator of Disability Services supporting students with disabilities at post-secondary institutions.
In March 2022, Kevin accepted the position of Manager of Post-Secondary Accessibility and will be utilizing his many years of experience by promoting and advocating inclusion for students with disabilities at post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia. During the past 25 years, Kevin has served on several boards including: Independent Living Nova Scotia, Teamwork Cooperative, Canadian Paraplegic Association, and Sail Able Nova Scotia. Through professional and personal endeavors, Kevin has become well-versed in issues that affect persons with cross-disabilities. This includes areas such as education, employment, accessibility, and recreation.
Kevin enjoys traveling, being an advocate for persons with disabilities, and has a "minor addiction" of sailboat racing and has competed across Canada at several regattas for persons with disabilities. Currently, Kevin is a social media influencer under the platform Accessible Adventurers. Kevin is going to continue to provide content around accessibility and inclusion under a new brand called Accessible Adventuring, consisting mainly of Instagram and Facebook posts and stories. YouTube videos may pop up every once in a while but at this time the focus will be on these platforms.
C11: Low Arousal Approach
Workshop Capacity: 100
Presenter: Adam Gardiner
Adam J. Gardiner was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, but now resides in nearby Dominion. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 (Cape Breton University) and Bachelor of Education in 2008 (Memorial University of NFLD)
From 2001 to 2018 Adam served with the Canadian Armed Forces Engineer Reserves, then from 2008 to 2012 Adam was a School Teacher with the CBVRCE .
Adam is a certified Low Arousal Instructor since 2016 from Studio 3 Training Systems in the UK. He is currently the Lead Trainer for Nova Scotia, and completed the ATLASS Program (Stress & Wellbeing) through Birmingham City University in 2020. Since 2012 Adam Gardiner is the Manager of Employee Development with Breton Ability Centre.
C12: Living with Resilience: The Art of Bouncing Back
Why do some people bounce back from tragedy and others fall apart? How do some people stay upbeat during tough times while others collapse? What makes one person thrive while another person barely survives in exactly the same circumstances? The answer to all of these questions is “resilience.” Resilience is that strength of spirit that lets you bounce back and make a go of it, despite adversity. Resilience is a skill mindset that can be developed. The key to resilience is perspective. How you see the world, how you see yourself and how you see the two in relationship to one another, are critical considerations that make all the difference.
Bill discusses such things as: self-talk; mirror neurons; toxic and tonic people and how they affect your day-to-day reality; understanding change as transformation; learning to be gentle with ourselves; learning not to “jury rig” in times of transformation; taking care with what you feed your head and heart; the negative role all media can play and how all this and much more effects your perspective; and finally how to nurture and grow your resilience when you need it most.
Like any skill, once you understand the mechanics and assemble the tools and apply yourself, you can become a master. The last year has been a difficult one and this year looks every bit as challenging – never has resilience mattered more and been more sorely needed. Let Bill guide you with wit and wisdom on how we can live with resilience!
Workshop Capacity: 175
Presenter: Bill Carr
For over twenty-five years, Bill Carr has been making people laugh at what’s trivial while helping them think deeply about what counts. His unique blend of humour and insight inspires laughter and helps people see their world with a fresh perspective. Carr is an award-winning writer, speaker, actor, and coach.
Carr’s career has seen him perform on stages across the country most notably in Nova Scotia at Neptune Theatre, Mermaid Theatre, and the Atlantic Theatre Festival. He has written and performed in numerous radio dramas and news programs for CBC and has appeared on countless television programs and several movies.
Carr can currently be seen as “Judge Campbell” in season 2 of Diggstown on CBC and has a principal role as Jack in the movie, Spinster, which premiered at the Whistler Film Festival in December 2019. He has previously played Lloyd Dallas in Neptune Theatre’s live production of Noises Off. In 2020, Carr began hosting a weekly radio segment on Rogers 97.5 FM in Halifax called “Shift For Brains”, which examines current affairs and news.
Visit the updated ATEC website.