Special Events

7:15-8:45AM
Conference Opening Breakfast
Join us for the official opening of the 89th NCSS Annual Conference! Kick off your conference experience with breakfast and entertainment. Hear President Syd Golston’s welcome and keynote address immediately following breakfast. This is a ticketed event sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

3:00-4:00PM
GCSS Awards Reception
Each year, the Georgia Council for the Social Studies recognizes outstanding social studies educators, supporters and programs for their efforts to promote excellence in social studies teaching and learning. Please join us as three Outstanding Social Studies Educators, a Program of Excellence and a Friend of Social Studies will be honored at this reception.

6:15-7:30PM
NCSS Teacher of the Year Awards Reception
Celebrate excellence! Join us for a special evening as we honor the best and brightest in social studies education! Our annual Teacher of the Year Awards recognize outstanding classroom teachers who educate effective citizens.

7:30-8:45PM
President’s Reception
Catch up with old friends and meet new ones at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center. Musical entertainment and light refreshments will add to the festivities, and serve as the perfect end to the first day of the conference. Sponsored by Pearsonâ.

8:45PM
The Nystrom Welcome Dance
Our friends at Nystrom host this perennial favorite. Whirl the night away to great music and terrific company at the Welcome Dance, featuring live entertainment at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center.

2:45-3:45PM
“A Lady of Elegance”
Atlanta’s Joanna Maddox portrays Marian Anderson and captures the elegance and dignity of a talented woman. Joanna spotlights Marian’s life in segregated America that was not used to seeing a black woman sing classical music.

4:00-5:00PM
“Anne & Emmett”
Janet Langhart Cohen's groundbreaking new play "Anne & Emmett" is based on an imaginary conversation between the world's most recognized Holocaust victim, fifteen-year-old Anne Frank, and a young black boy named Emmett Till, whose murder at age fourteen sparked the civil rights movement. Written specifically for middle school and high school students, the play explores the commonality of the human spirit and the senseless fear, bigotry and hatred that tears our world apart.

5:00-7:00PM
Become a Part of Presidential History: A Re-Opening Reception at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum invites NCSS guests to experience an enchanting evening at the only presidential library in the southeastern United States and what will be the most recently renovated of all the presidential libraries. Stunning views of the Atlanta skyline serve as the perfect backdrop to the beautifully manicured grounds of the Carter Center, including two lakes and a Japanese garden, the Rosalynn Carter Rose Garden, a reflecting pool and outdoor statuary.

Partake of hors d’oeuvres and live music before virtually “Exploring the Archives,” immersing yourself in a hectic “Day in the Life of the President,” or participating in the humanitarian work of the Carter Center around the globe via technology. Your visit will follow a grand re-opening of the Carter Library Museum on October 1, President Carter’s 85th birthday, and the completion of a $10 million dollar renovation. Celebrate while you explore one of the most eco-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, state-of-the-art history museums and archives in the country.

Sponsored in part by the Georgia Department of Economic Development; Georgia Aquarium; City of Warm Springs, Georgia; Westville; City of Americus, Georgia; Brunswick, Georgia and the Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Nationwide Insurance.

Keynote speakers Greg Mortenson will serve as an honored guest at the reception. This is ticketed event is sold out.

5:30-7:30PM
NCSS Awards Reception
Join us for the presentation of this year’s NCSS awards! Enjoy a wonderful evening of entertainment and refreshments as we honor the exceptional contributions of your colleagues in social studies education.