Hampton Middle School teacher, Jay D’Ambrosio was the keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Middle School Association's (PMSA) 2010 Western Region Conference in January. His talk, Teaching with Direction: Using the Brain as a Guide, focused on what brain research reveals about the way it encodes new information. D’Ambrosio’s speech also explored strategies for using the latest research to improve classroom instruction. The presentation was an adaptation of his 2008-2009 training of Hampton Township School District teachers called This is Your Brain on Power Point.

The PMSA conference rotates sites each year with Seneca Valley Middle School hosting in 2010. About 300 teachers attended the event.