Brown County Schools Will Host 3rd Annual TEDx Event, Blueprints & Breakthroughs

Brown County Schools will host their 3rd Annual TEDx Brown County Schools event this May. Come out for this free event and help fill the Brown County Music Center. You'll not only be supporting students as you enjoy this immersive event, but it's guaranteed to be a fun and meaningful day. Take in the merchandise offered, enjoy selfie stations and be one of the first 300 attendees to receive a SWAG bag. Food trucks will be on site, and more. 

 For those not familiar with TED Talks, the mission is to simply spread ideas. TED believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, change lives and change the world. There are several TED and TEDx events around the globe bringing together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives. At TED.com, they make the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free.

TEDx was created in the spirit of TED's mission “ideas worth spreading.” The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. At TEDx events, a screening of TED talks and live presenters spark deep conversation and connections. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

Superintendent of Brown County Schools Emily Callahan brought TEDx to Brown County Schools. Having discovered TEDx on a trip to California as an elementary school principal, she was not in a position to start the program in the school system. However, she was so enthusiastic about the concept, she couldn't forget it and was able to start it after becoming Superintendent. 

Callahan shared that it is the journey that is most important. “This is our third TEDx event, and we are the only public school district in Indiana that has scaled a TEDx platform across K–12. This is not just a high school stage; it is a global opportunity and a deliberate platform for student voice and student leadership.”

She explained that it is an excellent opportunity for students to put themselves out there and do something they didn't know they could do. TEDx is not widespread across the U.S. so it is a testament to Brown County Schools that the program has had such success. 

What is special and important in relation to TEDx Brown County Schools' banner is that students acting as Superintendent Interns are deeply involved in the planning and execution of the event. They help plan nearly every aspect of the event—from logistics and speaker coordination to student voice integration. 

This year's interns are Chloe Sawyer, a junior, and Piper Silbaugh, sophomore, both at Brown County High School. 

Callahan shared how the whole journey reminds her of how important it is to have big vision: “Have that vision and put it on paper. It is important to remember that nothing comes easy. One must persevere until there's a breakthrough on that vision.”

This 2026 theme—Blueprints & Breakthroughs—reflects Callahan's thoughts and celebrates the thinkers, builders, and changemakers who turn rough drafts into revolutions. “We know every bold idea starts with a blueprint, but blueprints alone don't change the world.”

This year's event will celebrate ideas worth building and worth breaking through. Whether it's a student reimagining education, an innovator challenging rural norms or a quiet voice with a bold solution, the stage will showcase the ‘sketches that became sparks'. 

Speakers confirmed at this point include Scott Swan – longtime journalist and storyteller, known for his work highlighting meaningful human stories and community impact, and Traci Sweet – speaker and wellness entrepreneur whose TEDx talk centers on unlearning bad advice and reclaiming our own inner wisdom. 

Both will be officially speaking under the TEDx Brown County Schools banner. Student speaker selections will be made after April auditions. If you are interested in being a speaker at a TEDx Brown County event, visit the website at https://www.browncountyschools.com/tedx/.

May 16 is the date for this year's event; it will take place at the Brown County Music Center at 200 Maple Leaf Boulevard, Nashville, In. 

The venue will open at 8:30 am with TED Talks beginning at 10 am. Help them beat last year's attendance of 420. This year, they'd love to fill the Music Center. There will be 10 to 15 speakers, both youth and adults, to enjoy. 

If you're interested in learning more or possibly sponsoring the event, either in-kind or financially, visit the website at: www.browncountyschools.com/tedx/.