Bari will show how the decisions you make today determine who you will be in 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 6 years from now.

Brandy Brewer was a freshman at Green Mountain High School. At the beginning of that school year at GM there were 3 students at a table in an art class. Just three months later only one student was left at that table, and kids started asking her, “When are you gonna kill yourself?” Brandy Brewer was that student, and after losing four friends to suicide in 8 months, Brandy even got to the point of thinking about suicide too. Sandy Austin was Brandy’s school counselor and kept in touch with Brandy as she navigated the next three years of high school in the aftermath of the loss of her friends. Brandy’s perseverance and resilience was the inspiration behind Sandy starting the B.I.O.N.I.C. Team to empower kids in how to reach out to hurting peers. Brandy has gone on to be a trusted friend of her peers not hesitating to dive deep into the pain of her friends to walk alongside them through the darkest days of their lives. Brandy Brewer is a hero to so many and a great role model of what a true friend is.

I met Sandy Austin on Clubhouse during COVID as she was pitching about B.I.O.N.I.C. I was captivated immediately about how B.I.O.N.I.C. is empowering kids to care and show struggling peers that they are seen, they matter, and they are not alone. Our kids of today are struggling and it is inspiring to see the movement that B.I.O.N.I.C. has created worldwide over the last 20 years to create more caring cultures in schools while preventing bullying and suicides.

Everyone has potential to be great - the best expression of themselves. It is up to us to create the conditions that will help to ”activate” potential in every interaction, every day. One way is through the power of the spoken word. This presentation will show you how!

Time to master your message, perfect YOUR pitch and get everything in life you ever dreamed of!

Gage Crispe was living a great life as a high school football player not paying attention to much going on around him. Then one day one of his best frinds ended her life by suicide. Gage was rocked to his core, and to help deal with the grief he and his friends hosted a fundraiser for a local suicide prevention organization. Sandy Austin, his school counselor attended the fundraiser to support the kids. Hearing Gage talk about his fiend and seeing his hurting friends, Sandy invited Gage to join the B.I.O.N.I.C. Team knowing that the healing from loss can be helped in reaching out to other hurting people. Gage quickly immersed himself in B.I.O.N.I.C. with a friend who was already a B.I.O.N.I.C. Leader. Gage will share how his Mom said, “Gage you weren’t a very nice person before B.I.O.N.I.C.” Gage will share his experience with B.I.O.N.I.C. and how it opened doors to develop compassion and leadership skills. That ended up in Gage getting awards and scholarships to go to his dream school, that set him up to become a great leader all his life and continue making a difference in the world.

What BIONIC can look like at the middle school level.  

• 17 years of ideas
• Starting your program
• Easy steps to success

Alumni Panel #1

In this talk, you will discover how to: 
- Set your eye on any dream destination you want. 

--Have patience…constancy is key. 

-- Inspire and be inspired by positive and successful people. 

--Never give up.

-- Enjoy the journey. 

As a songwriter and vocal empowerment coach, Kristy empowers her clients to connect with their emotions as they prepare their speeches and songs so that their presentation takes their audience on an emotion journey connected to the true heart of their message. Because our audience hears what we are feeling not what we are saying.

In life, there are things that we think were meant to break us, that were actually meant to BUILD us.  During this talk, I will go into some of my life's stories and draw some uniquely designed parallels on how we can all use every single thing that has happened to us, to build us. I will talk about a little shy girl from Flint Michigan who had a dream that was snuffed out, but was then rekindled fueled by 3 driving principles. 

We will uncover how to make a masterpiece out of any situation the world gives us.  We will discuss how you can teach yourself how to go from fearful to fearless, from surviving to thriving, and from being constipated to being catapulted into creativity to cashflow…and yes I said constipated lol! 

Let's do this, as you help me to fulfill one of my mottos of “no legacy unreached.” Let's go!

This pre-recorded brief session will help spark the fire for investing in, supporting and adopting the BIONIC state of mind. 

Join Linda for a heartfelt look at how kindness can make a real difference in our lives. Linda will explore simple, everyday ways to spread compassion that can strengthen relationships and bring people closer together. Discover how small acts of kindness can create a more caring and connected community around you.

• Makenna Riley's story to success
• How she helped her mom
• Her passion for her work
• Her mission to help people get their dreams out to the world with GSD
• How you can work with her

Join us for an insightful presentation by the Executive Director of the Colorado School Counselor Association, who will provide a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of school counseling across the state. This session will delve into the evolving roles and responsibilities of school counselors, highlighting how recent developments and policy changes are shaping the profession.

Key topics include:

• Current Trends and Challenges: Explore the latest trends in school counseling and the challenges faced by counselors in addressing the diverse needs of students.
   Policy Updates: Gain insight into recent legislative and policy changes impacting school counseling and how they influence practices and priorities.
• Best Practices: Learn about effective strategies and best practices for enhancing the impact of school counseling programs.
• Future Directions: Discover the future directions for school counseling in Colorado, including upcoming initiatives, potential reforms, and opportunities for professional growth.

This presentation is essential for school counselors, educational leaders, and stakeholders interested in understanding the dynamic nature of school counseling and how to better support student success in Colorado’s educational landscape.

Learn how schools are empowering students to care and change their school culture. The B.I.O.N.I.C. Team (Believe It Or Not I Care), an international award-winning school club in elementary schools through college prevent bullying and suicides by inspiring and empowering students to create caring school cultures by letting struggling peers know they are seen, they matter, and they are not alone. B.I.O.N.I.C. students reach out to peers who are new, sick, hospitalized, bullied, or have lost a loved one. Now businesses, organizations, churches, and communities are starting to do B.I.O.N.I.C. outreaches too because they have people in their realm who are new, sick, hospitalized, or who lose loved ones too. Twenty years ago kids started the B.I.O.N.I.C. movement and have a dream of creating a more caring world among kids and adults alike!

BIONIC School Advisor Panel

Stephen Sharpe is a national leader serviing on the Board of Directors of the American School Counselor Association and as Chair of the Pennsylvania SChoool Cousnelors Association. He has a pulse on what is happening across America in the midst of the CDC findings that absenteeism and lack of student engagement is skyrocketing in schools. A big reason is a lack of belonging and connectedness that students are feeling today along with the fact that suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth. Steve has always been a supporter of B.I.O.N.I.C. and will share how he sees B.I.O.N.I.C. Teams in schools playing a vital role in creating caring cultures in schools.

The Green Mountain High School community in Lakewood, Colorado was devastated after the suicides of four students in eight months, and GMHS started being called the “Death School.” Then the community started hearing of pies being delivered by kids on the B.I.O.N.I.C. Team to families who lost loved ones. When kids were missing school, get well packets showed up in their mail. Kids in the hospital were visited by peers. A sense of care and compassion started by the students spread as they wanted to reach out to other schools experiencing tragedy too. Then Green Mountain started being called the “Caring School” because of the B.I.O.N.I.C. outreaches.

The transformation in the community was described by Heather Boston, an English Teacher, “As a teacher at GM for the past 13 years, I can say that I have seen a dramatic change in the climate of our school and there is no doubt in my mind that it is because of the B.I.O.N.I.C. Team…B.I.O.N.I.C. has taught our student population about humanity, about how to show they care, and how to trust that others truly do care about them.