PASC News Inside This Issue PASC Advisers of the Year Selected.................................. 2 • Megan Frantz Named Middle Level Advisor of the Year • Lynn Clark Named High School Advisor of the Year Commitment to Youth Award Given to Dr. Frances Michelini................................. 2 News & Notes...................... 3 • Seeking Host School for 2015 State Conference • Middle Level Reps Application Deadline Extended Dale Hawley Award Winners Announced............................ 3 Tonya Salkowski Named 2013 Winner of Linda Greb Award..................................... 3 Boyertown Hits All the Right Notes As State Conference Host........................................ 4 Jim Finnemeyer Honored for 37 Years of Service............... 5 Deadline Extended for NASC Student Advisory Council Applications.......... 6 NASC to Hold LEAD Conference in Washington, DC...7 PASC Recognized by the State Board of Education.... 7 Grove City Gold Workshop Director Position................. 7 Student Voice and Civic Engagement................................ 8
U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship Finalists Named Congratulations to the following students who were recently named as United States Senate Youth Scholarship finalists. On Saturday, November 23, 2013, each of these students was interviewd and took a government and constitutionbased current events exam. The Department of Education hosted these students and their parents for a luncheon at the State Capitol as part of this special day in Harrisburg. Two state winners and two alternates were selected. PASC will
Volume 38 Issue 3 November 2013
Finalists for the U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship were named earlier this month after a day of interviews and exams in Harrisburg.
announce them in December’s PASC News. The finalists are: Wyatt Behringer, Governor Mifflin HS, District 13 Danielle Croner, Boyertown HS, District 13 Hannah Kim, Parkland HS, District 10 Stanley Marciniak III, North Hills HS, District 3 Colleen McGovern, North Penn HS , District 12 Patrick Newhart, Dallas HS, District 9 Brandon Posner, Central
Bucks East HS, District 12 Xiomara Salazar, Berwick HS, District 7 Pooja Tivawala, Bensalem HS, District 12 Catherine Zhang, North Allegheny HS, District 3 All school nominees for the U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship will be invited to attend the PASC Student Summit in Harrisburg on February 23, 2014, along with other representatives from high schools across the state.
2014–2015 Regional Rep Schools Elected During caucus meetings on Friday, November 15, schools were elected to be the new Regional Rep schools. A student from each one of these schools will be selected to serve a two-year term on the PASC Executive Board which begins on January 1, 2014.
The following Regional Representatives will begin the second year of their terms in January 2014: Region A: Tyler Cornell, General McLane HS Region B:
Trey Quealy, Norwin HS
Region D:
Sierra Gehringer, Cowanesque Valley HS
Region F: TBA
Region E:
Autumn Capouillez, Halifax HS
Region G:
Congratulations to these students and thank for your willingness to serve PASC!
The following schools were elected: Region C:
Conemaugh Valley HS Governor Mifflin HS
PASC Advisors of the Year Selected
Megan Frantz Named Middle Level Advisor of the Year
Middle level advisors selected by their districts as Advisors of the Year were recognized at the state conference earlier this month. From this group, Megan Frantz of Tamaqua Middle School was chosen as 2013 PASC Middle Level Advisor of the Year. She has been an advisor for five years.
Tobacco program, teaching second graders about the dangers of tobacco through a puppet show. Council members reach out to the community as well by collecting canned goods for a local food bank and holding a mini-Relay for Life to support the American Cancer Society.
The Tamaqua Middle School council serves the school by conducting sixth grade orientation and assisting with fall open house at the beginning of each school year, promoting Red Ribbon Week, holiday door decorating, sponsoring dances throughout the year, recognizing birthdays of students every day, and holding a teacher
Her students consistently attend PASC state and district conferences. She is a talent show coordinator, MathCounts advisor, and a member of the school’s Student Intervention and Crisis Teams, and mother to two very active students within the Tamaqua school community.
appreciation luncheon. The council has created “Bully Boxes” to aid students in reporting bullying and has planned a Teens Against
Congratulations and best wishes to Megan as her application will now be submitted for additional regional and national recognition.
Lynn Clark Named High School Advisor of the Year High school advisors selected by their districts as Advisors of the Year were also recognized at Boyertown. Receiving the Linda Greb Advisor of the Year Award was Lynn Clark, recently retired advisor of Norwin High School. This PASC High School Advisor of the Year Award is named for the former Mars High School advisor and PASC Executive Board member who passed away in 2002 after a courageous battle with cancer. Lynn Clark has been both a middle school advisor for 14 years and a high school advisor for 8 years. Her councils gained support from the staff, administration, and community beause they focused on the details of planning with targeted goals, well-developed proposals, student leaders prepared to answer questions, an events checklist, and “debriefing” at the end of every major program. This approach has instilled confidence in students and has allowed the council to work toward expanding its influence and widening its reach into a myriad of arenas of student involvement. Using these approaches to leadership allowed the Norwin High School Student Council to be named a National
Council of Excellence. Whether the council was sponsoring a Homecoming parade and ceremony before thousands of spectators; holding an annual senior citizens’ dance for 750 seniors; feeding and entertaining 1,000 community children for a Disney Christmas breakfast; sponsoring unique and special fund raisers for individual students or groups of students facing great needs or illnesses; the Norwin HS council and Lynn Clark are shining examples of service to school and community. Lynn has been very active with PASC in District 4, was the Middle Level Coordinator, served on both middle level and high school PASC summer leadership workshop staffs, and presented many roundtable advisor sessions. She was previously named as the PASC Advisor of the Year in 2006. We congratulate Lynn Clark as the 2013 High School Advisor of the Year and wish her well as she is now to be considered for regional and national recognition.
Commitment to Youth Award Given to Dr. Frances Michelini State Board of Education member Dr. Frances J. Michelini, was recognized during the State Conference for his dedication, encouragement, and the support given to the student representatives of the Pennsylvania State Board of 2
Education. In 2007 and 2008, Dr. “Mike” played a major role in the adoption of an SBE policy to include two high school students and two college students on the State Board of Education. During the last six years,
PASC News • November 2013 • www.pasc.net
Dr Mike has continued to encourage student members to use their voice to represent the 1.76 million students of Pennsylvania. During his acceptance speech for this award, Dr. Mike spoke of the value of education and encouraged PASC confer-
ence delegates to seek their passion and continually work toward achieving their goals. Recently, the Highmark Corporation of Pittsburgh pledged $20,000 to fund student participation on the SBE through the 2018–2019 school year.
Dale Hawley Award Winners Named
Each year, the National Association of Student Councils provides each state association with five awards named for the former Executive Director of NASC, Dale Hawley. Pennsylvania has annually given these awards to one student in each of our Gold and Blue Summer Leadership Workshops. The students are selected by the respective workshop staffs as outstanding delegates during the workshop programs in July and August. The Dale Hawley Awards were announced at the State Conference on November 15. The winners are: Grove City Blue:
Noah Adams, Pine Richland MS
Alvernia:
Matt Caputo, North Pocono MS
Grove City Gold:
Vince Bonar, Greater Latrobe HS
Susquehanna:
Victoria Cuccurullo, Garnet Valley HS
Advanced Gold:
Maggie Ledrick, Chartiers Valley HS
Tonya Salkowski Named Winner of Linda Greb Award At the Saturday closing general session of the state conference, Tonya Salkowski was named as the 2013 winner of the Linda Greb Award. Our 2013 award recipient has worked for 18 years on various PASC Summer Workshop staffs, teaching units on communications, project planning, and personal leadership skills and heading up sessions on hall of ideas and publicity ideas. From 2007–2012, she served as the facilities coordinator for the Blue Workshop at Lebanon Valley College, leading to the continued success of that program for middle level students. In 2013, she played a major role in moving the eastern Blue Workshop to a new, beautiful site at Alvernia University in Reading. Tonya received a specially designed pin which includes an inverted triangle representing Linda’s strength, the seeds she planted in young people, their growth into fully developed trees all encircled to symbolize the circle of life. The award is named in memory of Linda S. Greb, who served on many workshop staffs and passed away in 2003 while serving as the director of the Advanced Gold workshop. It is given annually to a workshop staff member for outstanding service to PASC. Congratulations, Romayne!
News & Notes Seeking Host School for 2015 PASC State Conference The process is now beginning to select the host school for the State Conference in fall of 2015. Student Council advisors and student leaders who are interested in bidding to host this conference should contact PASC Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer at PASCInfo@aol. com or call 215-280-9299 for a packet of materials that explains the bidding process and for a host school planning booklet. Schools interested in hosting the State Conference in 2015 should notify PASC by December 15. Official letters of invitation are needed from the advisors, the Student Council president, the principal, and the superintendent of schools and must be received by PASC no later than January 1, 2014. Schools that bid are invited to make a presentation to the PASC Executive Board at a meeting on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at Altoona Area High School. The PASC Executive Board will then decide on a host school that day.
Middle Level Representatives Application Deadline Extended PASC is seeking two teams, each consisting of a seventh grade student and his/her Student Council advisor, to serve as the Middle Level Representatives on the PASC Executive Board from January 1, 2014 to August 2, 2015. These positions were not filled at the state conference. Current board members are Joey Moyer and his advisor, Mrs. Lisa Bernet, from Fleetwood Middle School (District 13) and Noah Pollio and his advisor, Ms. RoseAnn Fulena, from Union Middle School (District 2). Please contact Erica Castaldo at ecastaldo@npsd.org with any questions about the position. The job description, application, and the overview of the selection process can be found at www.pasc.net by clicking on Resources/Forms and Applications/Middle Level or by contacting us at PASCInfo@aol.com. Completed applications for the student and advisor must be postmarked by Tuesday, December 3. All the student/advisor teams will be interviewed by conference calls before December 11, after which two middle level teams will be selected to serve on the PASC Executive Board. PASC News • November 2013 • www.pasc.net
3
Boyertown Hits All the Right Notes as State Conference Host The 77th State Conference was hosted by Boyertown Area Senior High School located in the suburban Philadelphia area. The conference theme “The Rhythm of Leadership” was evident from the opening performance by the BASH Show Choir through the choice of conference speakers, to the decorations, and all the way to the “conference in review” with its upbeat music created by Dave Brame of Dynamx Digital. Registration on Thursday included time for delegates to participate in one of three on-site service projects: making hand turkey decorations for a
local senior center; decorating bags for Meals on Wheels; and writing letters to members of our armed services. The conference featured three noted leadership and motivational speakers. Each shared a different message that challenged and inspired the student and advisor delegates. The speakers included the musical talents of Monte Selby, the humor of Scott Backovich, and the “evolution of dance” by Justin Laippley. Student-led workshops were held Friday morning while advisors participated in five roundtable presentations by their peers. Advisors also attended a ses-
General session highlightes included the musical talents of Monte Selby accompanied by PASC delegates (top), the humor and insights of Scott Backovich (far right), Justin Laippley’s evolution of dance (right) and emcees Emilee Semple and C.J. Hartung from Boyertown HS.
4
PASC News • November 2013 • www.pasc.net
sion with Scott Backovich and three mini-workshops, which previewed the Activities Advisors’ Seminar to be sponsored by PASC, planned for July 8–9, 2014 at Susquehanna University. Seven regional caucuses were held during Friday’s lunch and were followed by the conference’s second general session, which included the presentation of awards for the advisors of the year. That evening provided a time for delegates to enjoy a delicious buffet dinner in the BASH Bear Gym followed by separate dances for high school and middle students. Saturday morning included
the third general session, a tribute to the schools contributing to the 2013 state charity: VH1 Save the Music. More than $10,000 was raised for instrumental music programs for Pennsylvania schools in need. The closing speaker was Justin Laippley and a slide show provided by Dynamx Digital Productions. We now turn our sights to Altoona Area High School, site of the 2011 state conference, as their planning continues for the 78th PASC State Conference, which returns to central Pennsylvania on November 6–8, 2014. Stay tuned for details later this winter.
Jim Finnemeyer Honored for 37 Years of Service As PASC Executive Director During various sessions of the State Conference, PASC Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer, who will retire as executive director in March, was recognized for his 37 years of service to PASC. At the first general session, Jim was presented with a treasure chest filled with letters and notes of thanks and congratulations written by present and former students and advisors, as well as colleagues from across the nation, by veteran PASC Summer Workshop Director Andy Costanzo. At the banquet on Friday evening, Jim was recognized by NASC Student Advisory Board
Member, Christian Hodges of Maryland, and NASC Adult Advisory Board Member and New Jersey Executive Director, Lou Miller, and was presented with a plaque of recognition by NASSP Director of Student Programs, Ann Postlewaite. At the Third General Session on Saturday, Jim was surprised for a third time with the showing of a slide show highlighting Jim’s 37 years as PASC Executive Director. He was also presented with a quilt and pillows created by Dotty Noll, PASC Web site Coordinator, made from PASC t-shirts collected over the years from PASC state conferences, sum-
mer workshops, and NASC Conference trips.
Faces of
PASC
As he retires from PASC, Jim will begin his new role as executive director of the National Association of Workshop Directors (NAWD) at the conclusion of the annual conference in Austin, Texas, on December 8. Interviews for the position of PASC Executive Director will be held during the PASC Executive Board Meeting at Altoona Area High School on Saturday, January 11, 2014. Jim will conclude his tenure as PASC Executive Director on March 1, 2014 and will become PASC Executive Director Emeritus on that date. Director of Student Programs for NASSP Ann Postlewaite presented Jim Finnemeyer with a plaque recognizing his many years of service (far left). PASC Summer Workshop Director Andy Costanzo presented Jim with a treasure chest filled with letters of appreciation and congratulations from PASC members and friends across the nation.
Good times with good friends are part of the fun of attending a PASC conference. Many thanks to Boyertown Area High School for hosting a wonderful conference. PASC appreciates your hard work and dedication.
PASC News • November 2013 • www.pasc.net
5
PASC NEWS is published monthly during the school year. To submit announcements, articles, or corrections for newsletters, please email the Executive Director or Assistant Executive Director. Articles or information from PASC NEWS may be reproduced for use, with appropriate credit. Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer North Penn HS 1340 Valley Forge Road Lansdale, PA 19446 215-280-9299 215-855-0632 (Fax) Finnemeyer@aol.com PASCInfo@aol.com Assistant Executive Director Kathy Ann Coll 174 Link Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15237 412-366-5744 Kcoll1@comcast.net PASC President Danielle Croner Boyertown High School 120 N. Monroe Street Boyertown, PA 19512 PASC President-Elect Courtney Detwiler Altoona High School 1415 6th Avenue Altoona, PA 16602 PASC News Editor Lyn Fiscus Leadership Logistics PASC Email: PASCInfo@aol.com PASC Website: www.pasc.net
6
Deadline Extended for NASC Student Advisory Council In mid-November the National Association of Student Councils announced it will once again have eight student positions on the NASC Advisory Council. For the past several years only half the regions had a representative at one time. Under the old system, Region 2 (DE, MD, NJ, NY, and PA) would not have a student representative on the Advisory Council beginning July 1, 2014 when present representative Christian Hodges’ two-year term comes to an end. The inclusion on the Advisory Council of students from all eight regions has changed the expectations of and job description for the student nominee that PASC will select for this position. Duties of Student Liaison The job description published in PASC News in October consisted of items 1–5 below. With the expansion of this position, items 6 and 7 have been added to the job description. This student will: 1. Serve from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2016. 2. Foster communication among the state presidents and executive directors of the Middle Atlantic states. 3. Communicate student ideas and concerns from the states of Region 2 with student representatives serving on the NASC Advisory Council. 4. Assist with planning the annual April meeting of Region 2 state officers and executive directors. 5. Foster the sharing of ideas and projects among the state organizations of Region 2. 6. The student will be required to attend NASC Advisory Council meetings in Reston, Virginia, in January 2015 and January 2016, as well as the NASC Conference in June 2014, June 2015, and June 2016. The student may also be required to attend an NASC LEAD Conference in 2015 and 2016. In this role the student Advisory Council members will be asked to do the following: a. Identify and bring forth student council-related issues, topics and concerns to NASC. b. Provide critical review, feedback, and recommendations on issues, topics, or concerns as requested by the NASSP Board and staff. c. Provide periodic review and recommend revisions or enhancements to NASC Awards programs as requested.
PASC News • November 2013 • www.pasc.net
d. Assist NASC staff as called upon during the NASC National Conference e. Members may be asked to attend other meetings or conferences in which student input is needed. NASC covers expenses for all required meetings. 7. If the Pennsylvania nominee is selected for this position, he or she will also be invited to attend three PASC Executive Board meetings and the PASC State Conference each year of the term to make reports to PASC during his/ her term of office. Transportation, meals, and accommodations for meetings will be paid for by PASC. Student Liaison Selection Guidelines Candidates for the Student Liaison position: 1. Must be enrolled in a secondary school that is a member of NASC and PASC. 2. Must be a sophomore or freshman at the time of selection. ( January 2014) 3. Must be able to attend the Executive Board meeting for an interview on January 10, 2014, in Altoona 4. Must be able to attend NASC Region 2 Selection interviews in April in New Jersey. PASC Process PASC is beginning the process of naming a Pennsylvania nominee for this position. Present freshman and sophomores may apply. The following is the PASC application process. 1. Download information and an application at www.pasc.net. 2. Submit the application online at www.pasc. net or email it to kcoll1@comcast.net by the deadline of February 10, 2014. 3. The applications will be reviewed and three finalists selected. Students will be notified by February 24, 2014. 4. The three finalists will be interviewed by the NASC Relations Committee on Friday, March 7, 2014, at Altoona Area HS. 5. The PASC nominee will be interviewed at the NASC Region 2 State Officers meeting in New Jersey on Saturday, April 26, 2014, with other nominees from NASC Region 2 states.
NASC to Hold LEAD Conference in Washington, DC NASC will sponsor a LEAD Conference at a familiar site to PASC member schools the weekend of January 31–February 2, 2014. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia (near the Pentagon). The LEAD Conference is designed for student council and National Honor Society members in grades 6–12 with special program strands for middle level students, high school students, and advisors. These exciting and rewarding weekend meetings are designed to encourage interstate communication among student leaders and advisers, to strengthen leadership skills, and to prepare those attending for leadership roles on the local, state, and regional levels. To register, Go to www.LEADConferences.org, choose the site of the conference you wish to attend, then click on the registration
information link. Deadline to register online at the member school early-bird rate ($195) is January 13, 2014. Regular registration deadline: January
21, 2014 with a registration fee of ($215).
Schedule The conference begins on
Friday afternoon and ends on Sunday morning. Scheduled speakers include Scott Greensburg, Brodie Kaster, and Andy Thibodeau.
PASC Recognized by the State Board of Education During their report to the PASC delegates, student members of the State Board of Education, Emily Clark of Seneca Valley HS and Justin Reynolds of Pennridge HS, presented a plaque to PASC on behalf of the State Board of Education. The plaque reads: Whereas: In 2008, the State Board of Education sought to broaden the perspective of its deliberations by adding a student voice; and Whereas: Since that time, two high school students annually have served on the State Board of Education as non-voting advisory members that function as delegates of Pennsylvania’s 1.76 public
school students; and
the state; now therefore be it
Whereas: Since the inception of the Board’s Student Leadership Program, the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils has been an invaluable partner in managing the program, annually providing volunteer support to coordinate the application and selection process for the Board’s high school student members; and
Resolved: That the members of the State Board of Education do hereby extend their heartfelt appreciation and commendation to the Pennsylvania Association for its committed support of the Student Leadership Program, and be it further
Whereas: The Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils contributes additional value to Student Leadership Program by supporting opportunities for the Board’s high school student members to network with their peers across
Resolved: That the Board is grateful for the Association’s willingness to continue its valued partnership in support of the Student Leadership Program and looks forward to continuing this collaboration for the years to come. Larry Wittig Chairman, State Board of Education
Applications Available Now for 2014 Grove City Gold Summer Workshop Director Position PASC has a policy that when any leadership position within the organization becomes vacant, the vacancy must be advertised to the member advisors and, in the case of workshops, to the teaching staffs of the PASC workshop program. The following process will be used to fill the vacancy of Grove City Gold Workshop Director for 2014: 1. A job description for workshop and an application are available by emailing PASCInfo@aol.com 2. The application for Workshop Director can be submitted by an individual, or by two individuals as co-directors, or by two individuals as director and assistant director. 3. A resume from each candidate should be sent by December 1, 2013 to PASC Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer at 224 Oak Park Rd., Hatfield, PA 19440. The application and resume should be mailed together. Any questions about the application process should be directed to Jim at PASCInfo@aol.com or call 215-280-9299. 4. The Summer Workshop Committee will conduct interviews of
candidates at Altoona HS on Friday, January 10, 2014 during the PASC Executive Board meeting. Applicants will be provided details regarding the interview process by December 10. 5. PASC Assistant Executive Director Kathy Coll and the other PASC workshop directors will provide assistance and advice in helping the new director(s) in preparing for the 2014 summer workshop program.
PASC encourages those adults with workshop experience within or outside of PASC to see this as another opportunity to serve the PASC organization and the students of our member schools. PASC News • November 2013 • www.pasc.net
7
Student Voice & Civic Engagement Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils 16th Annual Student Summit in Harrisburg
PASC is inviting Pennsylvania high schools to send four students to Harrisburg on Thursday, February 20, 2014 for a Student Summit on Personal and Organizational Advocacy. The summit will focus on these objectives: • • •
What advocacy is and why it is important How to determine what students should advocate both at a personal and organization level How to advocate by mobilizing others in the school and community and by utilizing resources
These students should have an awareness of and an interest in school, community, state and national issues. The selection of the four students does not need to be limited to Student Council leaders but could also include interested students from National Honor Society, class government, and your school’s Social Studies department.
The Summit process is designed around these components: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Research on a local, state, or national issue of interest prior to the Summit Presentation on advocacy and how it can be implemented via student organizations Coaching by a team of recent college graduates who specialize in advocacy Development of advocacy action plans by student participants Presentation of student advocacy action plans Refinement of student action plans based on feedback during presentations Student participants would also be encouraged to make presentations to other student organizations in their schools.
The entire program will take place within the Capitol in Harrisburg. There is no cost to the students or to the faculty sponsor or parent who accompany students to Harrisburg other than the cost of lunch, which is on your own at the many options around the capitol.
three
Applications will be available at PASC.net and are due by February 1, 2014. As part of the application process, students will need to select from one of these categories: local, state or national issues. Students must submit a brief description of an issue that they feel deserves greater attention or a new perspective. This will serve as the foundation for the advocacy plan that students will develop at the Summit.
If you have any questions about this opportunity for your high school students, please do not hesitate to email us at PASCyouthsummit@aol.com or call Nancy Brady at 610-775-0682.
8
PASC News • November 2013 • www.pasc.net