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 SCI: Nevada—The 2013 NASC Conference............... 3 The Stage Is Set for Boyertown HS................................. 3 Fall Fundraising Ideas for PASC State Charity:VH1 Save the Music................................ 4 PASC Enjoys a Night at the Ball Parks .............................. 5 HashTAG! You’re It: Leverage the Power of #...................... 6 News from August Executive Board Meeting...................... 8 Applications Available Now for 2014 Grove City Gold Summer Workshop Director Position................................... 8 Act Now on Scholarship Opportunities....................... 9 The Ropes of Project Planning.................................. 10 Tech Tools for an Efficient Council................................... 10 Resources: Teaching, Sharing, Learning ................................. 11
Volume 38 Issue 1 September 2013
Finnemeyer Announces Retirement The Story of “Mr. PASC” By Kathy Coll, PASC Assistant Executive Director When I mention the word legend, you might think of Don Quixote, The Beatles, Michael Jordon, or even Michael Jackson, but I am talking about the PASC Legend: H. James Finnemeyer, PASC executive director for 36 years. At the PASC Board Meeting in August, Jim announced his retirement from this position as of March 1, 2014. Shocked and surprised are probably good descriptions of what advisors and students all over the Commonwealth are experiencing right now, but let me share the story of Mr. PASC, and you will understand and acknowledge his accomplishments. Jim’s career as a Student
Council advisor Jim Finnemeyer, PASC executive director for 36 years, plans began the first year he was hired to retire from the position as of March 1, 2014. as a social studies the 1973 PASC State ConferTeacher at Pennfield Junior ence. (This means his students HS in the North Penn School bid for the conference the District in 1967. Right from same year he took over as high the beginning, Jim believed in school advisor— imagine that!) the “power” of the junior high He also became the District student to make decisions and 12 Director that year, which organize events. He continued meant organizing a district in this role until 1971 when conference, writing newsletters, he transferred to the high and recruiting membership. school and became the Student He was active in that role until Government advisor for the 1978. Life for Jim certainly was next 29 years. Additionally, about working with students he was North Penn’s full-time and making a difference in their Director of Student Activities lives, the school, the commufor almost 20 years. nity, and the state. Next, Jim’s talent to encourage students’ abilities to set goals and do long-term project planning were recognized early as he was the host advisor to
The story about how Jim became the Executive Director of the largest student leadership organization in the continued on page 7
PASC Creates Keystone Council Awards By Danielle Croner, PASC State President Calling all student councils! What projects make your council unique? Does your council hold highly productive meetings? What impact
does your council have on your school? PASC wants to recognize you! 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 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 • September 2013 • www.pasc.net
PASC Seeks New Executive Director Applications Due by December 13 After almost 37 years as PASC executive director, Jim Finnemeyer is announcing his retirement effective March 1, 2014. Jim will be taking on a new position as the new 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. All of this information is online at PASC.net 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.
Keystone Council Awards
(from pg 1)
level to highlight the PASC member councils that are truly 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 with not only a challenge, but also with an opportunity to grow and to improve through selfevaluation. To more effectively honor student councils, there are separate middle level and high school applications for the awards. Student councils will be further recognized as either a Keystone Council or Distinguished Keystone Council based on predetermined point values. PASC is eager to begin this awards program and show just how amazing Pennsylvania student councils are! More information about the Keystone Council Award will be announced in the October issue of PASC News. However, to jump-start the process for the 2013–2014 school year, you can go to www.pasc.net and download the information and application and get started. PASC is 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!
SCI: Nevada—The 2013 NASC Conference By Mitch Kovel, Region C Rep, Everett HS Nationals is a special experience for anyone who goes—every aspect of the trip was absolutely phenomenal. From the beginning, when we stepped off the planes from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia into the Las Vegas heat and got into stretch Hummer limos for our drive to our hotel, to the end when we all said our final goodbyes, every detail was precisely planned. The first thing we experienced was our visit to the Las Vegas Strip—let me tell you it was QUITE the experience. The best part was getting to see all of the cool artwork inside the lobbies of the casinos. Later that night we had dinner at the Hard Rock Café and got to see the Blue Man Group perform, which was amazing.
The PASC delegation to the 2013 NASC Conference
6:00 AM until 11:00 PM those days. During the conference we heard so many amazing speakers including Scott Backovich, who will be at the PASC state conference this November!
The next day we visited the Hoover Dam, which was beautiful. It’s literally in the middle of a desert and it might be one of the biggest structures I have ever seen. That evening we met up with delegates from the rest of the Region 2 states (Maryland, New Jersey, and New York) for an old-fashioned ranch dinner and an outdoor community theater production of The Music Man in Red Rocks canyon.
The workshop presenters taught all kinds of skills that we could use back at our schools. One workshop I went to emphasized how to improvise and how to go with the flow. It is something that I will definitely use back home at Everett HS. Certainly my favorite part of nationals was the people I met! I still keep in touch with so many people from all around the country, not to mention the people from PASC, some of whom I keep in contact with on an almost daily basis!
The next three days were filled with activities of the NASC conference. If you ask anyone about the conference itself they would simply say, WOW! The energy that we felt there was absolutely amazing. For me, it was the only thing that kept me going from
The national conference was an amazing experience—the people, workshops, speakers, and lessons learned there were incredible. I hope to get to see more new faces in Orlando at the 2014 NASC Conference.
The Stage Is Set for Boyertown HS By Danielle Croner, PASC President
nity are strong resources to help them achieve their goals. Lastly, “Encore: Celebrate Your Accomplishments” will be the theme for Saturday. Student Councils work diligently all year round to make a difference in their schools and communities, and we are recognizing all of your hard work!
Decorations? Check. Icebreakers? Check. Music? Check. Now we just need you and your dancing shoes! November 14–16, Boyertown Area Senior High will host the 77th PASC State Conference for middle level students, high school students, and advisors from across the state. Boyertown’s strong music program has been the inspiration for the conference theme, “Feel the Rhythm of Leadership!” We have been working hard over the last few months to make this conference a huge success, and can’t wait to welcome PASC in just a few short weeks. To continue the overall
Boyertown Area Senior High student council members are eager to welcome delegates to the 2013 PASC State Conference.
music theme, each day will have a focus on a more specific music-related theme. The first day of the conference is titled “A cappella: Use Your Voice.” For this, we want to emphasize the importance
of using your own talents and abilities to be the best leader you can be. On Friday, the theme will be “Harmony: Use Your Instruments” to teach delegates that their student council, school, and commu-
Students and advisors will hear inspirational guest speakers Monte Selby, Scott Backovich, and Judson Laipply during the general sessions. On Friday morning, students and advisors will attend a series of workshops and roundtable sessions. On Friday night, we will attend the conference banquet and then dance the night away. This state conference is a continued on page 11
PASC News • September 2013 • www.pasc.net
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Fall Fundraising Ideas for PASC State Charity:VH1 Save the Music The PASC 2013 state charity, VH1 Save The Music, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America’s public schools, and to raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child’s complete education. More than 15 years in existence, it is their renewed commitment to donate one hundred million dollars’ worth of new musical instruments to schools in need to ensure that an even greater number of students receive a comprehensive music education over the next 10 years! For more information on the good work of the Foundation, please visit: www. vh1savethemusic.com. With just three months until this year’s State Conference, this a good time to select a fundraising idea that will help you to raise funds for VH1 Savethe-Music in the months before the conference. Schools have already turned in $700 of funds as a result of spring fundraisers. We hope this number will rapidly climb in the coming weeks as school begins again and fall fundraisers are completed. While fundraising, remember the theme of the conference, “Feel the Rhythm of Leadership,” and be sure to involve as many students in your school as possible. Emphasize that your fundraiser will help those who do not have the chance to study music in a school environment. Explain that music and other extracurricular activities are critical to a student’s learning experience. 4
During your fundraisers, remember to take pictures and videos so your effort can be a part of the video montage at the conference. Please send all pictures, videos, and any questions you may have about the state charity to statecharity@ PASC2013.org. Planning a fall fundraiser is a good opportunity to work with members of your Marching Band to collect money to “Save the Music” in schools. Here are some ideas: n Set up a table and advertise the Save the Music charity and collect donations at a home football game or a band competition that your school might be hosting. n Talk with churches in your community about collecting donations to “Save the Music” in schools. n Encourage choirs, bands, and orchestras in all of the schools of your school district to collect donations through their parent organizations. n Get a local band to hold a free concert. Have collection bins. Leechburg HS raised $500 at $5 a ticket for a concert with ten local bands.
PASC News • September 2013 • www.pasc.net
Hold a Battle of the Bands and use the profit from tickets plus donations for “Save the Music.” n Hold a “Coffeehouse” Night with students’ poetry reading, singing songs, and playing instruments. Collect admission plus donations. n Hold a karaoke night; charge to attend and collect donations. n Host a dance after a home football game and donate the profits to “Save the Music.” n Set up a food booth at a football game with the proceeds going to “Save the Music.” Ask permission to collect donations in the stands at halftime for “Save the Music.” n Organize a Singing Telegram program at school. Charge $1 or more for “telegrams” to recognize birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays. n Work with the drama department to hold a dinner before the school’s fall drama production. Use the profits from the dinner for ‘Save the Music” and collect donations. n Hold a “Teacher Sings the Alma Mater” contest. Collect money in buckets with teacher names or pictures on each bucket. The teacher with the most money collected sings the school’s fight song at a football game (Homecoming) or at an assembly or over the intercom. Send the funds collected to PASC State Charity c/o Boyertown HS Student Council, 120 North Monroe Street, Boyertown, PA 19512
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
ASC Enjoys a Night at the Ball arks
The crack of the bat, the scent of hot dogs and freshly-popped popcorn, the summer sun beginning its decent behind the skyline, and the voices of fans chanting...”PASC, how do you feel”? Wait, is that right? Yes!
On Saturday, August 17, 192 members of the PASC family took in a baseball game in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at the first ever “PASC at the Ballparks” event and fundraiser. Decked out in their finest PASC garb, PASC staff, alumni, family members, and friends had the chance to gather and support their favorite team as well as their favorite organization in Pennsylvania. Despite losses by both home teams, PASC spirit filled the stands throughout the game. “It was awesome to reunite and hang out with the friends that I made at summer workshop,” said Nick Fieo, a Susquehanna Gold alum and Interboro High School student who attended the Phillies game. “I had a blast being with my PASC family again—even if the Phillies weren’t much fun to watch!” Bucs fans enjoyed a real Pittsburgh tailgate party of great food complete with black and gold cookies and spirited cheers. Our PASC fans, many wearing their tie-dye colored workshop shirts, led the charge into the stadium. One of our delegate’s parents commented, “PASC is such a great organization. Look at how excited they are to see one another and the staff. Package this enthusiasm and you would be a millionaire. This is awesome!” Proceeds from each ticket sold benefited a scholarship fund for other students to attend conferences and workshops during the 2013–2014 school year. PASC is happy to announce that the overwhelming support of this event raised an astounding $1,450 for scholarships! “With the money raised, we’ll be able to provide workshop and conference experiences to students across Pennsylvania who otherwise might not be able to afford it,” said Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer. “It was terrific to see all of the people in PASC shirts in the stands, and even better to know that other students will be joining them in the future because of this event.” PASC extends a huge “thank you” to everyone who supported and attended “PASC at the Ballparks” to make it a “hit”! Please plan on attending the games next year! “I say from East to West...PASC people truly are the best!” Phillies fans and Pirate fans united in their love of PASC as they showed their PASC pride on Saturday, August 17 by attending games at their respective fields for PASC at the Ballparks. Nearly $1,500 was raised for scholarships for students to attend conferences and workshops during the 2013–2014 school year. PASC News • September 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 • September 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
#PASC
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.
“Mr. PASC” to Retire After 36 Years (cont’d from pg 1) state, PASC, is really funny. Ken Marks, PASC executive director from 1973–1976, pulls up in front of Jim’s house and begins unloading his car of boxes, materials, and more boxes. He knocks on Jim’s door and says, “Where do you want this stuff?” Jim replies, “What is it?” Ken tells him that it is everything he needs to know about being the PASC executive director and all the historic files of the organization. Jim’s confused look prompts Ken to say, “You have just been elected to complete my term as Executive Director, because I am resigning, and we all felt you would be good for this job!” Thus, as Ken got back in his car and drove off, Jim began an amazing career as the executive director of PASC which would span almost four decades! (Lesson learned: Beware of cars pulling up in front of your house. Reality: it would take numerous vans and cars to clean out the Finnemeyer basement today of the PASC records.) From 1972–2011, Jim spent his summers serving as a staff member at a Middle Level Workshop, creating the Advanced Gold Workshop, and serving as a workshop director at several Gold Workshops in the state. Most recently, he served as the Senior High Workshop Director at Grove City College. Dr. Earl Reum, who awarded him the National Workshop Director of the Year, recognized his efforts on the national front and so many delegates and staff members alike will always remember “Finny” and his Gold Workshop. It didn’t take long before
NASC discovered Jim, his ideas, his abilities, and his willingness to serve on their Executive Board from 1977– 1980. Maybe it was because he was willing to bring a busload of student delegates on a twoweek trip to a national conference in Texas. But the best part was he had to leave the bus trip and fly down to Texas to attend his NASC meetings, so his new wife, Barrie, became the chaperone for most of the trip. (Yes, they are still married!) If all of this didn’t keep him busy enough, he was a member of NASSCED (National Association of State Student Council Executive Directors) from 1977 to the present and has served in an officer position on their Executive Board a few times. His loyalty and decisions have helped shape the future of a strong NASC Region 2 for many student leaders and advisors. Jim then won the coveted Warren E. Shull Award, (NASC Advisor of the Year) in 2001. (Watching both tears and smiles, as this modest man accepted this award for his accomplishments was another strong leadership lesson to be learned by all.)
There were still challenges to be met, and in 2006, North Penn HS welcomed 1,800 students and advisors into their community for five days as the host for the 75th NASC National Conference. To quote Tom Brown, a current Harvard law student and former 2002 PASC State Conference president, “Jim Finnemeyer wasn’t just a great executive director of PASC; he was a great student council advisor. He was the first to encourage you to run with a project that you loved, even— especially—if it had never been done before. He made mentorship a priority before it was an MBA buzzword.” I have only told you the PASC story of this man. Jim also is a wonderful husband and proud dad of two sons and two grandchildren. He’s a churchman and serves as president of his church board as well as serving as a local judge of elections. He has been involved in other educational programs and their boards since 1975 to the present including the Century III Leaders Scholarship, the U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship, and the Horatio Alger Association, all at a national level. Jim will always be a part of PASC, as the PASC Board of
Directors elected him PASC Lifetime Executive Director Emeritus. As of January 1, 2014, Jim will assume a new role as the executive director of the National Association of Workshop Directors (NAWD). NAWD brings together advisors of all student activities that support and encourage student involvement in and out of the classroom, as well as leadership education teachers, regional/state activity program planners, and others interested in leadership training and activity planning. A life-long friend, Andy Costanzo, expressed this about Jim, ”PASC is without doubt one of the most highly respected state student council organizations in the nation. There is a two-word explanation for that: Jim Finnemeyer. Under Jim’s tireless and dynamic leadership for almost 40 years, the association has grown immensely in terms of membership and programs provided. If there is a person anywhere more dedicated to the development of young leaders and advisors I sure haven’t met him. He has changed so many lives in the most positive way; we simply can’t thank him enough.” Finally, “thank him,” is what I am asking students and advisors to do. Finny will be at the PAL Conference in the fall in three locations across the state. He will, of course, be at the State Conference at Boyertown November 14–16. Please take the time to let Jim know how much you appreciate his legacy and the organization he created over the last 40 years of leadership and love.
PASC News • September 2013 • www.pasc.net
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News from August Executive Board Meeting Following is a summary of action taken by the PASC Executive Board at its August meeting: n The following appointments were made: • Assistant Executive Director Kathy Coll was elected for a new three-year term. Kathy has served in this position since August 1991. Her term will end on December 31, 2016. Kathy also was elected to continue to serve as the NASC Conference Trip Coordinator, a position that she has held since 1986. • Carole Kustafik was elected to continue as Membership Coordinator. Carole not only processes all PASC dues and provides membership certificates, but also maintains the PASC database, sends updates on email addresses for advisors and student leaders to be used for all PASC communications,
and provides follow-up to District Directors, Regional Representatives, and Middle Level Representatives for the contacting advisors and principals in more than 1,200 Pennsylvania secondary schools. Her decade-long service to PASC in this role has greatly aided all members of the Executive Board in fulfilling their roles and respon- sibilities. Her term will end on December 31, 2016. • Bill Sebastian was elected to continue as PASC Treasurer. Bill’s duties in this term will be expanded to include not only regular reporting of the intake of funds and expenditures of the organization, (typically the total is in excess of $300,000) but will
also include reporting PASC financial activity to the Internal Revenue Service (which has previously been done by the Executive Director). His term will end on December 31, 2016. • District 12 Director, Chris Seifert will continue to serve as a volunteer in the position of Resources Development Coordinator. Chris is well suited to this role through his experience as the Director of Admissions at Bishop McDevitt High School and his work with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Chris’s goals include development of PASC fundraising efforts and establishment of partnerships. n Dr. Bryan Shelly will leave the position as Director of
the Gold Summer Leadership Workshop at Grove City College. Bryan served on PASC workshop staffs for the past 20 years. Bryan began his PASC experience as a high school delegate, served as a group leader, taught Communications with the Susquehanna, Kutztown, and Grove City staffs, was the Assistant Director at Grove City, and was Workshop Director at Grove City College for the past two years. As an assistant professor of political science at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Bryan did extensive research and writing on the value of participation in student activities to both student academic success and self-esteem, as well as creating a positive learning environment in schools. Bryan presently works for the Cleveland, Ohio Public Schools. Thank you, Bryan, for your loyal service to the PASC workshop programs.
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 215-2809299. PASC News • September 2013 • www.pasc.net 8
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.
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 has 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 • September 2013 • www.pasc.net
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The Ropes of Project Planning
Tech Tools for an Efficient Council
By Noah Pollio, Middle Level Representative, Union MS
By Emma Howald, Advanced Gold Workshop delegate, Boyertown HS
At the beginning of my Grove City Blue Summer Workshop experience, I was given the opportunity to attend the “Project Planning” workshop. Kirsten Schwartzel, who was running the session, told us that it was of the utmost importance that we pay attention, as the knowledge that we were to gain would be vital to the rest of the work in our council groups during the week. She was absolutely right. In a room full of vocal leaders, it would have been nearly impossible to accomplish anything without having the structure that a set planning process can provide. The process we used is called ROPES. By following these steps your council will be able to successfully plan any project, whether it be a dance, a service project, or a council fundraiser. Step 1: Find a Reason This step is fairly simple. First, establish a main goal for your event. It should be no more than a sentence long, and it should be very general. Then, figure out why you want to do this project (e.g., social, service, fundraiser). Finally, ask yourself who will be involved, when it will take place, and where it
will take place. Step 2: Define Objectives Make a list of things that you absolutely need to make your event happen. For example, if one is planning a dance, music is a necessity. You can’t have a dance without music! On the other hand, something like a photo booth would be nice to have, but you can have a dance without it. By listing thegeneralized necessities, your group has clear focal points from which a more intricate plan can be created. Step Three: Plan and Delegate Once all of the objectives have been decided upon, more detailed planning can begin. The most effective way to begin this is to brainstorm. This is a process in which everyone’s ideas are taken and written down. There should be no discussion on those ideas during the brainstorming period. No idea should be left out. Make sure you set a strict limit on brainstorming. No more than ten minutes should be spent on it. Afterwards, all of the ideas should be examined, and those that are not practical or relevant to the project should
be eliminated. Once all of this is finished, all approved ideas have essentially become tasks, and it is important that the chair, or leader of the group, delegates these tasks to the group members. Remember to set firm deadlines for the completion of these tasks. Step Four: Execution This is where your plan becomes a reality. All tasks must be completed by the group members, and supervised by the group leader. Make sure to keep track of all tasks accomplished, and all tasks that must still be completed. The leader is also responsible to delegate new jobs to group members who have finished theirs. Step Five: See How It Goes Once the project is over, it is important to evaluate your work. What did you do well? What could you have done better? Remember, failure is an opportunity to learn, so don’t get frustrated if you didn’t fully reach your goal, and stay positive. Whether you succeed or fail, you will have still gotten a rich experience by participating in the project. Good luck in your future project planning endeavors!
Technology is always changing. As student leaders, we strive to use technology to improve communication in our councils. At this year’s PASC Advanced Gold Summer Workshop, Kyle Kauffman (teacher at Southwestern HS), led a session on different websites that can be used by student councils to become more efficient. Google Drive. Share documents with your council members and advisors. All that’s required is a gmail address! www.google.com n
DropBox. Have you ever lost your flash drive or had it crash? Did you ever save something on your home computer that you need at school? Set up a Dropbox account and all your documents can be saved in one place! www.dropbox.com/ n
When Is Good. It can get frustrating trying to find a date for a meeting with your council. With this website, you can easily figure out which date works best for the most people! http://whenisgood.net/ n
Sign Up Genius. Paper signup sheets no more! Create a custom signup sheet, and email reminders will be sent to all the members who signed up. www.signupgenius.com n
Facebook. Create groups, events, share documents and pictures with your council members! www.facebook.com n
Twitter. Creating a council Twitter profile is a quick, easy way of advertising to the student body in 140 characters or less! www.twitter.com n
Learning the ROPES of project planning will help your student council be more effective at planning any event.
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PASC News • September 2013 • www.pasc.net
Resources: Teaching, Sharing, Learning at the 2013 PASC PAL Conferences By Terri Johnson, PAL Presenter Executive Director, Missouri Association of Student Councils As a student council advisor, I was continually searching for the perfect way to teach the leadership lessons I so desperately wanted my students to learn. I looked for games, activities, icebreakers, and lessons I felt would make an impact on my student leaders and help them build the skills necessary to lead. I Googled, attended workshops, and read anything I could get my hands on that contained LEADERSHIP in its description and title! From all that investigating, I have been able to put together a list of more than 30 books, which I believe will help beginning advisors to the most seasoned veterans with the job of advising. I have lived by the philosophy, “There is a leadership lesson in everything!” With that thought in mind, I have created Leadership Resource Kits that contain the items you will need to do an activity with your student leaders and then process with them the leadership lesson learned. These books and resource kits will be available at the PALs Conferences in September. When you attend the conference you will have the opportunity to see all the materials, choose which will work best for your situation, and take them with you when you leave. Checks, cash, and credit cards will be accepted. By shopping for resources at the conference, you avoid shipping costs and waiting for your materials to arrive. You can use them as soon as you return home!
The Stage Is Set
I have personally used each of the materials with groups of student leaders, fellow teachers in professional development situations, while training freshman mentors, and for retreats and lockins. I will be happy to answer questions regarding the materials or assist you even after you return home! If you are looking for the perfect new idea or a twist on an old one, check out the Leadership Resource area at the PAL Conference!
Finish Strong Program The focus of the PAL Conference this year will be an awardwinning program called Finish Strong. It has proven to be an effective game changer in schools that have adopted the program goals. Finish Strong encourages schools to take a look at how their building activities can influence and improve school climate, attendance, test scores, and graduation rates. The philosophy is simple: “Provide a caring, enthusiastic environment where both students and staff members feel important and are encouraged to build relationships with each other.” The goal of the program is to create an incentive for ALL students to begin to work toward graduation from the start of the freshman year and continue on the path for a STRONG FINISH the end of their senior year. Through various events and activities, students begin to focus on graduation before they enter high school and remain on this path with the help of engaging teachers, school-sponsored events, and a nurturing climate. At the PAL Conference, school teams will hear how others are using this program and then create a plan for their own buildings. Each team will be asked to evaluate their home school and how they might adopt the Finish Strong philosophy. The one-day conference is all about working together, building unity, and creating an environment for student success. This day will allow your participants to discuss, set goals, and plan for a great school year!
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remarkable experience that not only will enhance your leadership skills, but also provide tools to advance your student council as a whole. From the lessons and workshops, to the friendships and memories, this is a fantastic opportunity you won’t want to miss!
11, 2013. Advisors—don’t forget to book your hotels as soon as possible! Please visit www. pasc2013.org for all schedules, and information on registration, hotel, and other conference events.
Registration is open now and will remain so until October
Registration: August 26 to
Cost: $115 per student or advisor delegate
October 11; 8 student delegates + advisors. Approved workshop presenters are counted as additional delegates Housing: Student Delegates in Host Homes. Schools have the option to house delegates in hotels (only with advisorprovided transportation and providing some meals). PASC News • September 2013 • www.pasc.net
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