Letter from the Chair

Dear Heartlanders,

I hope that this letter finds you in good spirits and that you are enjoying the burgeoning spring air. You have by now received several emails from me and from the heartland council encouraging you to join your fellow educators, practitioners, and students from across the Heartland Region for the 19^th Annual Heartland Regional Conference: The Passion of Persistence. As the early bird cutoff approaches (Early Bird Rates end March 31^st), I want to extend a personal invitation to you to join us in Potosi, MO at the YMCA of the Ozarks, April 16-18.

Five years ago we held a heartland conference here and it was just a spectacular time. This year is shaping up to be an awesome conference experience for those who attend. Not only will they get the same quality presenters and workshops that they’ve come to expect from AEE, but they will also be excited to see some unique twists which aim to keep these conferences fresh and relevant to the progressive AEE community. From the addition of the student group and their hosting of the Friday night bonfire to the showing of Seth Warren’s adventures of pan-American travel in a “veggie-powered” vehicle, conference attendees will get a full and rich experience. Also attendees will get the rare opportunity to view The Patagonia and Leave No Trace Adventures Film Festival. It is being shown in just three locations on the planet this year, and the council is thrilled that the 2010 Heartland Regional Conference is one of those venues! With these opportunities so close at hand, I am hoping that you will become one of those attendees who takes advantage of them.

I know that your time and money are always being pulled in one direction or the other and that if you could, you would go to every one of the professional development opportunities afforded to you. But you, like me, have to choose and you, like me, want to choose wisely. I have always found that the regional conferences meet both my needs and my expectations for furthering my knowledge of experiential education and developing innovative practices in education. If you have attended an AEE regional conference I hope you find them as valuable as I do. If you have never attended one, I hope that you will join us and find out why people return year after year to these conferences. In either case, I invite you to register and attend the 19^th Annual Heartland Regional Conference.

See you there,

Jason Angione

AEE Heartland Region Chair