ChildLight Conference 2024
Join us as we refresh on “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life” as well as practically dive into Charlotte Mason methodology during workshop sessions. We pray that your time will be both encouraging and fruitful as you consider how God is calling you to bring a relational education to your community and place. We are excited to learn from and alongside our fellow CM educators – welcome to St. Louis!
Thursday, October 3rd
8:00a Registration/light breakfast
8:30-9:15 Welcome & Worship
9:15-10:00 Keynote: Education is an Atmosphere (Lisa Ector)
10:10-11:00 Affinity Group
11:10-12:00 Workshop Session #1
12:00-12:50 Lunch
1:00-1:50 Workshop Session #2
2:00-2:50 Workshop Session #3
3:00-3:45 Keynote: Education is a Discipline (Brendon O’Dowd)
Friday, October 4th
8:00a Light breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 Welcome & Worship
9:00-9:45 Keynote: Education is a Life (Melanie Walker-Malone)
10:00-10:50 Affinity Group
11:00 -11:50 Workshop Session #4
12:00 Closing and Prayer
(A “for here” or “to go” lunch will be provided after our closing)
Registration is requested by August 23, 2024.
LOCATION
The conference sessions will be held on the campus of South City Community School located in St. Louis, Missouri.
LODGING
The Drury Inn & Suites St. Louis Forest Park is our preferred hotel provider. Use this link to access a discounted room rate. (Group code: 10117686)
VRBO in the area of “Tower Grove Park”
LOCAL
You’ll love the coffee shops and wonderful places to dine close by our conference location. We’ve pulled together some of our favorites here on this downloadable pdf.
Conference Speakers & Highlights
Keynote Speakers:
Education is an Atmosphere – Lisa Ector (Charlotte Mason Institute)
Education is a Discipline – Brendan O’Dowd (Perimeter School)
Education is a Life – Melanie Walker-Malone (Red Mountain Community School)
Meet the Speakers
Education is an Atmosphere – Lisa Ector (Charlotte Mason Institute)
We are pleased to have Lisa Ector joining us as a guest from the Charlotte Mason Institute! She will lead immersive lessons (adults as students) in Charlotte Mason distinctives during each workshop break-out session as well as a lecture on Education is an Atmosphere. Lisa is a mother of seven and grandmother of twelve. First introduced to Charlotte Mason in the early 1990s, she immediately started incorporating what she learned into her homeschooling. She later participated in the first Charlotte Mason email groups, including the one that became Ambleside Online, led a local CM support group for over a decade, and has regularly attended CMI’s annual conferences since they began. She currently serves as Director of Education at Blue Willow Tutorial, a four day week program using the Alveary, where eight of her grandchildren attend. She also serves on the board of directors at the Charlotte Mason Institute, works to support schools and train teachers and mentors Charlotte Mason school startups through the Herzog Foundation.
Education is a Discipline – Brendan O’Dowd (Perimeter School)
Brendon O’Dowd currently serves as the Head of School at Perimeter School in Johns Creek, GA. He taught special education in Simi Valley California, and fifth grade at Perimeter Christian School. His previous career was with the US Air Force. He last served at Edwards Air Force Base, California but also in various locations including Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado and to a deployed location. He and his wife Joan have been married for over 33 years, and they have 5 children and 7 grandchildren.
Education is a Life – Melanie Walker-Malone (Red Mountain Community School)
Melanie Walker-Malone comes to us one year into what she is calling ‘a new chapter.’ After spending 56 of her 62 years in Birmingham, Alabama, she has recently moved to Takoma Park, Maryland to be nearer to her children and grandchildren. This means that she has also weaned herself from her eighteen-year stint as Founder and Head Teacher at Red Mountain Community School, a small-by-design school devoted to Mason’s philosophy and methods. She returns to the school in Birmingham regularly to work with teachers and curriculum while cultivating means to secure sustainability and longevity for this beloved work. Her new chapter looks a lot like her last chapter – seasonal living, reading, long walks, baking, keeping, making, while exploring the riches of the DC area.