Connecting Across Generations: Enhancing School Climate Through Communication

Presenters

• Craig Whedon, Mainstay Academy (GNETS) Griffin Spalding County SchoolsFollow
• Wendy Whedon, Griffin spalding county schoolsFollow

First Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

M.A.

Year First Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

1995

First Presenter's Field of Study

Educational Leadership / Special Education

Institution Where First Presenter Received Highest Degree

Purdue University

First Presenter's Institution

Griffin Spalding County Schools

First Presenter's Brief Bio and Description of Credentials for This Presentation

Craig K. Whedon is a veteran educational leader and behavior specialist with over 30 years of experience in special education, therapeutic supports, and administrative leadership. He currently serves as the Behavior and Therapeutic Supports Program Manager for the Griffin-Spalding County School District and Director of Mainstay Academy, a Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Supports (GNETS) program serving six counties. A doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Arkansas State University, Dr. Whedon is a certified trainer in The Person Brain Model and an advocate for neurorelational approaches to supporting students with emotional and behavioral needs. His research and presentations focus on positive behavior interventions, crisis communication, and effective cross-generational communication in schools.

Second Presenter's Institution

Griffin Spalding County Schools

Second Presenter’s Email Address

wendy.whedon@gscs.org

Second Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

M.A.

Year Second Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

1999

Second Presenter's Field of Study

School Counseling

Institution Where Second Presenter Received Highest Degree

Indiana University

Second Presenter's Brief Bio and Description of Credentials for This Presentation

Wendy Whedon was Griffin Spalding County Schools counselor of the year for 2025-26. She has been a school counselor for over two decades. She is student and staff focused. She is a regular presenter for the Georgia School Counselors Association.

Location

Scarbrough 2

Document Type

Individual Presentation

Primary Strand

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support

Relevance to Primary Strand

This presentation will discuss four generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z) working in the public-school setting. The presentation will provide several approaches to better work with multiple generations within the school environment to communicate and provide PBIS for students, staff, and stakeholders.

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

Climate and Culture

Brief Program Description

Attendees will explore the traits and communication styles of five key generational groups (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha). Participants will gain insights into how these generational differences impact school dynamics and learn strategies to foster better communication and collaboration within the school environments

Summary

Participants will learn various approaches to better understand and work with staff, students, and stakeholders in the school setting. Participants will comprehend how generational groups' traits and values can support and strengthen a school's core values. Participants will understand how generational groups assist everyone involved in developing personal and cultural insights, practicing valuable skills, and establishing connections within the school setting. Participants will understand how generational groups assist everyone involved develop personal and cultural insights, practice valuable skills, and establish connections within the school setting.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will learn a variety of approaches to better understand and work with staff, students, stakeholders in the implementation and continuance of PBIS.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will comprehend how generational groups traits and values can support and strengthen the PBIS core values.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will understand how generational groups involvement in the PBIS process assists everyone involved develop personal and cultural insights, practice valuable skills, and establish connections within the school setting.

Start Date

6-1-2026 3:45 PM

End Date

6-1-2026 4:45 PM

Recommended Citation

Whedon, Craig and Whedon, Wendy, "Connecting Across Generations: Enhancing School Climate Through Communication" (2026). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 35.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2026/2026/35

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.