2025 IBSC Annual Conference

Best Practices for Attending to Student and Educator Well-Being in Boys’ Schools
Results from surveys administered to over 7,000 students at boys’ schools show rates of clinically significant depression and anxiety remain concerning. Examine survey findings to highlight the aspects of school life most linked to well-being and hear how one school has used data to prioritize interventions and improve mental health.
Presenters: Nina Kumar, Authentic Connections; Byron Hulsey, Woodberry Forest School (United States)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Melvoin Academic Center A29

Presentation

Breaking Bread: Connecting Through Cuisine to Build Character and Foster Community
Explore how intentional dining practices foster belonging, collaboration, and leadership in schools. Using Belmont Hill’s family-style dining model, see how shared meals and thoughtful seating create authentic connections and engagement. Learn how dining spaces can educate students on nutrition, ingredients, and the cultural significance of food.
Presenter: Tony Maws, Belmont Hill School (United States)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Dining Hall Annex

Creating a Culture of Collaboration
Find out how to create a culture of collaboration where boys, staff, and school partnerships foster a sense of belonging in a boys’ school environment through innovative progams. Discover how our school facilitates a sense of connection and engagement with our school and global community.
Presenter: Rachel Peak, Rosmini College (New Zealand)
Appeals to: All Ages
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Science Center S3

Presentation

Growing Engagement with Strategic Gaming
Strategic games provide boys with opportunities to make mistakes, trust their intuition, and forge friendships both with each other and their teachers. Sponsoring a board game club has allowed students to have such opportunities and learn more about mentorship and negotiation. Adding related games to lesson plans has promoted stronger understanding for our students since 2015.
Presenter: Nelson Berry, Montgomery Bell Academy (United States)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Prenatt Music Center P9

Workshop Materials

Rebuilding Belonging in a Rebuilt School—Culture, Not Just Concrete
Following the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, Shirley Boys’ High School relocated to a shared site with a girls’ school under a co-location model. Join us to explore our school’s journey of redefining itself in a different learning environment, investigating the impact of co-location, fostering a sense of belonging, and adapting school design, culture, and values in a completely new setting.
Presenters: Tim Grocott and Kris Vine, Shirley Boys' High School (New Zealand)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Prenatt Music Center P12

Building Empathy and Identity Together: Bibliotherapy for Social-Emotional Growth
Explore how elementary school libraries foster social-emotional growth and challenge stereotypes through quality literature. Join us to highlight bibliotherapy as a teaching practice, building empathy, perspective-taking, and healthy masculinity. Gain strategies, lesson plans, book lists, and reflection tools to shape young learners' sense of self and community.
Presenter: Michele Rutter, Camberwell Grammar School (Australia)
Appeals to: Lower/Primary School (Ages 5-12)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Science Center S6

Workshop Materials

Cultivating Culture and Connection: Strengths-Based Pastoral Care and Shared Values
Explore how Marcellin College leveraged internal and external research findings to reimagine our pastoral program to meet the developmental needs of adolescent boys. Learn how the school’s HEART values (humility, excellence, acceptance, resilience, and trust) underpin a strengths-based approach to pastoral care that enhances student well-being, supports prosocial behavior, and transforms school culture.
Presenters: Sarah Moss-Holland and Simon Annett, Marcellin College (Australia)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Science Center S9

Empowering Agency Through Engagement: Insights from Boys’ Character Development
After five years of cultivating student agency through Grade 10 and 11 participatory action research projects, we discovered our students’ sense of identity and purpose increased. Through co-curricular, student-led projects to inform school culture, boys developed the reflection, collaboration, and communication competencies to critically reflect on their pathway to develop as men of character.
Presenters: Trish Cislak and Sandra Boyes, Crescent School (Canada)
Appeals to: Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Morse M7

Presentation

Men of Character: Healthy Masculinity and Leadership Through the King’s Way
Our school developed The King’s Way, a coaching framework to grow character, resilience, leadership, and wisdom under pressure in graduates. Informed by Jean Côté’s 4Cs (competence, confidence, connection, and character), it fosters healthy masculinity, athlete agency, emotional intelligence, and growth mindsets. By creating volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments, it builds leaders ready to thrive under pressure.
Presenter: David Idstein, The King's School (Australia)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Science Center S8

Presentation
Infographic

Shifting Learning Culture Through Targeted Intervention and Positive Relationships
Using targeted intervention programs, such as academic tracking, we have seen students improve their GPA scores over the course of an academic semester. We select students through a data-informed process that triggers several actions by the college. At the end of six months, we measure the impact of these actions and review strategies. Join us to learn more.
Presenter: Francis Camenzuli, St. Bernard's College (Australia)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Science Center S10

Designing for Depth: Developing Deeper Learning Experiences
Tired of shallow learning? Join us to explore how deeper, interdisciplinary experiences can transform your classroom. Get a powerful framework to help students connect with real-world issues, foster empathy, and create meaningful projects with lasting impact. Leave with practical tools to inspire deeper learning and engagement in your school.
Presenters: Nate Kraai, Matt Ward, and Jill MacKinnon, The Fenn School (United States)
Appeals to: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Melvoin Academic Center A26

Looking Inward, Outward, and Forward: Community-Focused Curricular Review
University School’s new curricular review process not only provides a clearer picture of the subject-area pathways a boy will follow through our school but also fosters more purposeful connections between faculty in different divisions and across campuses. Join us to hear highlights of the process and how it has resulted in positive curricular change.
Presenters: Jennifer Beros, Lindsay Arnoult, Lisa Cummings, and Krystopher Perry, University School (United States)
Appeals to: All Ages
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Science Center S2

Workshop Materials

Makerspace for All
Explore the research, planning, design, and implementation of a multidisciplinary makerspace at Xaverian Brothers and discover how to use a makerspace innovatively to teach boys in humanities and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses. Join us to hear about maker projects from concept through execution and engage in a collaborative session designed to inspire maker projects.
Presenters: Ryan Howard, Elizabeth Shatas, and Andrew Sgro, Xaverian Brothers High School (United States)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: Bolles Makerspace

Presentation

The Art of Partnership: Uniting Brother and Sister Schools Through the Arts
Join us to explore coordinating arts programs between all-boys and all-girls schools. Learn strategies to foster collaboration, celebrate diverse perspectives, and address logistical challenges while honoring each school’s unique culture. Discover how shared creative experiences enhance student growth and build stronger, inclusive communities.
Presenter: Kerry Court, St. Christopher's School (United States)
Appeals to: Middle School (Ages 12-15), Upper/Senior School (Ages 15-19)
Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Room: William H. Byrnes Library Lab Classroom

Presentation

The EI Experience: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in Action
Unlock the power of emotional intelligence (EI) to enhance relationships, improve decision-making, and develop leadership that boosts performance. Join this interactive workshop to explore key EI competencies, assess your own EI, and discover practical strategies to build a world-class culture of engagement, retention, and well-being.
Presenter: Duane Jourdeans, Saint Thomas Academy (United States)
Appeals to: All Ages
Knowledge Level: New to the topic
Room: Science Center S5

Workshop Materials