A trio of veteran Susquehanna Valley High School educators attended the New York State Council for the Social Studies 80th Annual Convention in early March at the Albany Capital Center. To say that SV’s presence was felt at the convention would be an understatement. Laura Mecca-Retzlaff, a consultant teacher for Social Studies at SV High, served as Convention Co-Chairperson, headed the Convention Planning Committee and was responsible for all aspects of the event. To top that: she was elected President of the NYSCSS for the 2018-19 school year!
Teachers Norman Cline and Jody Butts also attended the convention, which included two and a half days of professional development opportunities. There were a wide variety of sessions across all areas of the social studies, including keynote speakers Cheryl Wills, author and NY1 News Anchor, Dinah Zike, pioneer and expert in graphic organizers and educational manipulatives, and James Loewen, award winning author of Lies My Teacher Told Me. Mrs. Butts was one of the presenters: offering a poster session about her methods in her Participation in Government class that was very well received by attendees. Mr. Cline attended sessions presented by the New York State Education Department and will be able to inform K-12 teachers on the latest updates and new Regents exams in social studies.
Mrs. Mecca-Retzlaff’s election occured during the annual business meeting conducted during the convention. Her one year term begins July 1.