On Tuesday, April 28th, a group of Forman School’s colleagues joined educators from across New England at the Educator Showcase for Independent Schools in Southbury, CT.
Representing Forman were Chief Cognition and Learning Officer Jenai Fitzpatrick, Associate Head of School Allie Maxwell, Director of Cognition and Learning Kristin Simmers, and Associate Director of Studies and Winterim Coordinator Dr. Stephanie Weaver. Together, they presented their session, “Empowering Learners Through Shared Executive Functioning Coaching Practices.”
Their session explored how shared executive function (EF) coaching practices throughout a school can unify academic, advisory, and student life experiences for neurodiverse and neurotypical populations. Through reflection prompts and partner discussion, participants examined the importance of EF coaching and how it can support authentic tasks, student voice, and choice in their context. Attendees were also provided with actionable strategies and reflection tools to strengthen consistency, clarity, and excellence across their schools.
What set this presentation apart was the inclusion of student voices. Aiden McCool ’27, Connor Clark ’26, Olivia Weir ’27, and Bella Mendelson ’26 joined the faculty team to reflect on their own EF classes and coaching experiences. They spoke about how these supports have impacted their journeys in strengthening their EF skills.
While the conference encouraged student participation, Forman’s students were the only ones in attendance. They were fully engaged throughout the day, asking thoughtful questions and meaningfully contributing to discussions.
Beyond their own presentation, the students participated in other sessions, including an interactive workshop on advisory programs. One experience even sparked an idea for Connor, who is now eager to collaborate with Dr. Weaver on a future Winterim proposal.
