The showcase, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., serves as a forum for dozens of students each year to gain professional-development experience and strengthen their presentation skills by sharing their work with hundreds of peers and professional educators in a conference-like setting.

The event will begin in Education Complex gymnasium, and sessions will be held at the Morgridge International Reading Center and throughout the Teaching Academy.

HAPPY Hour, which stands for Having Active Participation Prepares You, provides workshops throughout the year for teaching candidates. HAPPY Hour also hosts the annual Student Showcase each spring, highlighting dozens of these students by providing them with professional conference experience and a chance to qualify for a $500 scholarship to attend a professional conference of their choice.

At this year’s showcase, 89 student will share 59 presentations focusing on what they have learned in their classes and internships; teaching-related talents that can be easily taught to an audience; innovative classroom activities; and other programs. After submitting proposals at the end of the fall semester, students had the opportunity to work with faculty mentors to create their presentations.

The showcase is a forum for students to share their best work with peers during a 30- or 45-minute period.  Some of this year’s presentation topics include “Parents, On Your Side: The Ins and Outs of Parent-Teacher Conferences,� “The Sound of Music: Incorporating Music into the K-12 Classroom� and “How to Use Twitter in the Classroom.�

The HAPPY Hour Student Showcase also will feature a keynote presentation by 2013 Florida Teacher of the year, Alexandre Lopes, from Carol City Elementary School in Miami Gardens.

Those interested in sitting in on any of the day’s presentations may register Saturday in the lobby of the Education Complex.  Registration, which costs $20, will begin at 8 a.m.

For more information about the showcase, visit . More information about this semester’s HAPPY Hour sessions is available at .

In past years, the conference has drawn more than 400 education students who have the chance to network with peers, teachers and student organizations.

Attendees will hear from keynote speaker Cheryl Conley, the 2011 Florida Teacher of the Year, and more than 100 students will lead 55 different presentations that cover innovative strategies in teaching. Popular topics for presentations include literacy, social studies and technology in the classroom.

“Presenting at the HAPPY Hour Showcase is a very unique experience for the student presenters,� said Dr. Karen Verkler, HAPPY Hour chair. “This experience will set them apart in the job market from the normal candidate because most current teachers have never had the chance to speak at a conference.�

Students who present at the showcase have the chance to perfect valuable presentation skills, show employers they have a desire to become a life-long learner, and learn how to write a presentation proposal. Two showcase presenters will receive scholarships at the close of the conference that allows them to attend a state conference of their choice.

“After presenting in the 2011 HAPPY Hour Showcase, it clicked that in less than  two years I was going to be a teacher and I finally saw myself for what I am, a teacher in training,� said Ashley Martin, senior Elementary Education major. “The showcase gave me confidence in myself as an educator.�

HAPPY (Having Active Participation Prepares You) Hour is a professional development initiative for students that began at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2004 has since gained recognition across the nation. The topics discussed at the workshops supplement coursework and internships.

A follow-up HAPPY Hour workshop will be held after the conference to teach student presenters how to turn their presentations into an Honors in the Major thesis, article for publication or presentation for another conference.

“Becoming involved with HAPPY Hour is what opened the doors to an exceptional educational experience� said Nicole Yello, a senior Elementary Education major. “The program instilled confidence, enabled me to grow tremendously and energized me for my career as an educator.�

The workshops, conducted by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty members and local teachers, give students insight on a range of topics that include job and interviewing tips to classroom-management techniques. The goal of the workshops is to make graduates more marketable to employers when searching for jobs.

On-site registration is available the morning of the conference in the Education Complex Lobby.

For more information contact Karen Verkler at Karen.Verkler@ucf.edu.