The New Wellness Summit: 5 Years Post-COVID
Where well-being meets leadership, learning, and belonging.
The Inn at Villanova
601 County Line RoadWayne, PA 19087-4523
United States
Boldly exploring what’s next for leadership, learning, and community in independent schools.
Join us for a powerful day of connection, reflection, and forward-thinking. This newly expanded program still centers on well-being—but now takes a broader, future-focused look at what independent schools need to thrive in a changed world.
Agenda:
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Check-in and Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Welcome
9:15 AM - 10:45 AM
Morning Keynote: Rewiring Resilience: Brain-Based Solutions for Today’s K–12 Learners
presented by Sarah Prevette, Future Design School
10:45 AM -11:00 AM
Break and Networking
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Morning Workshops ~ Concurrent Sessions
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Afternoon Keynote: Beyond the Headlines: Student Learning Growth and Well-Being in Independent Schools
presented by: Colleen Caulfield, Kelly Bornmann, Mark Hastings, ERB
2:15 PM -2:25 PM Break and Networking
2:25 PM - 3:25 PM Afternoon Workshops ~ Concurrent Sessions
MORNING KEYNOTE
Rewiring Resilience: Brain-Based Solutions for Today’s K–12 Learners
presented by Sarah Prevette, CEO, Future Design School
Across North America, educators are witnessing an escalating crisis: students are increasingly struggling with resilience, focus and cognitive stamina. Shrinking attention spans, skyrocketing anxiety levels and disengagement from deep learning are symptoms of a deeper issue — a generation growing up in a world of constant digital stimulation, cognitive overload and pandemic aftershocks.
In this provocative and deeply insightful keynote, Sarah Prevette, acclaimed innovation leader and CEO of Future Design School, exposes the systemic challenges facing today’s learners — and offers practical, evidence based strategies to address them.
Drawing from the latest neuroscience and developmental psychology, this talk explores how the brain processes stress, attention and motivation — and demonstrates why traditional educational approaches are falling short. Through a blend of evidence and application, school leaders, educators and system designers will gain transformative, brain based strategies to help students strengthen focus, endurance and self regulation.
Key themes include:
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Understanding the cognitive cost of digital distraction and multitasking
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The neuroscience behind attention, memory and learning stamina
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Strategies for strengthening executive function, self regulation and cognitive resilience
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Creating school environments that foster curiosity, focus and meaningful challenge
Participants will leave with actionable frameworks and tools to reimagine learning experiences — empowering students not just to survive but thrive in today’s rapidly changing world.
Sarah Prevette has developed transformational strategy for some of the country’s biggest business leaders and renowned brands. Globally recognized for her work in human-centered design and entrepreneurship, she is proud to work alongside an incredible team of educators to drive innovation inside schools. Prevette’s organization, Future Design School, provides world-class strategy development, professional training programs and resources that empower effective leadership and personalized learning.
Schools across North America leverage Future Design School in order to build capacity with their existing teams and to drive critical skill development with their students. The organization works with school leaders to establish holistic, long term strategic plans that have immediate, measurable impact. Through a wide range of services that include world-class professional development and comprehensive curriculum; the Future Design School team actively supports educators in designing exceptional, experiential learning for students. The company proudly supports over 20,000 educators and more than 350,000 students.
Sarah has an illustrious history of innovation. After starting her career at an early stage startup in 1997, she gained invaluable experience in all aspects of business as she worked with an entrepreneurial team to scale the company into a global behemoth. She was recruited to run product development and marketing for a large software company, which she helped grow and sell to Thomson Reuters in 2008. Prevette then founded Sprouter; the world’s first online community providing real-time advice to startups. The platform was acquired in 2011 and she went on to build BetaKit – a popular technology news site that was acquired in 2013. In 2014, she joined forces with talented business leaders from some of the world’s top companies like LEGO, Virgin and Starbucks to create a venture capital fund that actively invested millions of dollars in early-stage startups across a wide variety of industries and created nearly a billion dollars in net worth.
Sarah has been named by Inc Magazine as one of the top entrepreneurs in North America and one of the “Top 20 Power Elite” by Canadian Business. She is frequently in the media and has been profiled by numerous prestigious publications including The Globe and Mail, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. She is an in-demand speaker who has delivered keynote speeches at prestigious events including South by Southwest, Big Omaha, GrowCo, Summit Series and Google Forward and has lectured at many academic institutions including Harvard, Columbia and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is an active advisor and investor in several companies, as well as an esteemed board member for Communitech and VentureLAB. Sarah proudly serves as an Innovation Advisor to the Governor General and continues to advocate for startups in her ongoing advisory work with various levels of government.
AFTERNOON KEYNOTE
Beyond the Headlines: Student Learning Growth and Well-Being in Independent Schools
presented by: ERB
- Colleen Caulfield, Chief Revenue Officer
- Kelly Bornmann, Senior Director, Educational Services
- Mark Hastings, Member Solutions Director
In the years following the pandemic, the dominant narrative of “learning loss” has shaped national discourse—but how well does that story reflect the experiences of students in independent schools? In this interactive keynote, we’ll explore findings from our latest research on student learning
growth and well-being, drawn from five years of data across NAIS and ADVIS schools. By examining both achievement and well-being trends before and after COVID, we’ll challenge surface-level interpretations and offer a more nuanced understanding of how students are growing—academically and personally—within independent school environments.
Together, we’ll reflect on key questions: How do we interpret data in ways that are meaningful, not misleading? What stories are we telling about our students—and which ones are we missing? How does student well-being impact growth and learning on our campuses? And how might this research inform deeper conversations with academic teams about the evolving role and value of independent schools?
Rather than offering prescriptive answers, this session aims to provoke insight, spark dialogue, and encourage school leaders to engage more thoughtfully with the data that shapes their communities.
| Price | |
|---|---|
|
ADVIS Member Ticket-Early Rate
|
$125.00 |
|
NJAIS Member Ticket-Early Rate
→ If your school is also an ADVIS Member, please stop here, and purchase the ADVIS MEMBER TICKET above. |
$125.00 |
| Price | |
|---|---|
|
ADVIS Member Ticket-Regular Rate
|
$160.00 |
|
NJAIS Member Ticket-Regular Rate
→ If your school is also an ADVIS Member, please stop here, and purchase the ADVIS MEMBER TICKET above. |
$160.00 |
|
Non-Member Ticket-Regular Rate
|
$250.00 |
| Price | |
|---|---|
|
ADVIS Member Ticket-Late Rate
|
$220.00 |
|
NJAIS Member Ticket-Late Rate
→ If your school is also an ADVIS Member, please stop here, and purchase the ADVIS MEMBER TICKET above. |
$220.00 |
|
Non-Member Ticket-Late Rate
|
$300.00 |
We are pleased to offer convenient hotel accommodations for event participants at
The Inn at Villanova.
To reserve, call the Inn directly at 610-450-4953 and request a room from
the ADVIS Wellness Summit block.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
| ‣ Heads of School | ‣ Wellness Educators |
| ‣ Asst. Heads | ‣ College Counselors |
| ‣ Deans | ‣ School Counselors |
| ‣ DEI Practitioners ‣ Division Directors |
‣ Educators shaping the future of school communities |
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
We are seeking forward-thinking, actionable proposals for The New Wellness Summit: 5 Years Post-COVID, dedicated to empowering educators and leaders to thrive in today’s evolved and evolving landscape. Through engaging workshops, panels, or interactive sessions, help us highlight what’s working, what’s emerging, and what’s needed to foster resilience and well-being in independent schools.
SUBMIT A PRESENTATION PROPOSAL
ACT 48 CREDITS
• You may request credit up to 7 days after the event.
• Per the PA Department of Education, ADVIS is required to report your successful completion of Act 48 evaluation within 30 days of the event.
• Available to members only.
• Contact Candyce Wilson for more information.
ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please feel free to request an accommodation on the registration form. For inquiries about accessibility, please contact Membership and Outreach Manager Candyce Wilson. At least two weeks' advance notice will help us to provide seamless access.
EVENT CONTACT
Dena Torino, ADVIS Director of Programming