By Kiki Schleiff Cherry 
May 6, 2022

ARKADELPHIA, Ark.— Ouachita Baptist University’s Huckabee School of Education will host its first Called to Teach conference Friday, July 22, in Walker Conference Center, 485 Campus Drive. The event is open to the public; registration costs $35 and includes lunch. Attendees can receive six hours of professional development credit through the Arkansas Department of Education. 

Bruce Orr, assistant superintendent of Lakeside School District in Hot Springs, will be the keynote speaker. A 24-year veteran of public education as a teacher and administrator, Orr is a past recipient of the Arkansas MetLife Principal of the Year award.  

The theme of the conference is “Why We Teach” and is intended to celebrate and encourage educators. Dr. Gail Hughes, director of graduate studies in education at Ouachita, said the goal is to “honor, uplift and equip teachers for the coming school year.” 

Attendees may choose among 20 breakout sessions with topics such as classroom management, special education, poverty, church and state, work as worship and STEM.  

To register for Called to Teach, sign up by June 30 at obu.edu/calledtoteach. For more information, contact Dr. Gail Hughes at [email protected] or at (870) 245-5429. Learn about Ouachita’s new Master of Education degree in curriculum and instruction at obu.edu/curriculum-instruction.