Community conversation on compassionate education set for May 29

On the evening of Wednesday, May 29, the idea of compassionate education will be explored at a mini-conference at Niagara Street School, 2513 Niagara St., Niagara Falls. All are welcome to this free event, which will provide community members the opportunity to help shape the future of local education.

Presented by the Niagara County Coalition for Services to the Homeless, the gathering will begin with short presentations about current efforts to promote compassion in local schools. Presenters will include Niagara Street School Principal Rocco Merino, Assistant Principal Dorothy Brundidge, and teacher Jennifer Everts. The majority of the meeting time will involve participants dialoguing in small groups to envision compassionate education in Niagara schools.

“Compassionate education is critical to building a compassionate community,” remarked Mitchell Alegre, a member of the conference planning committee and an adjunct professor of management and leadership at Niagara University. “This makes it important that members from all sectors of the community participate in this mini-conference.”

The event is the first in a series of follow-up meetings to the Compassionate Niagara Conference held in March at Niagara University.

Refreshments will be provided at the free event, which is scheduled for 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Sponsors for the event include Calspan, Grigg Lewis Foundation, Confer Plastics, Covanta, Fidelis Care, Niagara Falls City School District, Kane Construction, East Hill Foundation, Community Missions, Phi Delta Kappa Chapter #0047, Catholic Health/Mount St. Mary’s, the Homeless Alliance of WNY, Kalos Health, Niagara Falls Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative and Hohl Industrial.

Advanced registration is requested. For more information, including registration, visit www.niagara.edu/compassion.