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Battling Bullies: A Pop Culture Perspective for K-12 Educators • 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM • Tahoma 2 • Arch at 800 Pike Building
From Game of Thrones to Harry Potter we see many different depictions of bullies.  In this panel we'll dissect portrayals of conflict and resilience in pop culture, unveiling strategies to foster empathy, resilience, and safe school communities. Join us to discover how harnessing pop culture can equip educators with the insights needed to engage students in meaningful conversations, break down stereotypes, and cultivate a culture of kindness.

SPED Superheroes: Using Pop Culture to Support Neurodiverse Affirming Learning • 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM • Tahoma 2 • Arch at 800 Pike Building
Special Education in public schools has been grossly overtaxed following the pandemic. More and more children are being identified as needing extra educational supports, while the availability of qualified teachers and special education staff has gone down drastically. In the midst of these significant shortages of resources and higher educational needs, the movement of neurodiversity affirmation has also come to the forefront of educational practices, leaving special educators with new expectations, fewer resources, and more strained systems. This panel aims to explore how to integrate pop culture into special education practices centering neurodiversity and engaging students in fun and meaningful lessons that allow them to grow as individuals and self advocates.  

Feeling Super: Representation of Mental Health Pop Culture • 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM • Tahoma 2 • Arch at 800 Pike Building
Join us for the opportunity to discuss the impact of pop culture on mental health. Have you ever wanted to ask a therapist what they thought of your favorite movie? Or maybe you're curious in exploring the positive depictions of mental health in pop culture? From the portrayal of grief in the MCU to healing attachment wounds in Steven Universe, pop culture is increasingly humanizing the experiences of those impacted by their mental health. Come participate in our panel of licensed mental health professionals as we answer your questions about how pop culture is both breaking down and reinforcing the stigma of mental health and what we can do to create more positive representations in media.

Superqueer: A Discussion on LGBTQ+ Representation in Superhero Media and Power Structures • 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM • Tahoma 2 • Arch at 800 Pike Building
LGBTQ+ representation in superhero media has come a long way since the Comics Code first allowed depictions of queer superheroes and civilians alike in the late 80's, with trailblazing heroes like Northstar (from Marvel Comics' Alpha Flight) and Coagula (from DC's Doom Patrol) demonstrating the positive impact that representation can have. Along with celebrating the advancements being made, however, there should also be time and space provided to discuss where representation is falling short and what improvements can be made. Join University of Chicago Master's candidate as they lead a discussion on what representation in superhero media means to the queer community, and how it affects the way they view their place in the power structures implemented in American society. (Audience participation is strongly encouraged!)

Fight the Power - With Powers! Representations of Black Heroes Across the Multiverse of Marvel • 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM • Tahoma 2 • Arch at 800 Pike Building
Movies, comic books, and TV shows transcend entertainment for many Black fans. Representations of powerful Black characters can serve as a mechanism for survival for fans navigating a society that consistently disadvantages and devalues them. Popular narratives not only normalize feelings of anger and trauma related to racism and discrimination, but also provide platforms for advocacy, affirmation, and healing. This panel of interdisciplinary experts will discuss representations of Blackness across the multiverse of Marvel, to include the impacts on mental health and wellness. Panelists will focus on both film and TV, including Black Panther (2018) and Wakanda Forever (2022), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Across the Spider Verse (2023), and others!

Why Your School Needs a Role Playing Club • 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM • Tahoma 2 • Arch at 800 Pike Building
One of the first play children engage is make believe. It allows children to break rules without consequences, process emotions, and controlling their world. Unfortunately, as children age they push away make believe play as something childish.  Middle schoolers, no longer have recess have much less opportunity for to play with their peers. Evidence shows that role playing helps students develop personality, improve social skills, express their emotions, problem solve, and work as group. Other evidence shows that role playing games can help students improve their mental health and explore their identity. We will look at the evidence that shows how role playing helps students, how to facilitate role playing as part of instruction, how to set up afterschool role playing clubs, and different role playing systems.