The mission of The Vanaver Caravan is to inspire, through dance and music, the harmonious co-existence of world cultures and traditions, to promote peace and celebrate our humanity. Artistic directors, Bill and Livia Vanaver, have dedicated over 50 years to learning and sharing dance traditions from every corner of the earth. They have traveled across the globe, creating lasting life-long friendships along the way. Our international collective of professional Teaching Artists are trained with an extensive knowledge in our world dance and music repertoire. All of our faculty learn The Vanaver Caravan's holistic, gentle teaching philosophy: keeping students focused and disciplined in a positive and respectful way. Students are given space to learn and grow in an environment that fosters curiosity, creative thinking skills, and self-esteem through kinesthetic learning.

History of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Glenn displays a large variety of authentic visual items that assist in the learning process and coordinate with the lecture he provides. Some items which are occasionally passed around, if feasible. This integrates a tactile interaction that stimulates the minds of all ages and is always enjoyable. Children are the key to our future and our first priority is them. It is Glenn's pleasure to bring the experience of a field trip to your location offering you convenience, scheduling and cost effectiveness.

Mission Be, Inc. is a New York–based not-for-profit that has scaled nationally since 2013, bringing mindfulness-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to schools, organizations, and communities. To date, Mission Be has reached over 350,000 individuals across 322 schools and organizations in 28 states and 11 nations. Our curriculum is rooted in neuroscience and aligned with the Next Generation Standards, NYS SEL Standards, the NYS Mental Health Standard, the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and the NYS Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Framework (CR-S). Through workshops, classroom programs, retreats, and assemblies for students, teachers, parents, and faculty, Mission Be provides practical tools with the intention to: Reduce Stress – improve self-regulation and coping skills Increase Focus – strengthen attention and concentration Build Emotional Intelligence – reduce impulsiveness, improve empathy Develop Resilience – enhance capacity to face challenges Promote Well-being – foster healthier school climates and engagement Program Highlights Mission Be offers a variety of engaging, evidence-based programs for students, faculty, and parents, including: Mindfulness in the Classroom (Pre-K–12): 1–16 week curricula with weekly lessons (40 minutes each) taught by Mission Be staff or trained educators. Faculty Meetings & Workshops: Interactive sessions with breathing practices, SEL games, movement, and practical classroom strategies. Professional Development for Educators & Administrators: One-hour to multi-day trainings on neuroscience, stress regulation, and classroom integration. Mindful Mentoring Program for Educators: Six-hour training to strengthen teacher well-being and equip staff with mindfulness tools to support students. Student Leadership Retreats: Full- or half-day trainings empowering students to become “Mindful Mentors” and peer leaders. Parent Workshops: 75-minute sessions that provide families with mindfulness tools to support children’s well-being at home. Headquartered in Islip, NY, Mission Be serves districts across Long Island and beyond, with the ability to travel to regions throughout New York State and nationally. Learn more: www.missionbe.org/events Contact: Carin Winter, CEO — 631-513-6151 | ceo@missionbe.org

I teach Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. Students learn the basics of Photoshop using layers and layer masks and the new Generative toolbar. They will also learn how to composite two or more images into one and how to enhance photographs. I am a professional wedding and portrait photographer with 30 years of experience in photography and over 25 years in Adobe software. My three day photography program is geared towards high-school students and will focus on photo-based image making for story telling, communication, creative expression, personal exploration and digital output. The three-day Adobe Photoshop program teaches how to use Photoshop to enhance images, composite images using layer masks and much more. Students will learn the Photoshop interface which includes: Document window, Menu bar, basic tool bar, the new Generative AI toolbar, Options bar and Panels. In this program, I walk students through building a composite image using different images and text. Then they will learn how they can enhance their own images using adjustment layers and other techniques.

I am a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of books for young readers. I can offer visits to schools, writing conferences, and to local libraries. In the schools, I do small and large group assemblies and offer writing workshops. I live in Utah but frequently travel in the New York area.

Author Ben Mikaelsen He does Zoom/Skype/Google Meet sessions 30-45 mins for $250.00. He does an introduction of himself and then talks about the book the students are reading and then opens it up for Q & A.

Griffin Brady is a celebrated teaching artist who holds a masters degree in Ethnomusicology and is the acclaimed director of the Slyboots School, Slyboots Circus and the Bernard Woma Dagara Music Center USA. Griffin leads tours to schools across the country with the Slyboots Circus and the Saakumu Dance Troupe from Ghana, West Africa.

A violinist and string teacher of 30 years of experience, I offer PD presentations for music teachers such as: "Troubleshooting String Technique Issues," "Jazz Composition in Middle School String Orchestra," "How to help your students manage Performance Anxiety." I also have presentations/workshops for string students, grades 3-12: "Vibrato: basics," "The Process of Sight Reading" In addition, I am available as a teacher coach for music teachers who are new to teaching string instruments (such as a band teacher who gets assigned strings in their school).

The Physics Bus rolls up to schools, parks, fairs, and community centers to invite hands-on science for the senses. Most of our exhibits and demonstrations are made from repurposed materials, offering direct experience with unusual phenomena in an unintimidating "you can do it" way. Themed physics presentations available by special request. Free Science Inc. also offers hands-on tinkering experiences for kids (at your school or a field trip to our site in Ithaca), and teacher workshops on how to make science & engineering fun, accessible, and personally meaningful.

Author, speaker, and youth mover, Brandon Lee White has motivated roughly half a million youth in 48 states over the past 15 years. He helps students take ownership of living a better life from the inside out. He teaches character education, leadership, mental health, anti-bullying, and more. Born unable to speak, Brandon shares his journey from outcast to school president, and in some speeches, he shares his story about his 6-year battle with depression and being an “unmotivated motivational speaker.” Brandon has been seen on TLC, Discovery Health, Fit TV, and TEDx. 1. Super Students (45 min speech)(Grades K-2, 3-5) Everyone loves superheroes, but students don’t know how to apply that to their lives. Super Students teaches students that you don’t need super powers to be a Super Student, just super choices. Brandon teaches how to be courageous and have character regarding bullying, leadership, mental health and making positive/healthy choices. Lots of interaction, humor, and impact! Your entire school and even the teachers will love this presentation! 2. Own It! (45 min speech)(Grades 3-12) Ownership starts with having a clear vision of who you are, what you want, and how hard you’re willing to work. Brandon shares his struggles including mental health and bullying, and then points to the leaders and decisions that turned it all around. Expect lots of funny crowd interaction, thought-provoking examples, moving stories, and a powerful spoken word presentation. Students leave with a new sense of ownership in life and leadership and the motivation to make it happen. 3. Know Your Line (45 min speech)(Grades 4-12) Substance abuse can destroy potential. Goals, dreams, and lives can be ruined through addiction, accidents, and destructive choices. Brandon presents this topic with a balance of fun and seriousness while helping them know their line in which they won’t cross 4. Let It Move (45-60 min interactive workshop)(Grades 4-12) Participants learn leadership through ballroom dance. Positive communication, risk-taking, teamwork, goal-setting, and discipline are all covered in a way that will stick in your memory. It’s a fun and educational way to “break the ice” and get youth moving. This workshop can include total crowd participation or select volunteers depending upon request and space availability. (Maximum occupancy contingent upon space and sound equipment)

I offer two one-person plays (one about Langston Hughes the other about Dr. King) and one poetry reading from my award-winning poetry collection Boneyarn, the only book of poems about slavery in New York City, where the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located. In conjunction with any of the above presentations, I have thematically related writing workshops so students can have their own creative experience to go along with my presentations. Below are descriptions of the three shows. I also give talks about the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Trumpeter Louis Armstrong, and Tuskegee Airman Harry Stewart Jr, who was part of the first group of African-American military pilots who fought in World War II. Below are descriptions of the Langston Hughes, Dr. King and Boneyarn presentations. DAVID MILLS PRESENTATIONS 1) The Dreamweaver: Langston Hughes Performance and Creative Writing Workshop What better way to celebrate Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes—affectionately known as “Shakespeare in Harlem”—than to have students see a dramatic 45-minute presentation about Langston Hughes. Actor David Mills, (whose Hughes show was voted the #4 young-adult show in the nation by The American Library Association) does just that. He takes students on a theatrical odyssey of Hughes’ life spanning six decades from his humble Missouri childhood to his days living in Harlem as an adult. Mr. Mills also captures Hughes’ world travels and writing of his classic poems, such as “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Mother to Son,” “I, Too,” “Montage of a Dream Deferred” and “Madam Alberta K.” While playing black and white, young, old, and male and female characters, Mr. Mills captures Hughes’ unending love for Harlem—with its foibles and fantasies, bruises and beauty. Mr. Mills show also explores how Hughes wrote nearly 50 plays. A Q&A would follow the presentation. Mr. Mills could also conduct a writing workshop using a Hughes blues poem as a model. 2) Dare to Dream: Dr. King Performance and Creative Writing Workshop In a 45-minute, dramatic presentation for an auditorium of students and teachers, actor David Mills would take the audience on an engaging, historic journey, where they witness Dr. King go from a young preacher (with uncertainties about Civil Rights during the Montgomery Bus Boycott) into the nationally-recognized figure he became during the 1963 March on Washington. Mr. Mills’ stirring performance looks at Dr. King as both the public figure and private man. Be roused, be inspired, be transported by “Dare to Dream,” Mr. Mills’ theatrical tribute to Dr. King. A Q&A would follow the performance. Mr. Mills has worked as a teaching artist and performer for over 20 years in schools, universities, and senior centers. So, in conjunction with the performance Mr. Mills can also lead a 45-minute creative writing workshop, in a smaller classroom setting, using Dr. King’s iconic “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as a writing prompt. This workshop will get students to write poems in the forms of letters that relate to their lives. Talking to the Bones: Poetry reading about slavery in New York City and Creative Writing Workshop. Award-winning-poet David Mills would read from his collection, Boneyarn, winner of the North American Book Award and the only poetry collection about slavery in New York City, where the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located. Mr. Mills would conduct a 45-minute reading to an auditorium and use projected visuals to give attendees a sense of 17th-19th century New York. Mr. Mills would discuss the research and writing process that went into creating this groundbreaking book, where he weds little-known colonial history and poetry. What lessons can be learned from coupling these two disciplines. The reading would also be followed by a Q&A. Mr. Mills has worked as a teaching artist and performer for over 20 years in schools. Therefore, in conjunction with the reading, Mr. Mills can lead a 45-minute creative writing workshop that uses a question-and-answer form from his book Boneyarn to get students to write their own poems reflecting on slavery in New York City.

MUSIC OF THE EARTH - A Celebration of World Cultures and Our Planet! Mysterious, exciting, information-packed! World cultures come alive through the powerful vibrations of exotic instruments from around the globe. Unique, interactive assemblies with giant drums, crystal singing bowls, Australian didgeridoos, Chinese gongs, Native American flutes and chants, Indian snake charmer, Aztec wind whistle, Scottish Bagpipes, and much more! Special programs available for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Winter Solstice, Earth Week (April) and St. Patrick’s Day.