2026 Conference Archive

Building a Culture of Success from the Inside Out: A School’s Story

First Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

EdS

Year First Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

2025

First Presenter's Field of Study

Educational Innovation

Institution Where First Presenter Received Highest Degree

Augusta University

First Presenter's Institution

Savannah Chatham Public School System

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

Bertha Delgadillo is a National Board Certified Teacher and Ed.D. candidate in Educational Innovation at Augusta University, with a focus on Secondary Spanish Education. She began her teaching career in 2013 and served as a high school Spanish teacher for over a decade before becoming an instructional coach in 2025. Delgadillo is passionate about advocating for students, educators, and inclusive school communities. She regularly presents at conferences and leads professional learning to support educators. In 2023, she was named Georgia World Languages Teacher of the Year by FLAG, and in 2024, SCOLT Teacher of the Year.

Second Presenter's Institution

Savannah Chatham Public School System

Second Presenter’s Email Address

alfred.mcguire@sccpss.com

Second Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

EdS

Year Second Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

2011

Second Presenter's Field of Study

Educational Leadership

Institution Where Second Presenter Received Highest Degree

Mercer University

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

Alfred D. McGuire Jr. is a high school principal in Savannah, Georgia. A native of Lithonia, Georgia, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Savannah State University, a Master’s degree in Middle Grades Education from Georgia Southern State University, and an Educational Specialist degree (K-12 Leadership) from Mercer University. He began his career working with the Educational Talent Search program, mentoring young men from disadvantaged backgrounds to prepare them for post-secondary education. For over a decade, McGuire has guided the school he leads to strong outcomes including its recognition as a national “Model School” and state-level awards for excellence. In 2024, he received the Administrator Support of World Languages Award from the Foreign Language Association of Georgia for his strong advocacy of world language education and inclusive practices. In March 2025, McGuire was named the first high school Principal of the Year by the Savannah‑Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) in recognition of his transformational leadership and commitment to student and staff success. Known for his collaborative and student-centered approach, McGuire emphasizes creating a school culture that values every member of the community and fosters continuous improvement. He and his wife Kimberly, have one son Isaiah.

Third Presenter's Institution

Kennesaw State University

Third Presenter’s Email Address

alise.cremonini@sccpss.com

Third Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

EdD

Year Third Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

2025

Third Presenter's Field of Study

Secondary English Education

Institution Where Third Presenter Received Highest Degree

Kennesaw State University

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

Alise Cremonini has worked in secondary English education since 2017. After earning her M.Ed. in Secondary English Education from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, she relocated to the Southeast in the summer of 2018 to teach English at her current high school. She matriculated into Kennesaw State University's doctoral program in fall 2020 and is slated to earn her Ed.D. in Secondary English Education by December 2025. She centered her dissertation research around teachers' perceptions of social and emotional learning, specifically through her school's choice club program.

Fourth Presenter's Institution

Savannah Chatham County Public Schools

Fourth Presenter’s Email Address

Christine.Holmes@sccpss.com

Fourth Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

EdS

Year Fourth Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

2015

Fourth Presenter's Field of Study

Secondary Education

Institution Where Fourth Presenter Received Highest Degree

Mercer University

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

Christine Holmes, a native of Meridian, MS. As an Assistant Principal, she cultivates student growth and achievement while empowering teachers to implement innovative instructional practices. She is also dedicated to fostering positive relationships with students, families, and staff to build a strong and supportive school community. She holds an associate degree in Liberal Arts from Meridian Community College, a bachelor’s in English Education from The University of West Alabama, a master’s in Secondary Education (English emphasis) from Mississippi State University, and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Mercer University. Mrs. Holmes has been recognized as a Georgia Independent School Association Master Teacher, Top Trojan Teacher, Spirit of Caring Award recipient, and Outstanding Co-Teacher, and is a national presenter on innovative topics impacting education.

Location

Scarbrough 3

Document Type

Individual Presentation

Primary Strand

Youth Resiliency

Relevance to Primary Strand

A wide body of research (Murray & Greenberg, 2000; Buchanan et al., 2009; Schonert-Reichl, 2017) suggests that students’ social and emotional competencies (SEC’s) play a pivotal role in shaping their academic experiences and overall sense of resiliency in school and in life. Our presentation will discuss some of the ways that our high school has worked to implement social and emotional learning initiatives on a schoolwide level to promote both students’ SEC development and academic achievement.

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

Climate and Culture

Brief Program Description

While most schools acknowledge the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL), there exists a gap between theory and practice. This presentation will focus on actionable SEL strategies implemented at one Georgia high school for the past four years. Topics will include embedded classroom strategies to promote student SEL and academic growth, extracurricular programming, and honing the voices of students and faculty to strengthen schoolwide resiliency.

Summary

Research shows that comprehensive school improvement efforts, particularly those centered on relationships and social-emotional learning, lead to greater student achievement (Hoachlander, 2021). At our school, we’ve seen this firsthand by intentionally fostering youth resiliency through data-informed, student-centered practices. Students who feel connected to at least three adults in their school are more likely to thrive academically and socially (Lonczak et al., 2002; Taylor et al., 2002; Samdal et al., 1998), while connected teachers are more likely to promote rigorous learning and instill positive social-emotional behaviors in their students (Schonert-Reichl, 2017; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). With this in mind, we implemented “Fun Advisement” groups to build strong teacher-student relationships, empowered our Student Senate to lead schoolwide initiatives, and embedded SEL practices into daily instruction, among many other schoolwide practices that prioritize connection and student voice.

By analyzing school climate and attendance data and listening deeply through student and faculty focus groups, we’ve designed responsive supports like daily outreach to absent students and reward systems based on student ideas. These efforts reflect the understanding that students who feel seen and supported are less likely to miss school or disengage (Connell et al., 1995). Join us to learn how a shared commitment to belonging, voice, and adult-student connection has helped us create a culture where students feel empowered to succeed…from the inside out.

Evidence

According to Mahoney et al. (2005), educators widely acknowledge extracurriculars’ ability to shape students’ experience and academic achievement, as well as overall school climate. Brown and Roloff (2011) maintain that most teachers hope to positively impact students’ lives through not only academics, but other social and emotional outlets such as extracurriculars. Our school’s “Fun Advisement” (e.g., choice clubs) program promotes not only student achievement and social and emotional learning, but lends teachers valuable opportunities to build more authentic relationships with students. Choice clubs may also offer students and teacher advisors the chance to bond through shared extracurricular interests, offering both parties opportunities to cultivate rapport through unstructured activities (Buchanan et al., 2009).

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to learn about a variety evidence-based practices to positively impact school climate and culture.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to implement schoolwide choice clubs to promote student social and emotional learning, academic achievement, and overall resiliency.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to engage community partners through data-driven techniques to better allocate and utilize resources.

Start Date

6-2-2026 8:30 AM

End Date

6-2-2026 9:30 AM

Creative Commons License

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

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Jun 2nd, 8:30 AM Jun 2nd, 9:30 AM

Building a Culture of Success from the Inside Out: A School’s Story

Scarbrough 3

Research shows that comprehensive school improvement efforts, particularly those centered on relationships and social-emotional learning, lead to greater student achievement (Hoachlander, 2021). At our school, we’ve seen this firsthand by intentionally fostering youth resiliency through data-informed, student-centered practices. Students who feel connected to at least three adults in their school are more likely to thrive academically and socially (Lonczak et al., 2002; Taylor et al., 2002; Samdal et al., 1998), while connected teachers are more likely to promote rigorous learning and instill positive social-emotional behaviors in their students (Schonert-Reichl, 2017; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). With this in mind, we implemented “Fun Advisement” groups to build strong teacher-student relationships, empowered our Student Senate to lead schoolwide initiatives, and embedded SEL practices into daily instruction, among many other schoolwide practices that prioritize connection and student voice.

By analyzing school climate and attendance data and listening deeply through student and faculty focus groups, we’ve designed responsive supports like daily outreach to absent students and reward systems based on student ideas. These efforts reflect the understanding that students who feel seen and supported are less likely to miss school or disengage (Connell et al., 1995). Join us to learn how a shared commitment to belonging, voice, and adult-student connection has helped us create a culture where students feel empowered to succeed…from the inside out.