2026 NYSAFLT Annual Conference

2026 NYSAFLT Annual Conference

Welcome to the 109th NYSAFLT Annual Conference!

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7:30am EDT

Mentor and Volunteer Breakfast King Street Ballroom Coffee available at Registration Fort Orange Atrium Conference Registration Fort Orange Atrium

8:30am EDT

Endless Possibilities: Creating Thematic Curriculum for Checkpoint C Fort Orange 5Bill Heller Finding and Using Authentic Resources at the Novice Level Shaker RoomSamantha Decker So, What’s Your Plan? (And Why Does It Take You All Weekend?) Town Hall AmphitheaterMeredith White Teaching Gen Alpha: Fast, Fun, and Fully Engaged Fort Orange 7Leah Grady Your Language Teaching Assistant? It’s Canva! Fort Orange 9Noemi Rodriguez

11:30am EDT

Lunch and Recognitions (scholarship, grant, and award winners) King Street Ballroom

12:30pm EDT

Exhibits Grand Opening Coffee Fort Orange Atrium

1:00pm EDT

Building Confident Communicators through Proficiency-Oriented Teaching High Street 26Ivan Ferrero Encouraging Belonging and Empowering Storytelling in the WL Classroom High Street 28Alexis Nicholas • Oumar Sarr PhD Scrolling to Speaking: Turning Today’s Media into Tomorrow’s Proficiency Shaker RoomJustin Seifts Authentic Connection Through Authentic Communication Fort Orange 5Christina Margiore From First-Year Scare to Veteran Flair: Managing a World Language Classroom Fort Orange 7Swaz Piron • Zoey Baird From Points to Proficiency: Our Journey Transitioning to the AAPPL Exam High Street 24Shawnna Sweet • Rachel Hakes Reaching your Assessment Destination Town Hall AmphitheaterJoshua Wigle-Harris Streamlining Your Seal of Biliteracy Workflow Fort Orange 9Kurt Hassenpflug Unlocking Publication Potential: How to Get Published in the NYSAFLT Journal High Street 22Erin Kearney

2:00pm EDT

Conference Exhibit Viewing King Street Atrium

2:15pm EDT

NYSAFLT Board of Directors Meeting High Street 22

2:30pm EDT

Leveraging Assessments for College and Career Readiness Shaker RoomJennifer Carson Attention, Memory and Technology: How to get our students back? Fort Orange 5Patricia Martínez de la Vega Mansilla • Abi Cleary Curious Minds: Undergraduate Research and Projects Fort Orange AtriumKate Kagan From Silence to Confidence: Strategies for Speaking and Writing High Street 28Elizabeth Boghosian • Kimberly Giammichele Interpersonal Speaking: Cultivating Competencies That Spark Joy High Street 26Robin Birnbaum It’s Checkpoint C, not Checkpoint ZZZ! Keeping Upper-Level Students Engaged Fort Orange 7Evelyn Ledezma • Marna Meltzer-McMorris Low Stakes, High Impact: Activities That Build Communication and Community Town Hall AmphitheaterAlexandra Cabrera The Care and Feeding of a Student Teacher High Street 24Will Anderson • Jennifer Nesfield Toolbox for Level 1 Success: Strategies That Stick Fort Orange 9Kyle Davis • Jimmy Peralta-Gamez

3:30pm EDT

Conference Exhibit Viewing - Coffee Break King Street Atrium

4:00pm EDT

Elementary International Exchange: Penpals between the US and Cuba Fort Orange 7Thomas Millington • Kaci Sciarabba M.A. A Smarter approach: Native & Heritage speakers in the World Language class High Street 26Andrea Hernandez • Gallegos Doreen Rose Bringing Art to Life: Engaging Checkpoint B Learners Through Communication Shaker RoomTatyana Qadiri Engaged & Empowered: Practical Strategies for Novice Instruction Fort Orange 5Marissa Coulehan • Wendy Torres Gotitas del Saber: Language and Culture Learning Through Podcasting Fort Orange 9Nivia Marrero • César Lozada Leveling Up Your Practice: Engaging with Professional WL Organizations High Street 28Michele Ortiz Ana • Aguiar-Mady Museum Mania, Great Galleries and Excellent Exhibits: Fantasy Trips for All Town Hall AmphitheaterLori Langer de Ramirez Partnering With Multilingual Families to Build Cultural Capital High Street 24Marcia Ranieri

5:00pm EDT

Conference Exhibit Viewing – Wine and Cheese (Raffle) Fort Orange Atrium

6:30pm EDT

Awards Banquet King Street Ballroom