NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
National Council of Excellence Awards: Tips for Success
To increase your council’s probability of earning a 2017 NASC National Council of Excellence (NCOE) award, members are reminded of the following keys:
- Councils must use the correct application: either the full application or the Continuation of Excellence application. This is explained on the NCOE application.
- Projects entered into the National Student Project Database must include summaries that are at least 200 words in length and each of the three to four projects must fall into different database categories.
- One of the three to four projects must also support the NASSP Student Leadership Initiative on Global Citizenship.
- Don’t wait until the last minute to submit projects as they must be reviewed by NASC staff and approved for publication to the database to qualify for consideration of the award.
- When entering projects, remember to check that it is an NCOE entrant for 2017.
LEAD Conference Workshop Presenter Opportunities
If you are planning to attend a LEAD Conference in February, consider applying to be a workshop presenter. Challenge your students to apply to lead a student workshop. Student leaders practice valuable life and career skills as they organize their workshops. Advisers are also encouraged to share knowledge and experience with conference-going peers or students by applying to present a session. Choose the LEAD Conference location you will attend and apply online.
Show Us How You’re #MakingGlobalChange
Your council can pay it forward by entering the Instagram contest now underway as part of the NASSP Student Leadership Initiative on Global Citizenship. Post your pics to Instagram showing how your council is making a difference using #MakingGlobalChange. One entry each month through the end of the year will win $100 to be donated to the entrant’s charity of choice. The donation will be done in the name of the entrant’s council. Remember, this initiative is about more than projects or activities that might have an international focus. Projects that support the initiative are those that address problems of a global nature—those affecting a broad swath of people everywhere, from schools to cities to states and beyond. Issues such as hunger, homelessness, or distracted driving are global issues, as are the need for respect and inclusiveness of others. NASC invites your council to enter projects into the National Student Project Database on the NASC website and tag them as supporting Global Citizenship. Learn more about the initiative here.
Your Students Will Want This Credential
To date, NASC has proudly recognized more than 750 outstanding students who successfully completed the rigorous criteria to be named a Distinguished Student Leader. The program challenges high school student leaders to explore their personal leadership styles, strengths, and weaknesses. It also requires them to expand their knowledge and demonstrate their skills in a variety of areas essential to becoming effective leaders. Students are able to work toward their Distinguished Student Leader recognition independently. Some NASC member schools that offer leadership classes integrate the distinguished leader content into the class to supplement the existing curricula. This gives students a chance to earn national recognition from NASC along with a course grade.
NASC National Conference Promises Out of this World Leadership
Join us June 26-28 at Pinkerton Academy in New Hampshire, just an hour from Boston, MA, for a leadership experience that will launch your council and your students to the next level. The NASC National Conference will be an unforgettable three days when students and advisers network and get energized by inspiring speakers and workshop facilitators. Visit the NASC National Conference website and make plans to attend.
Make Your School Counselors Feel Special
The school counselor is a key faculty member who helps student leaders explore and make college and career plans. In fact, a number of NASC advisers are school counselors. National School Counseling Week is February 6-10, 2017. This year’s theme, “School Counseling: Helping Students Realize Their Potential,” should be easy for your student council to build into a special activity or event to recognize your counselors. Sponsored by the American School Counselors Association, the week focuses public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. Learn more about National School Counseling Week and discover ideas you can use as part of your celebration.
STUDENT COUNCIL TIPS AND TOOLS
Regaining Momentum
After the flurry of projects and activities in a busy December followed by a well-deserved break, councils sometimes struggle to regain their momentum. Having a well-planned meeting where members review current goals and set two to three new short-term goals for the first 60 days of 2017 can help kick start student leaders and councils to be engaged and move forward. For goal setting, consider using the simple form that is part of the Distinguished Student Leader program.
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