PASC News October 2013

PASC News Volume 38Issue 2

October 2013

continued on page 7

School Teams Finish Strong at Fall PAL Conferences

School teams worked together to plan a successful year at the fall Principal-Advisor-Leaders Conferences

By Danielle Croner PASC State President

PASC Membership Check School spirit Check Com-munity outreach Check Yoursquove got what it takes to be one of Pennsylvaniarsquos first ever

Keystone Councils

PASC is excited to introduce a brand new opportunity for you and your council the Key-stone Council Awards These awards are designed to fulfill PASCrsquos vision of recognizing

school and individual achieve-ments Different from NASCrsquos National Council of Excellence Award these acknowledge-ments operate solely on a state level and will highlight PASC member councils that are truly

Keystone Councils Your School Could Be First

It takes a team of principals advisors and students working together to create successful projects and a positive school environment From September 24ndash26 participants at PASCrsquos Principal-Advisor-Leaders Conferences (PAL) learned how to work together to im-prove their schools at confer-ences in Reading Selinsgrove and Irwin

Throughout the program facilitator Terri Johnson executive director of the Mis-souri 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 ad-ministration can bring a school

and commu-nity together The ldquoFinishStrongrdquo program implemented over a four-year period has connected each of the six elementary schools the one middle school and the high school of this district

The members of Student Councils in both the middle school and high school play significant roles by serving on committees that have brain-stormed ideas created plans and implemented extensive ac-tivities that affect the students staff and community

LearnStrongTogether with the admin-

istration and staffs of the six elementary schools the ldquoFin-ishStrongrdquo Team worked on the

theme ldquoLearnStrongrdquo throughbull Focus on improving school

climatebull Recognition of student aca-

demic achievement bull Appreciation of good atten-

dance grades characterbull Staff support for academic

coaching teambuilding and recognition of students

GrowStrongStudent Council leaders advi-

sors administrators and staff members worked together at the Middle School to carry out their theme ldquoGrowStrongrdquo bybull Implementation of a Mentor-

ing Program led by eighth grade students working with staff members through Ad-visement periods were built

continued on page 2

InsIde ThIs Issue

News amp Notes 2

bullCandidates for Middle Level Reps Needed

bullSeeking Regional Repre-sentatives from Districts 6-11-13

PASC Seeks New Executive Director 2

NASC Recognizes PASC Advisors of the Year 3

State Conference Registra-tion Deadline Is Here 3

Feel the Rhythm of Leader-ship and Support VH1rsquos Save the Music 4

NASC Conference Heads to Orlando 4

State Board of Education Passes PA Academic Stan-dards 5

Applications Available Now for 2014 Grove City Gold Summer Workshop Director Position 5

NASC Student Liaison to Be Named 6

US 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 Yoursquore It Leverage the Power of 10

PASC News bull October 2013 bull wwwpascnet2

News amp NotesCandidates for Middle Level Representatives NeededPASC is seeking two teams each consisting of a seventh grade student and hisher 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 ecastaldonpsdorg with any questions about the position The job description application and the overview of the selection process can be found at wwwpascnet by clicking on ResourcesForms and ApplicationsMiddle Level or by contacting us at PASCInfoaolcom

Completed applications for the student and advisor must be postmarked by Monday October 21 2013 All the studentadvisor 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 6-11-13PASC 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 expressinterestandshouldprepareafive-minutepre-sentation 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 wwwpascnet and click on ResourcesForms and ApplicationsExecutive Board Positions or contact us at PASCInfoaolcom

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 self-evaluation

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 wwwpascnet under the ldquoResourcesrdquo 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 councilrsquos 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 En-gagement 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 canrsquot wait to recognize the first-ever Keystone Coun-cils at the 2014 PASC State Conference in Altoona

Keystone Council Awards (from pg 1)

After almost 37 years as PASC executive director Jim Finnemey-er 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 advisorrsquos organization caters to training for all activity advisors leadership teachers and workshop directors and staff

The PASC Executive Board accepted Jimrsquos retirement and created the following procedure for selecting the new executive director This first term is for two years to complete Jimrsquos term There is a detailed job description online and requirements includebull Be an active or retired educatorbull Be affiliated with a PASC schoolbull Be able to miss approximately 10 school days and approximately

14 summer daysbull 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 Jimrsquos help and take over the position on March 1 2014

PASC Seeks New Executive Director

PASC News bull October 2013 bull wwwpascnet 3

Student leaders and advisors from across Pennsylvania will be gathering at Boyertown Area Senior High November 14ndash16 for the 77th annual PASC state conference There will be a harmo-nious 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 work-shops

Keynote SpeakersFrom comedy to inspiration dancing

to music our speakers have it all On Thursday night Monte Selby will be speak-ing to the delegates while integrating music into his message Friday afternoon will bring Scott Backovichrsquos humor and ability to relate to students Judson Laipplyrsquos high-energy perfor-mance will close the conference on Saturday

Student-Led WorkshopsStudent-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 ProgramOur 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 MealsThe costs for meals at the conference are included in the reg-

istration 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 InformationRegistration 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 wwwpasc2013org

Housing and TransportationAdvisors are reminded to visit the Advisor Info tab on www

pasc2013org 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 advi-sors and delegatesrsquo 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 wwwpasc2013org

State Conference Registration Deadline Is Oct 11Donrsquot miss attending the 2013 PASC State Conference register now

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 Hel-frich of Missouri at the middle level

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

NASC Recognizes PASC Advisors of the Year

Nancy Brady was recognized as the NASC Region 2 High School Advisor of the Year at the 2013 national conference

R J Long was recognized as the NASC Region 2 Middle School Advisor of the Year at the 2013 national conference


PASC NEWS is published monthly during

the school year To submit

announcements articles or corrections for newsletters please email the Executive Director or Assistant Ex-ecutive Director Articles or information from PASC NEWS may be reproduced for use with appropriate credit

Executive DirectorJim FinnemeyerNorth Penn HS1340 Valley Forge RoadLansdale PA 19446215-280-9299215-855-0632 (Fax)FinnemeyeraolcomPASCInfoaolcom

Assistant Executive DirectorKathy Ann Coll174 Link AvenuePittsburgh PA 15237412-366-5744Kcoll1comcastnet

PASC PresidentDanielle CronerBoyertown High School120 N Monroe StreetBoyertown PA 19512

PASC President-ElectCourtney DetwilerAltoona High School1415 6th AvenueAltoona PA 16602

PASC News EditorLyn FiscusLeadership Logistics

PASC EmailPASCInfoaolcom

PASC Websitewwwpascnet

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 tremen-dously positive affect music education has on a childrsquos academic performance sense of community self-expression and self-esteem

More information on the

Save-the-Music Foundation can be found on wwwvh1sa-vethemusiccom Send in your contribution before November 5 or bring it with you to the

State Conference Every dollar counts

Donrsquot forget to send pictures and video of your fundrais-ing efforts to statecharitypasc2013org 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 Stu-dent Council and send them to BASH Student Council co 2013 PASC State Char-ity120 North Monroe Street Boyertown PA 19512

Feel the Rhythm of Leadership and Support VH1rsquos Save the Music

NASC Conference Heads to OrlandoAyy matey Chart your course for Orlando Florida and come along on the voyage with the PASC

delegation to ldquoDiscover the Treasures of Leadershiprdquo at the 2014 NASC National Conference From June 27ndash29 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 Worldreg Resort The Hilton Orlando is an Official Walt Disney Worldreg Hotel and is ideally situated next to the Downtown Disneyreg Marketplace Downtown Disneyreg West Side and

Cirque du Soleilreg Its location is also just minutes away via bus or car from Disneyrsquos 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 wwwpascnet Our estimated per person cost is $1400 and will include conference registration fee travel costs meals lodging enter-tainment and T-shirts Conference registration through PASC will begin in mid-November

Plan now to raise the funds to join us as we ldquoDiscover the Treasures of Leadershiprdquo in Orlando next sum-mer


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 teach-ing staffs of the PASC workshop program The following process will be used to fill the vacancy of Grove City Gold Workshop Director for 20141 A job description for workshop and an application are available

by emailing PASCInfoaolcom 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 PASCInfoaolcom or call 215-280-9299

4 The Summer Workshop Committee will conduct interviews of

candidates at Altoona HS on Friday January 10 2014 dur-ing the PASC Executive Board meeting Applicants will be provided details regarding the interview process by Decem-ber 10

5 PASC Assistant Executive Director Kathy Coll and the other PASC workshop direc-tors 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

Applications Available Now for 2014 Grove City Gold Summer Workshop Director Position

Emily Clark Senior SBE Repre-sentative Seneca Valley HS

The State Board of Education made some very important decisions regarding the future of Pennsylvania education at its September meeting includ-ing 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 edu-cation They will ensure that Pennsylvania students graduate qualified to pursue further edu-cation 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 Pennsyl-vania 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 stan-dards was the final implemen-tation schedule of the Keystone exams The Keystones will serve as rigorous end-of-course 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-

sessments will not be admin-istered to PA students Also the standards and required Keystone testing will not apply to private schools These stan-dards 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 Educa-tion Dr Carolyn Dumaresq She has done a wonderful job with the new standards and will serve the students of Penn-sylvania well

State Board of Education Passes PA Academic Standards

Emily Clark Senior SBE Representative


In 2009 the state Student Council organizations of NASC Re-gion 2 (Delaware Maryland New Jersey New York and Pennsyl-vania) 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 NASCrsquos Region 2 In June 2014 the term of the present NASC Advisory Council repre-sentative (Christian Hodges of Maryland) will end and therefore a Student Liaison for Region 2 needs to be selected

Duties of Student Liaison

This student who serves as NASC Student Liaison will1 Serve from July 1 2014 to June 30 20162 Foster communication among the state presidents and executive

directors of the Middle Atlantic states3 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 organi-zations of Region 2

Selection Guidelines for the Student Liaison

Candidates for the Student Liaison position1 Must be enrolled in a secondary school that is a member of

NASC and PASC2 Must be a sophomore or freshman

at the time of selection ( January 2014)

3 Must be able to attend the Executive Board meeting for an interview on January 10 2014 in Altoona

4 Must be able to attend NASC Region 2 Selection interviews in April in New Jersey

PASC Process

PASC is beginning the process of naming a Pennsylvania nomi-nee for this position Present freshman and sophomores may apply The following is the PASC application process1 Download information and an application at wwwpascnet2 Submit the application online at wwwpascnet or email it to

kcoll1comcastnet by the deadline of November 8 20133 The applications will be reviewed and three finalists selected

Students will be notified by November 18 20134 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

By Dylan Brown former presi-dent 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 ldquoWhyrdquo 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

The most powerful man in the world proceeds to tell you to be persistent and that nothing worth doing in life is easily ac-complished 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 Itrsquos 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

In all serious-ness the United States Senate Youth program was the most rewarding experi-ence of my life It provides the net-working opportu-nity of a lifetime You make lasting friends in just one weekrsquos time You are given life-changing advice from the most awe-inspiring people Words cannot describe this experience I will be forever thankful for and humbled by the Pennsyl-vania Association of Student Councilsrsquo decision to choose me

I urge you whomever you

are to take this opportunity and go for the remarkable ride Become your schoolrsquos 2014 nominee Make sure that you apply by October 16 High school principals should have copies of the USSY applica-tion which also can be found at wwwpascnet

US Senate Youth A Once in a Lifetime Experience

Senator Patrick J Toomey with Dylan Brown and Sarah Rudasill at the US Senate Youth Program

NASC Student Liaison to Be Named


into the schedule bull Lessons included participa-

tioninvolvement bullyingacceptance perceptionreputation and dreamsgoal-setting

bull Creation of a positive school culture through signs and posters school publications student videos and promot-ing a school legacy

bull Promotion of student recognition and involvement of students in varied school activities and programs

bull Using a ldquoStaff Legacyrdquo ap-proach and adoption of the ldquoGrowStrongrdquo philosophy which the staff can rally around

FinishStrongThe culmination of this

school district-wide program is at the high school level focusing on the ldquoFinishStrongrdquo theme The activities initiated there includebull 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

bull The focus was on increasing attendance rates to at least 95 and recognizing indi-vidual students for reaching that goal or higher Atten-dance was a key program goal because if students are not in school nothing else that is good happens

bull Recognition of students in the classroom for their per-formance on ACT tests and for their plans after gradua-tion

bull Awarding of NBA awards (Nothing But Arsquos)

bull Publicity to spread the word about ldquoFinishStrongrdquo including buying space on a billboard (ldquoNorthside Priderdquo) light-pole banners parent receptions flyers pride T-shirts for staff and student-produced promotional videos

bull Graduation is the ultimate goal Focus on seniors and ending strong with Shamrock banner signing senior service day senior brunch and senior activities

Team EffortPrincipals advisors and stu-

dent leaders were all included in PAL Conference activities building team cohesiveness and opening up lines of commu-nication Delegates were chal-lenged to include middle school and high school students on school committees at presenta-tions to school board meetings and at community gatherings

Four superintendents from Carbondale Fleetwood Governor Mifflin and Norwin also participated in this yearrsquos 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 par-ticipants also had opportunities to visit the extensive display of materials provided to PASC

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 Mis-souri 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 ldquoFinishStrongrdquo 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 op-portunity 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 ldquoTo 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 schoolrsquos 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 conferenc-es in the future they can better focus their efforts and a better relationship with administra-tion can developrdquo

In the near future PASC will post many of the conference ldquoFinishStrongrdquo handouts under the Resource tab on the PASC website (wwwpascnet)

School Teams Finish Strong (contrsquod from page 1)

School teams of student leaders advisors and principals worked together at the PALs conferences to determine a plan for the school year


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 beauti-ful 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 donrsquot 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 audi-ence by mentioning someone trustworthy or of authority that pro-motes whatever you are trying to get across Pathos is the appeal to

someonersquos 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 audiencersquos interest

n Be confident You should always have a strong sense of self-confidence You shouldnrsquot worry yourself with what everyone

is thinking at that moment But itrsquos 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 remem-ber 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 speech1 Use note cardsindex cards2 Write out the entire speech word for word3 Take time to breathe in between sentences and at commas4 Moments of silence can be just as powerful as speaking5 Keep the audience engaged but do not allow them to speak

while you are6 Use your face and body to assist you

If you use all of these pointers yoursquoll be set for speaking in public

Public Speaking Tips from Blue Workshop

Student leaders often find themselves in the position of trying to motivate their peers to participate in spirit competi-tions 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

uAsk people to help Itrsquos a lot harder to say no to someone who personally asks for your help than it is to just

ignore a general plea for help or an announcement asking for volunteers

vGet a variety of kids involved The students who participate in noontime activi-ties or pep rally events should be different every time Often the ldquorah-rahrdquo type of kids are the only ones who are in-volved but as a student leader you should make an effort to involve students from the dif-ferent sub-groups on campus

w Keep track of people who have participated so you can avoid having the same people

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 Donrsquot let people stand around thinking ldquothey donrsquot really need me I should have just stayed homerdquo

z Keep people informed Make sure you give people the details of whatrsquos expectedmdashwhere 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

6 Tips for Involving More Students


Act Now on Scholarship Opportunities52nd Annual United States Senate Youth Scholarship Program Two student delegates from each state will be chosen to receive

$5000 college scholarships and the opportunity to spend a week in March 2014 in Washington DC with delegates from across

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 posi-tion in student council class government or a regional or state of-ficer position in a statewide organization After being nominated by the building principal the student must complete an applica-tion packet and submit it by October 16 2013 (postmark)

Prudential Spirit of Community AwardsThe Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

program will award scholarships to students recognized for their dedication and selfless com-mitment to volunteerism Eligible students must currently be in grades 5ndash12 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 wwwprudentialcomcommu-nityspirit Please do not miss this opportunity

to give outstanding young volunteers the recognition they so richly deserve Deadline is November 6 2013

$310000 in Horatio Alger Scholarships to Be Awarded to Pennsylvania SeniorsThe 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 $310000 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 $50000 adjusted gross family income) a good academic record commitment to pursue a college education and a desire to contribute to society

n National Scholars Program Three Pennsylvania students will be selected to each receive a $20000 scholarship and will be invited to the National Awards program in Washington DC

n Pennsylvania Scholars Program Funded by the generosity of Joseph and Janet Neubauer 50 Pennsylvania seniors will each receive a $5000 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 Associa-tion of Student Council (NASC) and Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC) member school Go to horatioal-gercomscholarshipsprograms 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 wwwhoratio-algercomscholarshipsindexcfm Applications available begin-ning August 1 with an October 25 deadline

President Obama addresses 2013 winners of the US Senate Youth Scholarship during their week in Washington DC last spring

State Honorees in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards meet in Washington DC each spring


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

ldquoA 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 postsrdquo wwwsocialbriteorg

If you use Twitter and hap-pen to follow any musicians companies or news organiza-tions then yoursquove seen effective use of hashtags Letrsquos 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 ldquoorganizesrdquo that tweet with other tweets from other performers participants and companies that are talking about the music festival If you click on the hashtag yoursquoll see a stream of tweets that included that same hashtagmdashand po-tentially discover new infor-mation or new opportunities

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 theyrsquore thinking about For instance if yoursquore big into environmental issues yoursquove 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 Yoursquoll read about activ-ism by someone in California whom yoursquove never met or a startup company in Texas thatrsquos 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 lever-age the power of the hashtag as well First start using the hashtag PASC whenever yoursquore talking about student council student leadership PASC events project ideas etc

Also use the hashtag PASC when you have questions about student council For example you could tweet Does anyone in PASC have new ideas for teacher ap-preciation week This will become increas-ingly effective as more students and advisors use hashtags purposefully Using the common hashtag PASC when attending state conferences district confer-ences summer workshops and other PASC programs will ldquobroadcastrdquo the event to those who canrsquot be there and provide an archive of the ideas feelings and interactions that can be revisited You can of course use more than one hashtag which further filters your posts or connects to another activity

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

of people interacting

Another important method for encouraging the use of the hashtag conventions is to have key users watching the tweets and engaging in retweeting and responding According to ldquo24 best practices for nonprofits us-ing Twitterrdquo from SocialBriteorg a grouprsquos Twitter account should engage in 60 retweet-ing 30 responding and then only 10 tweeting out announcements Engaging your network not only encourages them to be more active but also will extend your network

Like any convention therersquos nothing that prevents people from misusing and even abus-ing 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

HashTAG Yoursquore It Leverage the Power of

PASC

SWHC

SWsp


News amp NotesCandidates for Middle Level Representatives NeededPASC is seeking two teams each consisting of a seventh grade student and hisher 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 ecastaldonpsdorg with any questions about the position The job description application and the overview of the selection process can be found at wwwpascnet by clicking on ResourcesForms and ApplicationsMiddle Level or by contacting us at PASCInfoaolcom

Completed applications for the student and advisor must be postmarked by Monday October 21 2013 All the studentadvisor 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 6-11-13PASC 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 expressinterestandshouldprepareafive-minutepre-sentation 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 wwwpascnet and click on ResourcesForms and ApplicationsExecutive Board Positions or contact us at PASCInfoaolcom

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 self-evaluation

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 wwwpascnet under the ldquoResourcesrdquo 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 councilrsquos 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 En-gagement 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 canrsquot wait to recognize the first-ever Keystone Coun-cils at the 2014 PASC State Conference in Altoona

Keystone Council Awards (from pg 1)

After almost 37 years as PASC executive director Jim Finnemey-er 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 advisorrsquos organization caters to training for all activity advisors leadership teachers and workshop directors and staff

The PASC Executive Board accepted Jimrsquos retirement and created the following procedure for selecting the new executive director This first term is for two years to complete Jimrsquos term There is a detailed job description online and requirements includebull Be an active or retired educatorbull Be affiliated with a PASC schoolbull Be able to miss approximately 10 school days and approximately

14 summer daysbull 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 Jimrsquos help and take over the position on March 1 2014

PASC Seeks New Executive Director




















































































PASC Process





















































































By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp




















































































PASC Process





















































































By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp




























































PASC Process





















































































By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp





































PASC Process





















































































By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp















PASC Process





















































































By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp






































































By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp












































By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp



















By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp


By Kyle Kaufman













PASC

SWHC

SWsp

Documents

PASC News October 2013