Expand your students’ leadership in the New Year.
Spotlight on Projects of Excellence
The National Student Project Database has reached another milestone, surpassing 3,800 projects, many of which include related links, photos, and documents. NASC council leaders looking for new project ideas have a valuable resource that is just a click away. Highlighted this month are projects that built awareness and responded to needs in the community and beyond.
We’ve Got Your Back
Murdock High School, Winchendon, MA
The goal of this project is to collect supplies to send to Winchendon natives who are currently serving in the Armed Forces away from home, whether stateside or abroad. The student council distributes empty backpacks to each homeroom, and for the month of February, they collect supplies that can be mailed in care packages to service personnel. READ MORE
Amazing Penny Race!
Highlands Intermediate School, Pearl City, HI
The Amazing Penny Race is a school-wide service project that raises awareness and money for the Hawaii Make-A-Wish Foundation. The race is a fun competition that involves different teams on campus. The teams earn points by donating the most pennies each week for four weeks, and winners are recognized. READ MORE
News and Resources
National Council of Excellence Awards: Still Time to Apply
The February 16 deadline for the National Council of Excellence (NCOE) awards is fast approaching, but there is still time for NASC members to complete their portfolios and apply for this prestigious national recognition. To begin, go the NCOE application page, create an account login and password, and then download a copy of the award criteria for the grade level of your council.
All councils that are applying for the 2016 awards are reminded that projects entered into the National Student Project Database as part of an NCOE award application must include descriptions of at least 200 words. Project descriptions might include such information as an overview of what the project is about, why the council selected it, how the project planning was organized, goals for the project, outcomes, and any highlights. Data from the project—service hours, collection totals, numbers of students involved, etc.—should also be included. LEARN MORE
Student LEADx Talks at the LEAD Conferences
Registration for the LEAD Conference in Washington, D.C., is now sold out, but for students attending, there is still space to participate in the new LEADx talks. LEADx is a part of LEADership Live on Saturday night and is modeled after the popular TED and TEDx speaker programs. During LEADx, students will present talks of five minutes or less. They also may create a screen display of up to five PowerPoint slides to add a visual element to their talks. LEADx Speaker applications will be accepted through January 25 for both the Washington, D.C., and Chicago LEAD Conferences. LEARN MORE
NASC Distinguished Student Leaders
NASC has proudly recognized more than 670 outstanding students who successfully completed the rigorous criteria to be named Distinguished Student Leaders. The program challenges high school student leaders to explore their personal leadership styles, strengths, and weaknesses, and to expand their knowledge and demonstrate their skills in a variety of areas essential to becoming effective leaders. Students can complete the NASC Distinguished Student Leader program on their own, or advisers can integrate the coursework and associated materials into student councils and leadership classes to enhance their curricula. LEARN MORE
National Principals Month Video Contest—The Results Are In
There were so many great entries to our National Principals Month student video contest in October, it took our judges some time to determine the winners. We are pleased to share the four winning videos with you. Winners came from Henry Hudson Regional School in New Jersey, Gunston Middle School in Virginia, Burlington County Institute of Technology in New Jersey, and Scott County Central High School in Missouri. Congratulations to the winners! LEARN MORE
Student Council Tips and Tools
New Year = New Goals
The start of the New Year is an excellent time for advisers and student leaders to explore short-term goals for themselves and their student councils. With the flurry of holiday projects and break behind you, setting new goals to reach during the first 60 days of 2016 can help keep student leaders and councils engaged and moving forward. NASC has a basic goal setting form that can be used to articulate individual and group goals. Include goal setting at your next meeting to create quality goals that are specific, attainable, and measurable.
Dates & Deadlines
January
14: Early bird registration deadline for LEAD Conference in Chicago, IL
14: Deadline to apply to present a workshop at LEAD Conference in Washington, D.C.
21: Deadline to register for RSVP Training at LEAD Conference in Washington, D.C.
21: Deadline to apply to present a workshop at LEAD Conference in Chicago, IL
22: Deadline to register for High School Officer Training at LEAD Conference in Chicago, IL
25: Deadline for students to submit LEADx applications for the LEAD Conferences in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, IL
29: Deadline to register for RSVP Training at LEAD Conference in Chicago, IL
29-31: LEAD Conference in Washington, D.C.
February
12-14: LEAD Conference in Chicago, IL
16: Deadline to submit 2016 National Council of Excellence award application
In This Month’s Advise
Every NASC adviser has or will have stories to tell about student leaders who went on to do great things in their adult lives. One former student leader, Mark Scharenbroich, will return to NASC this summer as the keynote speaker for the 2016 NASC National Conference. In the December/January issue of Advise, Mark talks about his student council roots and the other influences that shaped his career.
Share your experience and knowledge as a student program leader with peers by writing an article for Advise! Get submission details, including deadlines, here.
Quote of the Month
