Unlike traditional youth events shaped by adult organizers, this conference is 100 percent youth-led. Students selected the theme. Students chose the discussions and keynote topics. Students organize the registration process, and event experience. From concept to execution, young leaders are at the helm.

Taking place on Sunday, March 22, 2026 (12:00–4:00 p.m. EST), the conference will bring together students from across Canada to explore how social media influences identity, power, culture, entrepreneurship, and digital well-being. Highlights of the conference program include:

• Youth in Business: How teens are using digital platforms to build brands, share ideas, and pursue entrepreneurship.
• Navigating Negativity Online: Strategies for handling pressure, comparison, and online hate with confidence.
• Internet Culture and Identity: Discussions on the role of trends, creators, and communities in shaping self-expression online.
• Behind the Algorithm: Insights into how social platforms decide what appears in users’ feeds—and why it matters.

“This isn’t adults talking at youth about social media,” said Christine Meng, Youth Team Lead (ON). “This is youth shaping the conversation about the platforms we use every day. We’re not just attending the conference—we’re building it.”

The conference is part of Ripple Foundation’s youth-led programming that supports creative literacy, leadership, and peer-to-peer learning. Students will have opportunities to connect with peers from across Canada, engage in critical dialogue about digital wellness, and gain tools to confidently navigate and influence online communities.

This youth-driven approach reflects Ripple Foundation’s core mission: to empower young people not just as participants, but as leaders. The Foundation was built on the belief that when youth are trusted with responsibility and given real platforms, they rise to the challenge—developing confidence, communication skills, and civic awareness in the process.

“Technology is shaping every aspect of our lives, especially in the creative fields. It’s important we understand what this means for us today, and in our future as students and professionals,” said Hanna Grover, Youth Team Lead (BC).

By placing decision-making power in the hands of students, Ripple Foundation ensures the content is timely, relevant, and reflective of real youth experiences. The result is a conference that feels authentic, dynamic, and distinctly peer-led.

Event Details

What: Beyond the Feed Youth Conference
Who: Students in Grades 8–12 (free to attend)
When: Sunday, March 22, 2026 | 12:00–4:00 p.m. EST
Where: Virtual Registration at conference.ripplefoundation.ca

About Ripple Foundation

Ripple Foundation is a volunteer-run Canadian educational charity dedicated to empowering youth through free, accessible programs that build creativity, leadership, and communication skills. Through writing initiatives, workshops, and national events, Ripple creates opportunities for young people to amplify their voices and lead meaningful conversations that shape their communities.

The post Social Media, Identity, and Power in the Digital Age: Youth-Led Conference on March 22 appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

“We had so much fun bringing math and pizza together for Pi Day last year that partnering with Pizza Pizza again was a no-brainer,” said Tyler Sgro, CEO of Mathnasium Learning Centres. “Kids love the idea of celebrating math with pizza, and when learning feels fun and familiar, confidence follows. That’s what Pi Day is all about for us.”

A Pi Day Sweepstakes with a Smart (and Delicious) Twist

Mathnasium and Pizza Pizza are hosting a national, piping hot sweepstakes running from Friday, February 27 through Saturday, March 14 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Participants can enter for a chance to win a $3,140 educational scholarship and a $314 Pizza Pizza gift card. One grand prize winner will be selected and announced the following week. To enter, visit www.mathnasium.com/ca/pi-day-sweepstakes. 

Free, Family-Friendly Learning Events

To celebrate Pi Day, select Mathnasium Learning Centres will host complimentary, community-wide celebrations on March 14. Families can enjoy themed treats, prize giveaways, and math-based interactive activity stations. Through Pi-inspired visual challenges, memory games, and word searches, children will explore key concepts in a fun, approachable, and confidence-building way.

“Helping students build confidence and understanding in math is at the heart of what we do at Mathnasium,” added Sgro. “Making space throughout the year for special, engaging moments like these helps bring learning to life and supports kids in a really meaningful way.”  

The Mathnasium Difference

Mathnasium Learning Centres specializes in math-only tutoring and is committed to providing the world’s best instruction. The goal: teach children math in a way that makes sense to them. For decades the Mathnasium Method has transformed the way kids learn math—building students’ understanding of math concepts through personalized instruction and a customized learning plan—all while producing tremendous results and helping students achieve their full potential in math and in life.

About Mathnasium

Mathnasium Learning Centres is North America’s leading math-only supplemental education franchise. Since 2002, the Mathnasium Method—the result of decades of hands-on instruction and development—has been transforming the lives of children in Grades K–12 by offering comprehensive assessments and fully individualized learning plans, and teaching true math comprehension. With more than 1,200 learning centres worldwide in 12 countries, Mathnasium has been ranked on Entrepreneur magazine’s list of top 500 franchises 16 times since 2004.

About Pizza Pizza Limited 

Pizza Pizza Limited was founded in 1967 in Toronto, ON, and has grown to become Canada’s leading national Quick Service pizza brand with over 750 restaurants across the country. Pizza Pizza is guided by its vision of “Always the best food, made especially for you,” with a focus on quality ingredients, customer service, continuous innovation, and community involvement.

The post A Slice of Learning: Mathnasium and Pizza Pizza Celebrate Pi Day appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

Those were among 95 “facilitators” yielded by a review of previously published research on the subject. Autistic youth are less physically active than their peers, who are already not physically active enough, the researchers said, noting that physical activity could be beneficial to their physical, social, and emotional health.

In their work, the researchers took a strengths-based approach rather than focusing on a deficits-based one.

“This perspective reframes physical activity not as a challenge for autistic children and teenagers to overcome but as an opportunity for them to build confidence, enjoyment, and social connection,” said Mathieu Michaud, a PhD student in kinesiology and co-author of the paper.

“This research has practical implications for families, educators, coaches, and community organizations. For example, physical activity programs can be created and maintained based on what autistic children and teenagers enjoy and do well instead of focusing on what they cannot do,” Michaud added.

Mapped All Available Research

The work was conducted by the McGill Choices in Health, Action, Motivation, Pedagogy and Skills (CHAMPS) Physical Activity Lab, directed by professor William James Harvey, also a co-author of the paper.

The researchers systematically mapped all available research previously published on this topic using six major databases, screening nearly 20,000 entries and ultimately analyzing 43 studies that matched the inclusion criteria.

They then classified the 95 facilitators found during the review into six categories (based on a pre-established health promotion framework): individual, family, social, physical environment, and institutions, as well as community and public policy.

Predictable Routines, Safe Spaces

At the individual level, the review highlights how autistic children are more likely to participate in physical activity if they feel the movements required in the activity fit their skill set, or if it’s an activity they know well and takes the form of a game.

Other examples of positive factors, or facilitators, include supportive peers or good relationships with coaches at the social level, and after-school physical activity opportunities at the institutional level.

The team is already working on applying their research results in real-world settings by developing an intervention in which autistic teenagers select which factors matter most to them, information that then informs what activities are offered.

About the Study

“Facilitating Physical Activity Participation Among Autistic Children and Youth: A Scoping Review” by Mathieu Michaud and William J. Harvey was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada and the Sport Participation Research Initiative. 

About McGill University

Founded in 1821 in Montreal, QC, McGill is Canada’s top ranked medical doctoral university. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with 12 faculties, 14 professional schools, 700 programs of study, over 40,000 students, and research activities spanning three campuses. It attracts students from nearly 150 countries around the world, with international students making up 27% of the student body.

The post How to Boost Participation in Physical Activity for Autistic Youth appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

“For 18 years, World Maths Day has brought together millions of students in an epic celebration of math and learning,” said Katy Pike, Mathletics Chief Product Officer at 3P Learning. “Students and teachers from all over the globe, unified by the common language of numbers, come together on World Maths Day to learn and play.”

The mission of World Maths Day is to get kids excited about mathematics and see it as inspiring and enjoyable, rather than overwhelming or boring. In the United States, it is particularly important that we bring fun into learning math in order to get students back on a growth trend of improved performance. In recent years, U.S. students have struggled on national and international assessments and the most recent NAEP scores show students still remain below pre-pandemic levels.

“Events like World Maths Day are one way to bring excitement around math back to the classroom, and when joy comes back into learning, assessment scores improve,” added Pike.

World Maths Day officially kicks off at 6:00 a.m. AEDT on March 25 in Australia, which is where 3P Learning’s world headquarters is based. It runs at various times around the globe for the next 48 hours. Starting on March 12, teachers and their students who have pre-registered will have free access to the Mathletics platform so they can practice with the question format and hone their math fluency skills.

During the 48-hour competition students complete twenty 60-second Live Math Challenges, the goal being to get as many of those questions as possible correct. There are questions for all kinds of different abilities. Teachers simply register their class and then put students into the appropriate category for their skill level. Prizes are given based on individual and school ranking, and participants can track their progress on a Live Leaderboard.

The 2026 theme is United by Numbers, which celebrates the belief that everyone can learn and excel at mathematics when given the right support. Teachers and students don’t need to be Mathletics users to participate; access to Mathletics is provided free to all registrants starting March 12.

Learn more about World Maths Day or register at www.3plearning.com/world-maths-day.

About Mathletics

Mathletics is the world’s leading online math program, proven to boost engagement and help students achieve better math results in just 15–30 minutes per week. Recognized with multiple international awards and used by over 120,000 educators worldwide, it builds learners’ confidence through engaging online activities, games, and exciting mastery challenges. Working at each student’s individual level, Mathletics provides the extra maths support they need in the classroom or at home, offering a complete course from fundamentals through to extension.

About 3P Learning

3P Learning is a global leader in online education for school-aged students, offering a multi-award-winning suite of programs in reading (Reading Eggs) and mathematics (Mathletics and Mathseeds). With over 18,000 schools in 130+ countries using its solutions, 3P Learning combines 20+ years of research and educator expertise to offer students better ways to learn and achieve real results.

The post Registration Now Open for Free Global Math Competition on March 24 appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

The program spans two successive seasons—spring and fall—and will start in Spring 2026. Each season will span three months, including 60 contact hours and an additional 60 hours of guided independent study. Both seasons begin and end with an in-person naturalist retreat to contextualize the season’s learning and experiences.

“The Natural History Institute and Prescott College share a deep commitment to experiential learning and a shared commitment to place. This partnership allows us to bring those values together in a program that strengthens our community’s connection to the Mogollon Highlands through firsthand experience, mentorship, and the sustained practice of natural history,” stated Jennie Tutone, Natural History Institute Executive Director.

Through formal class sessions, weekly field trips, and a mentored approach to the sustained practice of natural history, participants will explore ecosystems such as conifer forest, evergreen woodland, chaparral, grassland, and riparian communities. The program features regular weekend field trips and ongoing mentored practice throughout the field season.  

“Prescott College and NHI have a long history of working together to introduce people to the rich natural communities in the Prescott area and across the Mogollon Highlands. This program is a comprehensive introduction to that region, drawing on some of the world’s experts from both the College and the Institute,” added Dr. Pavel Cenkl, Prescott College Dean of Academic Affairs. 

About Prescott College

Founded in 1966, Prescott College has sixty years of leadership in developing and refining experiential and online educational models that have kept the college at the forefront of institutions seeking to address urgent issues currently facing human societies. Collaborative learning, multidisciplinary studies, and experiential and field-based learning are hallmarks of the Prescott educational experience. Prescott offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees as well as certificate options. Prescott College students are educators, activists, counselors, researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs—all of whom are eager to make a difference in their local and global communities. Prescott College is proud to serve a diverse student body that is passionate about making a long-lasting impact on society and the environment.

About Natural History Institute

The Natural History Institute (NHI) fosters a deeper understanding and lasting appreciation of the natural world through programs that blend science, art, and the humanities. Founded in 2017, the Institute has grown into a center for community learning and engagement, providing leadership and resources for a revitalized practice of natural history. Its public programs include immersive field experiences, hands-on workshops, public talks, and art exhibitions. Based in the Mogollon Highlands, NHI is the only organization dedicated specifically to this ecologically rich region, committed to documenting, celebrating, and protecting its biodiversity. Through these programs, NHI inspires stewardship and lifelong learning for the benefit of both people and the land.

Photos courtesy of the Natural History Institute

The post Natural History Institute and Prescott College Partner to Offer Naturalist Certification Program appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

Students with social, emotional, behavioral, developmental, or socio-economic challenges are the most vulnerable to these developments, and the “business as usual” model at many schools just isn’t enough to provide them with the support they need.

Clinical child psychologist, former Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry faculty member, and New York Times best-selling author Ross W. Greene has worked with thousands of kids with concerning behaviors. He has overseen the implementation and evaluation of his Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) framework model in countless schools, families, inpatient psychiatry units, and residential and juvenile detention facilities, with dramatic effect: significant reductions in concerning behavior, recidivism, discipline referrals, detentions, suspensions, and use of restraint and seclusion.

In his forthcoming book, The Kids Who Aren’t Okay: The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools, Dr. Greene explains why so many kids are struggling, why traditional discipline makes things worse, and how schools can transform their approach to become proactive, collaborative, and helpful.

Based on decades of research in the neurosciences, Dr. Greene argues that concerning behavior is a child’s frustration or stress response and is not caused by poor motivation. The research tells us these kids are struggling with skills many of us take for granted—flexibility/adaptability, frustration tolerance, and problem-solving. Their frustration responses are set in motion when they’ve having difficulty meeting an expectation.

Punitive, unilateral approaches—detentions, suspensions, expulsions, seclusion, restraint—don’t solve the underlying problems and often exacerbate the child’s frustration, akin to throwing fuel on a fire. Such approaches are late, reactive responses to behaviors instead of early responses to unsolved problems.

Schools struggle to meet these students where they’re at because of obsolete structures that work to the disadvantage of both kids and educators:

1. They’re late: a lot of the training educators receive teaches them what to do when students are already escalating.
2. They’re punitive: most school discipline programs are still oriented toward disciplinary strategies that focus on compliance and simply do not address what’s really getting in the way for students who are struggling the most.
3. They’re unilateral: it turns out that involving students in solving the problems that are causing their concerning behavior is far more effective than adults doing it all on their own.
4. They’re time-consuming: unsolved problems take up an enormous amount of time— something that is already in short supply for the majority of teachers.

Dr. Greene has helped schools all over the world be early, proactive, and collaborative, and save time. His CPS framework is a structured, evidence-based way of identifying unsolved problems and fixing them with students, rather than forcing measures on them. 

His helpful guide outlines a whole-school transformation that includes:

• Early, proactive identification of student needs;
• Trauma-sensitive environments that replace blame with understanding;
• Prioritization of relationships, co-regulation, and student voice;
• Reallocation of time and resources to upstream work;
• Shifting from compliance to collaboration;
• Reducing reliance on reactive systems (restraint, seclusion, detentions, tiered behavior models) in favor of solving problems collaboratively.

Dr. Greene’s research and experience are living proof that educators can create school ecosystems that meet kids where they’re at and get them on the right track. He urges schools to become safe havens of hope, where adults restore students’ trust and instill them with the skills they need to succeed emotionally, socially, and academically.

See below for an excerpt from Dr. Greene’s new book, The Kids Who Aren’t Okay:

For decades, we’ve been training educators to de-escalate and restrain kids, ostensibly for purposes of “preventing” crises and keeping kids, their classmates, and their caregivers safe. Such training is standard fare in many school systems.

From the outside looking in, these procedures may seem necessary. After all, it is important to keep the “out of control” kids from harming others and detracting from the learning of their classmates. Even on the inside, many educators—and some of their national teacher unions—still believe that de-escalating, restraining, and secluding kids are simply accepted practices for special education classrooms and students.

But others know that there are a ton of problems with this picture. First, there are a lot of schools and treatment facilities serving kids with equally concerning behaviors that don’t use restraint or seclusion. So apparently those practices aren’t necessary and are not the way everyone has always done it. Second, there are no data to suggest that de-escalating, restraining, and secluding kids keeps anyone safer. Third, such procedures are disproportionately applied to students with disabilities and those with black and brown skin, meaning that this is also a social justice issue. Fourth, de-escalation, restraint, and seclusion can hardly be characterized as crisis prevention strategies; they occur very late in a sequence of events that begins with an expectation a student is having difficulty meeting.

In the first bubble, the student is having difficulty meeting an expectation. That’s seldom surprising, since the expectation has probably gone unmet for a very long time (an unmet expectation is only a surprise the first time; it’s not a surprise after that). Due to a variety of factors—human nature included—adults often respond to such unmet expectations by pushing students harder to meet the expectation they already know the student can’t reliably meet. Pushing kids harder to meet expectations they can’t reliably meet increases the likelihood that a student will exhibit a frustration response (concerning behavior). It’s important to reiterate that the frustration response is late (the student is already having difficulty meeting the expectation, and, again, it’s not the first time). At that point in the sequence caregivers might resort to strategies they learned in the de-escalation training they receive every year. When de-escalating doesn’t accomplish the mission, restraint or seclusion often follows and seems justifiable and necessary. But the fact that de-escalating, restraining, and secluding occur very late in a highly predictable sequence indicates that they aren’t crisis prevention strategies at all; they’re crisis management strategies.

What’s not depicted in the graphic is what comes next, interventions that are later still, including punitive, exclusionary disciplinary practices such as detention, suspension, corporal punishment, and, if the adults have finally had it with the student, expulsion or placement in a special purpose school (where de-escalating, restraining, and secluding kids is often even more likely to occur).

Who’s on the receiving end of these interventions the most? The kids who aren’t doing OK. To save these students from ongoing harm and inexorable decline, and educators from interminable frustration and desperation, we need to stop being late. That means we need to start focusing on the first bubble: the expectations we’re placing on students and what we do if they’re having difficulty meeting them. Those unmet expectations—we’ll be calling them unsolved problems—can be identified proactively (we’ll describe how that’s done in the next chapter) and can therefore be solved proactively or temporarily put on hold (since it won’t be possible to solve all the problems at once). In other words, we’ll be delineating a technology for being early, a much more legitimate definition of crisis prevention.

Excerpted from THE KIDS WHO AREN’T OKAY. Copyright © 2026, Ross W. Greene. Reproduced by permission of Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved. 

About the Author

Ross W. Greene, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and the originator of the innovative, evidence-based approach Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS), as described in his influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost and Found, and Raising Human Beings. He also developed and executive-produced the award-winning documentary film The Kids We Lose. Dr. Greene was on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for over twenty years and is now founding director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance. He is also currently adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech. Dr. Greene lectures throughout the world and lives in Freeport, ME.

The post The Urgent Case for Reimagining Support, Belonging, and Hope in Schools appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

Districts are adopting AI tools for scheduling, attendance analysis, progress monitoring, workflow automation, and more. These advancements can improve efficiency for school systems working under tight staffing and resource constraints, but concerns over a loss of human interaction remain forefront for many. This report highlights a critical reminder for educators: teaching and learning happen through relationships. Communication is the connective tissue that holds those relationships in place.

“AI is changing the way schools function, yet the foundation of strong schools remains the human connection between educators, students, and families,” said Dr. Kara Stern, PhD, Director of Education at SchoolStatus and Smore. “Tools support logistics. People build trust. Schools that keep communication personal help students and families feel known and valued, and in order to do that, educators need more time. That’s where AI can be your superpower.”

Key Takeaways

The eBook provides a clear framework for building communication practices that strengthen community relationships across districts, schools, and classrooms.

1. How communication drives engagement

The guide highlights research showing that positive, personal communication helps families engage earlier in the school year and stay engaged longer. A case study from Roseville City School District in California shows that relationship-based outreach produced immediate attendance improvements for one-third of at-risk students.

2. What human-centered communication looks like

The report outlines three key elements that make communication feel personal: relevance, voice, and invitation. Families respond when messages feel tailored, when the writer’s personality comes through, and when communication encourages real dialogue rather than one-way updates.

3. How AI and educators work together

The eBook clarifies which roles should be automated and which require human judgment. AI can manage scheduling, distribution lists, engagement analytics, and translation. Educators provide warmth, context, and connection. This balanced approach saves time while improving communication quality.

4. How to maintain connections at scale

Many educators worry that personal communication becomes impossible once audience sizes grow. The guide offers solutions such as segmentation, templates, workflow automation, and consistent scheduling to help educators communicate with clarity and humanity across thousands of families.

Practical Tools for District and School Leaders

Human Connection in the Age of AI provides guidance and actionable strategies for implementing communication practices that build trust and community, including:

• Steps to support district, school, and classroom-level communication
• Examples for newsletters that bring families into daily school life
• Strategies for embedding dialogue into messages
• Tips for maintaining consistency during challenging moments
• Insights on using AI to support accessibility and translation without losing the human voice

“Families count on schools for clarity and consistency. They also want to hear from real people who care about their children,” said Dr. Stern. “This guide helps educators use technology in ways that lift the logistical load so they can invest more time and heart in communication that builds lasting connection.”

Human Connection in the Age of AI: A Guide to K–12 Communications is available for free. Download it here.

About Smore

Smore makes it fun and effortless to create engaging, accessible newsletters that keep families informed and involved in their children’s education journey. The team at Smore is passionate about empowering K–12 educators, schools, and districts to foster strong connections with families through vibrant, user-friendly newsletters, easy-to-use technology, and resources from education experts. Smore is a SchoolStatus product.

The post Free eBook Offers Roadmap to Human-Centered Communication in the Age of AI appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

Given the strong link between early math achievement and later academic success, earnings, and careers in sectors such as science, technology, and finance, this decline represents an urgent national challenge, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.

In “Getting Math Instruction Right: Strategies for Improving Achievement in Canada,” Anna Stokke warns that seven provinces declined more than 40 points on the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) since 2003, equivalent to about two years of lost learning, while the share of students performing at the lowest levels in math has more than doubled in most provinces. She urges provincial governments to act, outlining practical, evidence-based solutions to reverse the downward trend and help ensure Canada remains globally competitive.

“Since Canada already spends more per student on education than the OECD average, funding alone is unlikely to improve math achievement,” said Stokke, a math professor at the University of Winnipeg. “For example, Japan spends about 14 percent less per student and gets much better results. Refocusing resources rather than increasing spending is more likely to be effective.”

The report highlights two low-cost, high-impact reforms that provinces can implement immediately: a mandatory multiplication tables check by the end of Grade 4, and universal screening in math for all K–8 students. These measures would identify students who are falling behind before gaps compound, enable early intervention, and send a clear signal that math fact fluency matters for later success.

Stokke recommends engaging experts in the science of learning to ensure instruction is aligned with high-quality research evidence, including prioritizing explicit, teacher-led instruction over inquiry or discovery-based approaches. 

“For too long, teachers have been told that inquiry-based instruction works best in math,” said Stokke. “That claim is not supported by high-quality research. Explicit, teacher-led instruction is most effective, especially for novice learners and students with math difficulties,” said Stokke.

The report further recommends strengthening standardized testing, setting clear evidence standards for instructional programs, directing funding toward programs shown to improve math achievement, improving math curricula, and requiring stronger math content knowledge for K–8 teachers.

Finally, Stokke warns that reforms will fail without leaders willing to change course. “When implementers are invested in maintaining the status quo, they often undermine meaningful reform,” she said. “Governments must appoint leaders who support evidence-based practices and hold them accountable for the results.”

“Our students deserve an education that gives them strong mathematical foundations and prepares them for a wide range of careers in a math-driven economy, and we can’t afford to wait,” said Stokke. “The time to fix math instruction in Canada is now, and it will take committed leadership and evidence-based policies to reverse this decline and set students up for long-term success.”

Read the full report here.

About the C.D. Howe Institute

The C.D. Howe Institute is an independent not-for-profit research institute whose mission is to raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies. Widely considered to be Canada’s most influential think tank, the Institute is a trusted source of essential policy intelligence, distinguished by research that is non-partisan, evidence-based, and subject to definitive expert review.

The post Behind Canada’s Declining Math Performance and the Evidence-Based Fix appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

Ortiz’s appearance in Marty Supreme is not a performance in the traditional sense. She is not portraying a fictional character, but rather bringing authenticity to the screen as a real athlete whose life has been shaped by the sport. For Ortiz, table tennis has never been just a game. It has been a tool for transformation, one she now uses to create opportunity for young people across New York City.

Born and raised in Bayaguana, Dominican Republic, Ortiz discovered table tennis at a young age and quickly fell in love with the sport after competing in her first tournament. That passion carried her beyond her hometown and onto the international stage, representing the Dominican Republic as a member of the national table tennis team at the cadet, junior, and senior levels. Through competition, she traveled the world and learned firsthand how sport can open doors far beyond what once seemed possible.

In 2016, Ortiz moved to New York City with her family, facing the challenges of adapting to a new country, learning English, continuing her education, and rebuilding her athletic life from the ground up. Unsure whether she would be able to continue competing, she spent countless hours riding the subway across the city in search of table tennis clubs where she could practice and stay connected to the sport that had shaped her identity. What began as persistence soon became purpose.

That purpose crystallized when Ortiz began teaching table tennis at an elementary school in the South Bronx. There, she witnessed something transformative. Students arrived to class excited, engaged, and eager to learn. Through table tennis, they developed focus, confidence, discipline, and joy—qualities that carried into the classroom and beyond.

As interest grew, neighboring schools began reaching out, and what started as a single program evolved into Spin & Learn, an education and wellness organization founded in 2020 that integrates table tennis with academics, physical fitness, and social-emotional learning.

Since its launch, Spin & Learn has partnered with more than 45 public schools across New York City, serving thousands of K–12 students through in-school enrichment, after-school programming, wellness days, assemblies, and author visits connected to Ortiz’s children’s book, Yasi the Champion.

The organization has become known for meeting students where they are, using movement and play to build lifelong skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging. It delivers high-quality programming at scale through its strategic partnerships with leaders in the global table tennis industry. Spin & Learn partners with Paddle Palace, the leading table tennis equipment supplier in North America, and Stiga Sports as Ortiz’s official table tennis partner.

Now, as Marty Supreme brings renewed visibility to the sport that shaped her life, Ortiz is marking a new chapter with the official launch of the Spin & Learn Foundation, a newly established 501(c)(3) non-profit created to expand access to table tennis, wellness, and enrichment programs beyond the school setting and into the broader community.

“The Spin & Learn Foundation was created because families kept asking for a place where their children could continue training after leaving their school programs,” said Ortiz. “I saw how quickly access could disappear once students moved on, even though the interest and talent were still there. The Foundation is about creating continuity, making sure young people and families have a place to grow, train, and belong.”

While Spin & Learn operates primarily within schools, the Foundation is focused on long-term, community-based impact. Its mission is to provide programs for economically disadvantaged individuals across diverse communities, ensuring access to enrichment opportunities through table tennis that promote physical and mental wellness, build personal resilience, and develop leadership skills for lifelong success.

Through future partnerships with community centers and shared spaces, the Foundation aims to serve not only youth, but also families, adults, and seniors who may not otherwise have access to structured recreational and wellness programming.

Ortiz sees a meaningful connection between the themes of Marty Supreme and the work she has spent years building. “I relate deeply to this film because I came to this country without a clear path or knowing what my future would look like. I just had a dream,” she said.

“Everything I’ve built since then, started with believing in that dream,” Ortiz added. “That’s the same message I want every student we serve to understand. Table tennis is the tool, but discipline, life skills, leadership, and belief in yourself are what truly shape your future.”

As table tennis reaches new audiences through film and popular culture, Ortiz believes the moment carries responsibility as well as opportunity.

“Representation matters,” she said. “But representation paired with access is what creates real change. Seeing the sport on screen is powerful, but what matters most is what happens off screen—in schools, in communities, and in spaces where young people need support and mentorship.”

With the launch of the Spin & Learn Foundation, Ortiz is working to ensure that the attention surrounding Marty Supreme translates into something lasting: expanded opportunity, deeper community engagement, and a growing network of spaces where sport, education, and wellness intersect.

From the big screen to the Bronx, Yasiris Ortiz’s story continues to unfold, not as fiction, but as a living example of how belief, discipline, and access can change lives.

About Spin & Learn

Spin & Learn is an educational and wellness organization that combines table tennis, physical fitness training, academics, and social-emotional learning (SEL) to create fun, active, and meaningful learning experiences for students. Spin & Learn primarily serves K–12 students across New York City, partnering with public schools, community organizations, and families to bring engaging, inclusive programming into learning environments.

The post Why Table Tennis Is Working in NYC Classrooms appeared first on TEACH Magazine.

From beloved Cree-Métis artist and author Julie Flett comes an adorable celebration of the ways we show love. For kids up to age 7, We All Love publishes in February 2026 (just in time for Valentine’s Day). 

Part of the “We Do Too” series, following the best-seller and highly reviewed We All Play, We All Love is a celebration of the love that connects us all—big and small, near and far.

Join baby bears, little ducklings, curious foxes, and many more adorable creatures as they remind us of all the many ways that we show love and care. We All Love is a poetic and beautifully illustrated reminder of the interconnectedness of the natural world—demonstrating how care, protection, and love are experienced by all living things—and a celebration of the love that connects us all. We love too!

Features include: 

• A detailed glossary of Cree animal names used throughout the text
• A letter to the reader from Julie Flett

About the Author

Julie Flett is a Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist who has received numerous awards for her books, including the New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award, two Governor General’s Awards, the American Indian Youth Literature Award, and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Her critically acclaimed picture books Birdsong, We All Play, Let’s Go!, and My Friend May are also published by Greystone Kids.

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