PASC News Inside This Issue News & Notes...................... 2 • Candidates for Middle Level Reps Needed • Seeking Regional Representatives from Districts 6-11-13 PASC Seeks New Executive Director................................. 2 NASC Recognizes PASC Advisors of the Year............ 3 State Conference Registration Deadline Is Here.......... 3 Feel the Rhythm of Leadership and Support VH1’s Save the Music................................ 4 NASC Conference Heads to Orlando.................................. 4 State Board of Education Passes PA Academic Standards....................................... 5 Applications Available Now for 2014 Grove City Gold Summer Workshop Director Position................................... 5 NASC Student Liaison to Be Named.................................... 6 U.S. Senate Youth: A Once in a Lifetime Experience.......... 6 Public Speaking Tips from Blue Workshop..................... 8 6 Tips for Involving More Students.................................. 8 Act Now on Scholarship Opportunities....................... 9 HashTAG! You’re It: Leverage the Power of #...................... 10
Volume 38 Issue 2 October 2013
School Teams Finish Strong at Fall PAL Conferences It takes a team of principals, advisors, and students working together to create successful projects and a positive school environment. From September 24–26, participants at PASC’s Principal-Advisor-Leaders Conferences (PAL) learned how to work together to improve their schools at conferences in Reading, Selinsgrove and Irwin.
School teams worked together to plan a successful year at the and commufall Principal-Advisor-Leaders Conferences. nity together. The “FinishStrong” theme “LearnStrong” through: program, implemented over a • Focus on improving school four-year period, has connected climate each of the six elementary • Recognition of student acaschools, the one middle school, demic achievement and the high school of this • Appreciation of good attendistrict. dance, grades, character • Staff support for academic The members of Student coaching, teambuilding, and Councils in both the middle recognition of students. school and high school play
Throughout the program, facilitator Terri Johnson, executive director of the Missouri Association of Student Councils, used the school improvement model that she helped create at Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Missouri, as a model for how the student council, working in cooperation with the faculty, staff, and administration, can bring a school
significant roles by serving on committees that have brainstormed ideas, created plans, and implemented extensive activities that affect the students, staff, and community.
LearnStrong Together, with the administration and staffs of the six elementary schools, the “FinishStrong” Team worked on the
GrowStrong Student Council leaders, advisors, administrators and staff members worked together at the Middle School to carry out their theme: “GrowStrong” by: • Implementation of a Mentoring Program led by eighth grade students working with staff members through Advisement periods were built
continued on page 7
Keystone Councils: Your School Could Be First By Danielle Croner, PASC State President PASC Membership? Check! School spirit? Check! Community outreach? Check! You’ve got what it takes to be one of Pennsylvania’s first ever
Keystone Councils! PASC is excited to introduce a brand new opportunity for you and your council: the Keystone Council Awards. These awards are designed to fulfill PASC’s vision of recognizing
school and individual achievements. Different from NASC’s National Council of Excellence Award, these acknowledgements operate solely on a state level and will highlight PASC member councils that are truly continued on page 2
News & Notes Candidates for Middle Level Representatives Needed 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. 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 Monday, October 21, 2013. All the student/advisor teams will be interviewed at the State Conference on November 15, 2013 and two middle level teams will be selected to serve on the PASC Executive Board.
Seeking Regional Representatives from Districts 6-11-13 PASC is seeking schools wishing to run for Regional Representative positions for Region C from District 6, Region F from District 11, and Region G from District 13. These positions are for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2014 and ending January 31, 2016. Elections for these positions will be held during Regional Caucus Meetings at the State Conference on Saturday, November 16 at Boyertown High School. Schools wishing to self-nominate should contact their respective District Directors by Tuesday, October 15 to express interest and should prepare a five-minute presentation for the caucus. Students who are selected to serve as Regional Representatives must be named by the selected school by December 15, 2013. Students must be a freshman or a sophomore in September 2013 and must be willing to make a two-year commitment to PASC. Present terms continue for Representatives in Regions A-B-D-E until January 2015. For a job description and timeline of commitments go to www.pasc.net and click on Resources/Forms and Applications/Executive Board Positions or contact us at PASCInfo@aol.com
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PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
Keystone Council Awards
(from pg 1)
remarkable. In fact, we hope that student councils can use this award as a stepping-stone towards achieving NASC recognition. PASC is presenting your council not only with a challenge, but also with an opportunity to grow and to improve through selfevaluation. To more effectively honor all student councils, there are separate middle level and high school applications for the awards. Both of these applications are now viewable on www.pasc.net under the “Resources” tab. At this time, your council can print out and begin to complete the application, which must be submitted by May 16, 2014. We encourage you to take advantage of this deadline, seeing it as an opportunity to thoroughly evaluate your council’s accomplishments for the year. A selection committee will then review applications and notify schools receiving Keystone Council Awards by October 1, 2014. All projects completed during the 2013-2014 school year are eligible for review on the application. Keystone Councils must meet criteria in categories such as Financial Procedures, Civic Engagement, and Student Voice. PASC is eager to begin this awards program and to show just how amazing Pennsylvania student councils are. We are so thrilled to share this new opportunity with you and we can’t wait to recognize the first-ever Keystone Councils at the 2014 PASC State Conference in Altoona!
PASC Seeks New Executive Director After almost 37 years as PASC executive director, Jim Finnemeyer announced his retirement effective March 1, 2014. Jim will be taking on a new position as the executive director of the National Association of Workshop Directors (NAWD), which will begin on January 1, 2014. This national advisor’s organization caters to training for all activity advisors, leadership teachers, and workshop directors and staff. The PASC Executive Board accepted Jim’s retirement and created the following procedure for selecting the new executive director. This first term is for two years to complete Jim’s term. There is a detailed job description online and requirements include: • Be an active or retired educator • Be affiliated with a PASC school • Be able to miss approximately 10 school days and approximately 14 summer days • Have access to copying abilities, fax machine, a dedicated phone and secretary services, if needed. Applications are due by December 13 to Assistant Director Kathy Coll. Interviews will be scheduled for Friday, January 10, 2014 with the PASC Constitution and Policy Committee. The new executive director will be appointed at that meeting and will transition with Jim’s help and take over the position on March 1, 2014.
NASC Recognizes PASC Advisors of the Year Congratulations to Nancy Brady (Governor Mifflin HS, District 13) and R. J. Long (Quaker Valley MS, District 3) who were recognized at the 2013 NASC National Conference at Sunrise Mountain High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the NASC Region 2 High School and Middle Level Advisors of the Year for 2013. The Warren E. Shull National Advisors of the Year were Kyle Gordon of Illinois at the high school level and Cathy Helfrich of Missouri at the middle level.
Nancy Brady was recognized as the NASC Region 2 High School Advisor of the Year at the 2013 national conference.
The 2013 PASC Advisors of the Year will be announced on Friday, November 15 during the PASC State Conference at Boyertown High School. Ten middle level and 12 high school District Advisors of the Year will be recognized at that time, and from them the PASC Advisors of the Year will be selected. These two advisors will be recognized at the 2014 NASC Conference in Orlando, Florida.
R. J. Long was recognized as the NASC Region 2 Middle School Advisor of the Year at the 2013 national conference.
State Conference Registration Deadline Is Oct. 11 Don’t miss attending the 2013 PASC State Conference, register now! Student leaders and advisors from across Pennsylvania will be gathering at Boyertown Area Senior High November 14–16 for the 77th annual PASC state conference. There will be a harmonious atmosphere in our music-driven school to celebrate our leadership along with so many strong Pennsylvania leaders. The jam-packed schedule includes exciting entertainment, engaging speakers, and educational workshops.
Keynote Speakers From comedy to inspiration, dancing to music, our speakers have it all! On Thursday night, Monte Selby will be speaking to the delegates while integrating music into his message. Friday afternoon will bring Scott Backovich’s humor and ability to relate to students. Judson Laipply’s high-energy performance will close the conference on Saturday.
Student-Led Workshops Student-led workshops will be held at Boyertown Area Senior High on Friday morning. Come learn more about organizing your council, team building, and communicating with your school and your council.
Advisor Program Our advisor program will include an hour of roundtables, a mini Advisor University session with an hour of programming highlighting major events from the Advisor University program. Finally, the advisors will hear a presentation from Scott Backovich.
Conference Meals The costs for meals at the conference are included in the registration fee. All of the students will receive dinner from their host family on Thursday night. Breakfast on both Friday and Saturday morning will be at their host home. Lunch and dinner on Friday will be held at Boyertown Area Senior High.
Registration Information Registration is now open and will close on October 11, 2013. You may register up to eight students and advisor(s) for the state conference per school. The cost for registration is $115 per person. To register, visit the registration page on www.pasc2013.org!
Housing and Transportation Advisors are reminded to visit the Advisor Info tab on www. pasc2013.org for the list of hotels around Boyertown and the surrounding areas. If you have not reserved your hotel room, PLEASE DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The student delegates will be staying in host homes in the Boyertown community. The host family parents will contact advisors and delegates’ parents approximately one week prior to the conference. The host parents will be providing transportation for all of the student delegates. Bus transportation will be provided for advisors to and from the hotels. For more information such as program details, schedules, and directions to hotels and Boyertown Area Senior High please visit www.pasc2013.org! PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net 3
Feel the Rhythm of Leadership and Support VH1’s Save the Music With a month until the state conference, the time to donate to the VH1 Save-the-Music Foundation is now! Please help us reach our goal and make a difference in the lives of students and schools that do not have music programs. The benefits of music education are astounding, and studies have consistently shown the tremendously positive affect music education has on a child’s academic performance, sense of community, self-expression and self-esteem. More information on the
State Conference. Every dollar counts!
Save-the-Music Foundation can be found on www.vh1savethemusic.com. Send in your contribution before November 5 or bring it with you to the
Don’t forget to send pictures and video of your fundraising efforts to statecharity@ pasc2013.org! All pictures and videos will be put together into a slideshow and displayed during the third general session to recognize and thank all who have donated. Please make checks payable to: BASH Student Council and send them to: BASH Student Council, c/o 2013 PASC State Charity,120 North Monroe Street, Boyertown, PA 19512.
NASC Conference Heads to Orlando Ayy, matey! Chart your course for Orlando, Florida, and come along on the voyage with the PASC delegation to “Discover the Treasures of Leadership” at the 2014 NASC National Conference. From June 27–29, we drop anchor at Ocoee High School, host of the 2014 conference. Ocoee High School is about 30 minutes from Orlando and also from the conference hotel. Our conference hotel for 2014 is the beautiful Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, located in the Walt Disney World® Resort. The Hilton Orlando is an Official Walt Disney World® Hotel and is ideally situated next to the Downtown Disney® Marketplace, Downtown Disney® West Side, and Cirque du Soleil®. Its location is also just minutes away via bus or car from Disney’s popular theme parks. PASC is planning a pre-trip to the conference with departures from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on June 25. Watch for details regarding the pre-trip and conference program in the November issue of PASC NEWS and at www.pasc.net. Our estimated per person cost is $1,400 and will include conference registration fee, travel costs, meals, lodging, entertainment, and T-shirts. Conference registration through PASC will begin in mid-November. Plan now to raise the funds to join us as we “Discover the Treasures of Leadership” in Orlando next summer! 4
PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
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
State Board of Education Passes PA Academic Standards Emily Clark, Senior SBE Representative, Seneca Valley HS The State Board of Education made some very important decisions regarding the future of Pennsylvania education at its September meeting, including passing the PA Academic Standards, previously known as PA Common Core. These academic standards encompass 12 subject areas and will be used as the basis for curriculum and instruction in public schools starting with present third grade students. The standards will challenge Pennsylvania students and hold them responsible for their education. They will ensure that Pennsylvania students graduate qualified to pursue further education or to enter the workforce or military. To do this, they will focus on improving knowledge, comprehension, and the ability to apply stronger analytical
skills in both math and reading. I am confident that Pennsylvania students will stand up to the challenge and will do exceedingly well with the new standards and on the Keystone exams! Also adopted with these standards was the final implementation schedule of the Keystone exams. The Keystones will serve as rigorous, end-ofcourse exams in line with the Academic Standards. Starting with the class of 2017, students will have to pass the Algebra 1, Biology, and Literature and Composition exams in order to graduate. Students will have two chances to pass the exams, if they are unable to do so; they have the option of completing a graduation project. With these new regulations, teachers will not have to use a mandated curriculum or reading list, and national as-
Emily Clark, Senior SBE Representative
sessments will not be administered to PA students. Also, the standards and required Keystone testing will not apply to private schools. These standards will only better our state and our students, holding them accountable for more rigorous learning and better preparing them for life past high school. Another issue discussed at the September meeting was
the idea of mandating that Dating Violence Education be taught in public schools. It was decided upon that a study will be done showing the pros and cons of dating violence education, and that it will be discussed further at the November meeting. A decision regarding whether or not this will be added to the curriculum is expected by January. I would love to hear some student opinions on the subject. Any student with an opinion on the teaching of dating violence education in school should contact either Justin Reynolds, SBE Junior Representative, or me at our email or through our Twitter, @PaStudentRep. Finally, congratulations to the new acting Secretary of Education, Dr. Carolyn Dumaresq! She has done a wonderful job with the new standards and will serve the students of Pennsylvania well!
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 • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
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NASC Student Liaison to Be Named In 2009, the state Student Council organizations of NASC Region 2 (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) created a new student position called the Region 2 Student Liaison. By selecting a student liaison in the years when Region 2 does not have a student representative on the NASC Advisory Council, there is continuity to having a student to oversee and express the concerns and ideas of schools in NASC’s Region 2. In June 2014 the term of the present NASC Advisory Council representative (Christian Hodges of Maryland) will end and therefore a Student Liaison for Region 2 needs to be selected.
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.
Duties of Student Liaison
PASC Process
This student who serves as NASC Student Liaison 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.
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 November 8, 2013. 3. The applications will be reviewed and three finalists selected. Students will be notified by November 18, 2013. 4. The three finalists will be interviewed by the NASC Relations Committee on Friday, January 10, 2014 at Altoona Area HS in Altoona, PA. 5. The PASC nominee will be interviewed at the NASC Region 2 State Officers meeting in New Jersey on Saturday, April 26, 2014, along with other nominees from NASC Region 2 states.
Selection Guidelines for the Student Liaison Candidates for the Student Liaison position: 1. Must be enrolled in a secondary school that is a member of
U.S. Senate Youth: A Once in a Lifetime Experience By Dylan Brown, former president, Delaware Valley HS Take a second and think about what your number one goal is. Stop. Look down. Look back up. Now, bump that goal to number two. Your new goal is to become the delegate representing your state at the United States Senate Youth Program. “Why?” you might ask. The United States Senate Youth Program is an invaluable experience. The sights, smells, and sounds you experience will become moments in time that you long for. Look down. Look back up. You are in the White House standing in front of the President of the United States. 6
The most powerful man in the world proceeds to tell you to be persistent and that nothing worth doing in life is easily accomplished. He tells you to do well in the world today, rather than focusing solely on the outcomes of the distant future. Look down. Look back up, again. You are in the Supreme Court Chambers. Associate Justice Elena Kagan stays for hours in a question and answer session. Look down and back up again. It’s me, the alumnus delegate from Pennsylvania and I am telling you to do whatever you must to be awarded a place in this program. Do not take no for an answer. Make yourself a candidate who is impossible to turn away.
PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
In all seriousness, the United States Senate Youth program was the most rewarding experience of my life. It provides the networking opportunity of a lifetime. You make lasting friends in just Senator Patrick J. Toomey with Dylan Brown and Sarah one week’s time. Rudasill at the U.S. Senate Youth Program. You are given lifeare, to take this opportunity changing advice from the most and go for the remarkable ride. awe-inspiring people. Words Become your school’s 2014 cannot describe this experience. nominee. Make sure that you I will be forever thankful for apply by October 16. High and humbled by the Pennsylschool principals should have vania Association of Student copies of the USSY applicaCouncils’ decision to choose me. tion, which also can be found at www.pasc.net. I urge you, whomever you
School Teams Finish Strong (cont’d from page 1) into the schedule. • Lessons included participation/involvement, bullying/ acceptance, perception/ reputation, and dreams/goalsetting. • Creation of a positive school culture through signs and posters, school publications, student videos, and promoting a school legacy. • Promotion of student recognition and involvement of students in varied school activities and programs. • Using a “Staff Legacy” approach and adoption of the “GrowStrong” philosophy, which the staff can rally around.
FinishStrong The culmination of this school district-wide program is at the high school level, focusing on the “FinishStrong” theme. The activities initiated there include: • Stepping-Up Assembly, a highlight of the start of the school year, when the juniors of last year move into the seats of the seniors in the gym during a huge pep rally at the beginning of the year. • The focus was on increasing attendance rates to at least 95% and recognizing individual students for reaching that goal or higher. Attendance was a key program goal because if students are not in school, nothing else that is good happens. • Recognition of students in the classroom, for their performance on ACT tests, and for their plans after graduation. • Awarding of NBA awards (Nothing But A’s)
• Publicity to spread the word about “FinishStrong” including buying space on a billboard (“Northside Pride”), light-pole banners, parent receptions, flyers, pride Tshirts for staff, and studentproduced promotional videos. • Graduation is the ultimate goal. Focus on seniors and ending strong with Shamrock banner signing, senior service day, senior brunch, and senior activities.
Team Effort Principals, advisors, and student leaders were all included in PAL Conference activities, building team cohesiveness and opening up lines of communication. Delegates were challenged to include middle school and high school students on school committees, at presentations to school board meetings, and at community gatherings. Four superintendents from Carbondale, Fleetwood, Governor Mifflin, and Norwin also participated in this year’s conferences. PASC is grateful for the role each participant played and the enthusiasm that they shared in taking the ideas from the conferences back home to their school districts. The morning session was filled with examples that delegates can use back in their schools. Then students leaders worked together on activities while principals, superintendents, and advisors had time to meet and ask questions of Terri Johnson and PASC Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer. During the lunch break, participants also had opportunities to visit the extensive display of materials provided to PASC
School teams of student leaders, advisors, and principals worked together at the PALs conferences to determine a plan for the school year.
by the Missouri Association of Student Councils. Many individuals and school groups made purchases from the array of books, booklets, leadership activities, and items for student and staff recognition. The list of items available for order can be found under Resources on the PASC web site. The list includes prices of the items which can be sent from Missouri for an additional shipping fee. After lunch, student delegates reunited with advisors and principals from their own schools to begin planning steps to create a positive school climate and implement various aspects of the “FinishStrong” model during this school year. By first identifying the basic values that their school was built on, participants were then able to better focus their plans for the future. The afternoon session is what makes PAL so special for so many schools. It is a rare opportunity for students to get to sit down with the principal and advisors as a whole group and
discuss issues in the school. Even more so, this conference gives principals a chance to get away from the usual stress of the daily routine. It gives school teams an opportunity to redirect where their council is going, with the help of their principal, and start the year off on a good footing. One student attendee wrote on the program evaluation, “To me, this can be one of the most valuable conferences your school attends. PAL, for me, was a key opportunity to sit down with my school’s principal, Student Council advisor, and officers, so that we can decide what changes need to be made in the next school year. My hope is that as more schools attend PAL conferences in the future, they can better focus their efforts, and a better relationship with administration can develop.” In the near future, PASC will post many of the conference “FinishStrong” handouts under the Resource tab on the PASC website (www.pasc.net).
PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
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Public Speaking Tips from Blue Workshop By Joey Moyer, Middle Level Rep, Fleetwood MS
I had a great experience at the PASC Blue Workshop at Alvernia University this past summer. Seventy-seven middle level delegates came together on a beautiful campus in Reading for five days of fun, working in councils, planning activities, and participating in a community service project. For service we walked from the campus to a nearby nunnery, visited retired nuns, and played bingo with them. It was one of the most unique and interesting experiences of my life. One session that I attended that I want to share with my middle-level peers is the session on public speaking. Here are some important tips that I hope will help you and your council members: n Represent yourself well. When speaking to the public, you should represent yourself the best way possible. Before you go to speak, it is important that you have an idea of what you are going to say. You don’t want to be stuck up on stage stuttering and trying to think of something off the top of your head. If you do that, no one will listen to what you are trying to say. n Consider your audience. When you write your speech, you have to keep in mind what kind of audience you are going to have. Consider whether you are going to have to use logos, pathos, ethos, or all of them in your speech. Ethos is the appeal to an audience by mentioning someone trustworthy or of authority that promotes whatever you are trying to get across. Pathos is the appeal to
someone’s emotions, and logos is the appeal to an audience who needs to hear facts. n Check your grammar. Once you have your thoughts organized, you always want to make sure that your grammar is correct. Then when you speak, you want to talk from different points of views (logos, pathos, and ethos) while presenting things that keep the audience’s interest. n Be confident. You should always have a strong sense of self-confidence. You shouldn’t worry yourself with what everyone is thinking at that moment. But it’s always good to have a little feedback so you can improve your writing and speaking for the future. n Remember the basics. Other things that you have to remember while speaking are to keep eye contact with your audience, put enthusiasm in what you are saying, and to project your voice. Here are some other helpful ideas for when you give a speech. 1. Use note cards/index cards. 2. Write out the entire speech, word for word. 3. Take time to breathe in between sentences and at commas. 4. Moments of silence can be just as powerful as speaking. 5. Keep the audience engaged, but do not allow them to speak while you are. 6. Use your face and body to assist you. If you use all of these pointers you’ll be set for speaking in public.
6 Tips for Involving More Students Student leaders often find themselves in the position of trying to motivate their peers to participate in spirit competitions. Sure, there are always a few students who are eager to put themselves out there, but how about the rest of the class? The challenge is to engage more than the usual few and build a sense of camaraderie and spirit that will result in a unified school. Here are 5 tips to help you do just that.
ignore a general plea for help or an announcement asking for volunteers.
uAsk people to help. It’s
w Keep track of people who
a lot harder to say no to someone who personally asks for your help than it is to just 8
vGet a variety of kids involved. The students who participate in noontime activities or pep rally events should be different every time. Often the “rah-rah” type of kids are the only ones who are involved, but as a student leader you should make an effort to involve students from the different sub-groups on campus. have participated, so you can avoid having the same people
PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
do things all the time. Get a list from the office of all the members of your school and highlight the names of people after they have participated in a noontime activity, pep rally, or other spirit competition.
xMake it fun. Not all the events in a spirit competition are inherently fun. Jobs like decorating a hall in the school for your class or building a float for the parade often start out fun but end up being tedious. Make sure to liven things up with music and food.
y Involve everyone who
shows up. If you find yourself having lots of people show up to help with something like decorating, make each person feel needed Don’t let people stand around thinking, “they don’t really need me, I should have just stayed home.”
z Keep people informed. Make sure you give people the details of what’s expected— where they need to be (with directions, if needed), time they need to be there, and any materials they need to bring. Follow up with a text message or other reminder before the event so nothing is overlooked.
Act Now on Scholarship Opportunities 52nd Annual United States Senate Youth Scholarship Program
to give outstanding young volunteers the recognition they so richly deserve. Deadline is November 6, 2013.
Two student delegates from each state will be chosen to receive $5,000 college scholarships and the opportunity to spend a week in March 2014 in Washington, D.C., with delegates from across
$310,000 in Horatio Alger Scholarships to Be Awarded to Pennsylvania Seniors The Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans is accepting scholarship applications for the Class of 2014 due no later than October 25, 2013. Fifty-three Pennsylvania seniors will receive $310,000 in scholarships in 2014 in this program. Please share the following information with your Guidance Department and with students that you know who fit the following criteria: The Horatio Alger Association seeks to assist students who have demonstrated integrity, perseverance in overcoming adversity, strength of character, financial need (under $50,000 adjusted gross family income), a good academic record, commitment to pursue a college education, and a desire to contribute to society.
President Obama addresses 2013 winners of the U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship during their week in Washington, D.C. last spring.
the nation. All expenses are paid by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. The Pennsylvania Department of Education mailed a United States Senate Youth brochure and application to each high school principal in early September. Applications are also available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website and PASC website. Each school may nominate one outstanding student leader to be considered for the scholarship. To be eligible for the Senate Youth scholarship, a student must be a high school junior or senior and must hold an elected position in student council, class government, or a regional or state officer position in a statewide organization. After being nominated by the building principal, the student must complete an application packet and submit it by October 16, 2013 (postmark).
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program will award scholarships to students recognized for their dedication and selfless commitment to volunteerism. Eligible students must currently be in grades 5–12 and must be engaged in an act of volunteerism that has occurred, at least in part, during the 12 months prior to the application date. Programs could be done in or out of school. All middle level and high schools throughout Pennsylvania will receive program information and applications in early September. All high school principals should have received an application packet in mid-August. Information is also available at www.prudential.com/community/spirit. Please do not miss this opportunity
n National Scholars Program: Three Pennsylvania students will be selected to each receive a $20,000 scholarship and will be invited to the National Awards program in Washington, D.C. n Pennsylvania Scholars Program: Funded by the generosity of Joseph and Janet Neubauer, 50 Pennsylvania seniors will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship. Scholarship criteria are the same as for other Horatio Alger Scholarships. n Student Council Member Scholarship: A Horatio Alger Scholarship for a student council member in an National Association of Student Council (NASC) and Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC) member school. Go to horatioalger.com/scholarships/programs for details. On the application when the student sees the question: Are you a member of student council? CLICK on that and then answer all of the student leader questions and addition essays. These scholarships can only be applied for online: www.horatioalger.com/scholarships/index.cfm Applications available beginning August 1 with an October 25 deadline.
State Honorees in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards meet in Washington, D.C. each spring. PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
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HashTAG! You’re It: Leverage the Power of # By Kyle Kaufman Benign at best, but often distracting and misguided, the overuse and misuse of the hashtag on Twitter and now Facebook robs online social community leaders of power. “A hashtag (or hash tag) is a community-driven convention for adding additional context and metadata to your tweets. Similar to tags [...], you add them in-line to your Twitter posts by prefixing a word with a hash symbol (or number sign). Twitter users often use a hashtag [...] to aggregate, organize and discover relevant posts.” www.socialbrite.org If you use Twitter and happen to follow any musicians, companies, or news organizations, then you’ve seen effective use of hashtags. Let’s say you follow a particular artist who is performing at the iHeartMusic festival. You might notice that the artist will tweet something and include #iHeartRadio. That now “organizes” that tweet with other tweets from other performers, participants, and companies that are talking about the music festival. If you click on the hashtag, you’ll see a stream of tweets that included that same hashtag—and potentially discover new information or new opportunities.
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The hashtag acts like a virtual filter, distilling the craziness a hyperactive social conglomerate into something that you can recognize and manage. You already do one type of filtering by selecting who you follow on Twitter or friend on Facebook but that may not push your social network out far enough. When a virtual or physical community agrees on a hashtag convention, people who have never met can share what they’re thinking about. For instance, if you’re big into environmental issues, you’ve seen hashtags like #eco or #green in tweets. Clicking on one of those (or using an aggregator of some type like TweetDeck) will provide you with a stream of tweets or posts about environmental issues. You’ll read about activism by someone in California whom you’ve never met or a startup company in Texas that’s promoting a new product. You can even embed a Twitter feed of a particular hashtag on your website to reach people who may not use Twitter. Student councils can leverage the power of the hashtag as well. First, start using the hashtag #PASC whenever you’re talking about student council, student leadership, PASC events, project ideas, etc.
PASC News • October 2013 • www.pasc.net
Also, use the hashtag #PASC when you have questions about student council. For #SWsp example, you could tweet: Does anyone in #PASC have new ideas for teacher ap#SWHC preciation week? This will become increasingly effective as more of people interacting. students and advisors use hashtags purposefully. Another important method Using the common hashtag for encouraging the use of the #PASC when attending state hashtag conventions is to have conferences, district conferkey users watching the tweets ences, summer workshops, and and engaging in retweeting and other PASC programs will responding. According to “24 “broadcast” the event to those best practices for nonprofits uswho can’t be there and provide ing Twitter” from SocialBrite. an archive of the ideas, feelings, org, a group’s Twitter account and interactions that can be should engage in 60% retweetrevisited. You can of course use ing, 30% responding and more than one hashtag, which then only 10% tweeting out further filters your posts or announcements. Engaging your connects to another activity. network not only encourages
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Within your own school and school events, try to establish a hashtag convention system and then promote it constantly. When developing hashtags try to keep them short and fairly unique. For instance, a school named South Western could use hashtags like #SWHC for homecoming or #SWsports when tweeting from athletic events. Promote hashtags on wristbands, t-shirts, signs, and websites to grow the network
them to be more active but also will extend your network. Like any convention, there’s nothing that prevents people from misusing and even abusing the hashtag, but the essence of a true community involves developing a sense of shared responsibility. Using hashtags as they were intended can help sew together the social media fabric within our schools and organizations.