The DIISD General Education Department coordinated event brought local English teachers together for a day of collaboration, reflection and professional growth.

Key topics on the agenda included updates on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test — PSAT — and Scholastic Assessment Test, or SAT; in-depth data analysis within district groups; classroom strategies; and best practices.

The network of educators has a rich history, having evolved from a literacy council into a dynamic professional learning community, said DIISD staff of Virginia Brouillard, Sue Mielcarek and Angel Inglese.

Its mission has remained steadfast: to enhance both student achievement and teacher development.

At the English Language Arts Professional Learning Network gathering, Virginia Brouillard discusses a topic with teachers — from left are Amy Pietrantonio (behind), Marcus Celello of Iron Mountain High School, McKenna Christian of North Dickinson County School District, and Aliyah Garvaglia of Kingsford Middle School. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News)

Norway High School English teacher Andrea Celello, who has been a member of the PLN group since the start, explained that often outcomes include professional growth, new ideas and best practices, and networking with professionals in the discipline.

“Because it’s local, we are able to communicate directly with the many excellent teachers in our ISD,” she said. “We also benefit from the expertise of veteran teachers and the innovative ideas from our new teachers.”

Iron Mountain High School English teacher Amy Pietrantonio agreed that the PLN benefits all ELA educators. “We were able to share ideas, content, apps and strategies with teachers across many districts, and we all were able to take many ideas to use in our own classrooms,” she said.

Pietrantonio added it was also refreshing to get to talk to teachers who have the same challenges and discuss possible solutions.

Amanda Hudson, a Norway Vulcan Area School District middle school English teacher, said that networking with other teachers who are in the same subject and grade levels is invaluable, as they often don’t get that kind of interaction in their own schools, especially in smaller districts.

“For example, on Monday I used a tool that I heard about from a teacher from North Dickinson and my students wrote for the better part of an hour very quietly and asked to do it again,” Hudson said.

The return of the PLN marks a renewed commitment to educator connection and continuous learning.

In previous years, the group played a pivotal role in organizing mock interviews at Bay College, offering high school seniors valuable real-world experience.

Moving forward, the focus remains on fostering meaningful dialogue, sharing innovative ideas and supporting one another in the ever-evolving landscape of education, the DIISD staff event coordinators said.

“It’s important to bring it back, because teachers need to support and lean on each other in curriculum and instruction,” they added.

The DIISD hopes to host a Professional Learning Network quarterly.

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Terri Castelaz can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85241, or tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com.