Union Academy hosts Jerry Ackerman, speaker on Social Media Awareness for Parents and Students

This week, Union Academy hosted guest speaker, Jerry Ackerman, who addressed parents and high school students on Social Media Awareness.  Mr. Ackerman is a leading student speaker who helps students be responsible, develop character, and build a focus on others, instead of just themselves. When Technology Director, Katie Stewart discovered the opportunity to have Jerry speak at Union Academy, she knew that the school could not pass up his presentation.  "Social media issues and communication are such a hot topic in today’s society.  I felt like both Union Academy parents and students could benefit from hearing how to stay safe online, how to communicate effectively, and how to be responsible while using technology," said Mrs. Stewart.  

On Tuesday night, Mr. Ackerman spoke on "Parenting the Snapchat Generation".  In his workshop, parents learned about the current state of technology in a student's life and rules that parents should have for their child and technology.   He discussed the dangers involved in applications such as Snapchat, Thumb, Burn Note, and Down which can open users up to communicating with unknown  persons and cyberbullying.  Parents learned about apps that can be used to hide media including videos, texts, documents, and PDFs (often disguised as a calculator). In addition, Mr. Ackerman provided useful tips to parents such as using Life360 to help keep up with your child's location.  "I learned so much from the presentation and was reassured that it's OK to be a protective parent.  It is not a violation of privacy to keep up with who my kids are communicating with online and it is my job to protect them from online dangers," said Amy Plyer, a Union Academy parent and employee.    

On Wednesday morning, Mr. Ackerman addressed the high school student body with his keynote, "Dude.  Be Nice."  In this workshop, he discussed with students the "dos and don'ts of social media" and why a person's online identify matters long term.  He provided real life examples to drive home his points.  Personal responsibility, respect, and compassion for others were key topics.  Senior Shawna Sheperd felt that Mr. Ackerman's message "was a good reminder of our social media footprint and how it can affect our lives."   Throughout the presentation, Mr. Ackerman used student volunteers to demonstrate his message.  The students appreciated Mr. Ackerman's high energy and anecdotes that drove home the message on making good choices and showing good character.

Guest speakers such as Mr. Ackerman are just one of the many ways UA strives to meet its mission of educating the whole the child and facilitating collaborative family and community involvement.