Celebrating Connection, Learning, and Fun at AeriesCon Spring 2025
Nearly 1,200 members of the Aeries community came together in Ontario, California for our 53rd AeriesCon — yes, the 53rd! — a vibrant, music festival–themed event filled with new ideas, shared knowledge, and great connections. From inspiring keynotes to hands-on sessions and plenty of fun in between, this year’s conference truly hit all the right notes.
Inspiring Keynotes to Start Each Day
Our mornings began with powerful keynote presentations:
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Jerry Almendarez, Superintendent of Santa Ana USD, opened Monday by exploring the role of AI in education and its exciting potential.
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Val Vigoda, a transformational performer, closed Tuesday with a message of optimism and resilience, blending storytelling with live music alongside accompanist Ryan.
Over 100 Learning Sessions to Explore
What would AeriesCon be without learning opportunities? Attendees chose from more than 100 breakout sessions designed to help them make the most of Aeries. The most popular sessions included:
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Basic Query with Diana Martinez
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Intermediate Query with Diana Martinez
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Aeries Roadmap: An Early View of 2025 & Beyond with Elen Meltonyan and Randy Catiller
Connecting at Open Forum
Open Forum sessions were a hub of collaboration.
Attendees met 1:1 with Aeries Subject Matter Experts to ask questions, solve challenges, and deepen their knowledge. Whether exchanging hugs or digging into topics like CALPADS, queries, or gradebooks, our community came together to share insights and support.
Celebrating at Casino Night and Honoring Our Legacy
Casino Night was extra special this year. In addition to fun games and delicious hors d’oeuvres, we paused to recognize outstanding contributors and reflect on Aeries’ rich history:
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Jerry Lloyd Golden Legacy Award Winners:
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Albert Kwan, West Covina USD
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Susan Prow, Aeries
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Both were nominated for their meaningful and lasting impact in the student information space.
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Honoring Aeries leadership and legacy:
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We celebrated the retirements of former CEO Barry Lloyd and Co-Founder Rich Lloyd.
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Craig Tschuoff and Sam Defeo shared heartfelt speeches filled with great memories from Aeries’ early days.
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Current President and CEO Brent Lloyd closed the evening by sharing his excitement and vision for Aeries’ future.
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It was a night to honor the past, celebrate the present, and look ahead with optimism.
Special Performances by Student Bands
No music festival is complete without live music! Thank you to the incredible performers who entertained us during lunch:
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Harvest Hill STEAM Academy Concert Band
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Menifee Valley Middle School Eagle Band
CALPADS and IT Professional Learning
We had a packed house on Day 3 of AeriesCon, with attendees eager to continue learning and growing their skills.
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CALPADS Day, focused on compliance and reporting
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Aeries IT Professional Day, offering technical deep dives
Attendees continued building their skills — and yes, the M&Ms flowed freely every day, keeping the energy high through the final sessions!
See You at AeriesCon Fall 2025 and Spring 2026!
We are so thrilled that we spent the week jamming with so many members of our Aeries community. Seeing familiar faces, meeting new users, and supporting our attendees make AeriesCon so special.
While another unforgettable event has come and gone, we can’t wait to connect again at upcoming Aeries gatherings.
Are you ready to start planning ahead? Save the dates for our next conferences:
- AeriesCon Fall 2025: November 3–5, 2025 (Virtual)
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AeriesCon Spring 2026: March 10–12, 2026 (Monterey, California)
On behalf of the AeriesCon Committee, we thank every attendee, staff member, and vendor who helped make this event truly memorable.
To stay updated on all things AeriesCon, visit www.aeries.com/aeriescon.