New Adviser’s Handbook
Introduction Toward the end of my teaching career, I was introduced to the world of Student Council. In high school I wasn’t a “Student Council kid” (although I wanted to be), and as a teacher I didn’t have an opportunity to be an adviser because that job went to the assistant principal. When the assistant principal position was eliminated, our high school found themselves in need of an adviser. In my speech class I had always done a brainstorming activity about “Improving School Spirit” and asked the student council kids to take back the ideas to their next meeting. I guess my enthusiasm for improving school spirit did not go unnoticed, and the next thing I knew, I was the Student Council adviser. My first question was “What makes a good Student Council/Senate?” Fortunately I found Iowa Association of Student Councils (IASC), attended the Iowa Student Leadership Conference, met some amazing advisers and discovered the answers to many of my questions, but most importantly, I found people whom I could turn to for help. IASC every year awards “Honor Council” and “Honor Council with Meritorious Distinction Awards.” The application helped me to know what our Student Council needed to do to become a good organization. In this booklet, you will find the Honor Council application and some of the document that might be helpful to a new adviser in answering the questions, “What makes a good Student Council/Senate?” Congratulations on your position! You have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many students who will become leaders in their community, state and nation. Even if you did not “volunteer” for this position, you can impact the lives of many people and affect the culture and climate of your school. Good luck! Please reach out if you have any questions or if there is any way that IASC can help! Vicki Carstens IASC Executive Director vscarstens@gmail.com
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NEW ADVISER’S HANDBOOK Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 High School Honor Council Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 – 7 Middle School Honor Council Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 – 12 Constitutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 – 27 Sample Agenda & Minutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 – 35 Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 – 42 Service Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 – 47 Homecoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 – 49 Iowa Association of Student Councils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 – 56 Icebreakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 – 66 Leadership Activities/Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 – 76
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Iowa Association of Student Councils Honor Council Information SPECIAL COVID-19 2019-2020 APPLICATION
(These criteria will be used to judge portfolios and determine Honor Councils. The IASC Advisory Board revised this set of criteria in April 2020 due to novel Covid-19 pandemic.)
Purpose
The Honor Council program of the Iowa Association of Student Councils is designed to recognize Student Councils who present evidence of having an effective and progressive Council organization in a variety of areas. High schools must have a minimum of 72 points in order to be recognized at the Iowa Student Leadership Conference as “Honor Council.” High Schools receiving 83 – 90 points will be designated as “Honor Council with Meritorious Distinction.” Schools not receiving the minimum points will receive a Certificate of Merit from the Iowa Association of Student Councils.
General Information 1. The Honor Council portfolio will be compiled by students and postmarked by August 1. Mail portfolios to SAI, Attention: Portfolios, 12199 Stratford Dr., Clive, Iowa 50325 or email digital portfolios to iascstuco@gmail.com. 2. The material must be from June 1, 2019 through June 1, 2020. Place material in the portfolio in the same order as it appears in the criteria. Any additional information a council wishes to include must be placed after all the material requested in the criteria. 3. A project or activity cannot be used for more than one criteria item. 4. Each portfolio must contain the official application, which must be completed and placed in the front of the portfolio. 5. The councils may submit portfolios in any format. It is recommended in a digital format or a 3 ring binder. 6. A table of contents must be included which indicates where items can be found. 7. The IASC Advisory Board will evaluate the portfolios at a summer meeting. 8. The Advisory Board will follow the criteria, which will determine the point allotment. The portfolio will be returned with an evaluation form at the fall Iowa Student Leadership Conference. 9.
All evaluation decisions are final.
10. Questions concerning the Honor Council program should be addressed to the IASC Advisory Board.
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IOWA HONOR COUNCIL APPLICATION (PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE LEGIBLY)
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• SCHOOL_______________________________________________ ADDRESS __________________________________
ZIP CODE_______
SCHOOL PHONE _______________ Is the school a current member of the NASC? Yes____ No_____ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1st Advisor
2nd Advisor
ADVISOR’S NAME ___________________
________________________
HOME ADDRESS ___________________
________________________
CITY ______________________________
ZIP CODE ____________
EMAIL ____________________________
________________________
STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT INFORMATION NAME_________________________________________ HOME ADDRESS ________________________________________ CITY, ZIP CODE ________________________________ CELL: _______________ EMAIL _______________________________________ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I verify that this portfolio is the student’s work Portfolio Chairperson’s or President’s Signature ___________________________ Advisor’s Signature ___________________________________________________ (These can be electronic signatures.) If you would like one of your projects to be considered for the Kelly Neiber Service Award, please indicate below which project evaluators should consider.
___ State Project ___ Project 2 ___ Project 3
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HIGH SCHOOL HONOR COUNCIL EVALUATION FORM ADVISOR/ADVISORS_________________________________________________________ SCHOOL __________________________________________
SCHOOL YEAR__________
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL/SUPERINTENDENT ________________________________________ Each item will be assigned points from 0 – 3. A. PORTFOLIO FORMAT
1. A complete application form is found in the front of the portfolio
____
2. A table of contents is included.
____
3. Signed letter that is a review of the past council year from ONE of the following: a. Student council president, b. Adviser. or c. School principal.
____
Comments:
B. Constitution
COUNCIL ORGANIZATION
Submit a current copy of the constitution and by-laws
C. Organization
____
1. Describe your council’s organizational structure
____
2. Explain the process for the elections
____
D. Meetings
1. Explanation of how often the council and executive board meet. 2. Submission of one summer meeting agenda. 3. Submission of one summer meeting minutes.
____ ____ ____
4. Submission of one agenda from the school year
____ ____
(Please make sure they are written in sentence & paragraph format. See online example)
5. Submission of minutes from one school-year meeting. (Please make sure they are written in sentence and paragraph format. See online example) Comments:
E. Activities at Home and Abroad 1.
List ALL projects and/or activities the council was involved in during the past school year. (June-May) 5
____
2. Describe areas of community service in which the council has been involved. Provide evidence.
____
3. Select 3 projects, answer the questions and include evidence after the answers.
____
State Project (Project 1)—MENTAL HEALTH (This could be something you did online during school closure) a. What was the purpose of the activity? b. Give a detailed description of all aspects of activity c. Provide detailed evidence of the project(s) [ie. pictures, letters]
____ ____ ____
Comments:
Project 2 a. What was the purpose of the activity? b. Give a detailed description of all aspects of activity c. Provide detailed evidence of the project(s) [ie. pictures, letters]
____ ____ ____
Comments:
Project 3 a. What was the purpose of the activity? b. Give a detailed description of all aspects of activity c. Provide detailed evidence of the project(s) [ie. pictures, letters]
____ ____ ____
Comments:
F. LEAD TRAINING & CONFERENCES 4. Proof of attendance to a national student council leadership conference (NASC, LEAD, VISION, NAWD)
____
5. Proof of attendance to the Iowa Leadership Training Camp
____
6. Attendance at an athletic conference, district leadership workshop, IASC District conference, or any other leadership training outside your school. Provide evidence Host a leadership conference ( 3 Bonus Points)
____ ____
7. Attendance at the annual IASC Leadership Conference in Des Moines. Provide evidence Presented a breakout session at this conference. (3 Bonus Points)
____ ____
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8. Student Council Exchange with one other school. Provide evidence
____
9. Local leadership training for your own student council. Provide evidence and explain the type and purpose of the training.
____
Comments:
F. Communications
Show what methods your council uses to communicate within the council, within the school, and within your community.
____
Comments:
G. Portfolio Order
Materials are placed in the portfolio in the same order as requested on this form.
Total Points Earned—(90 possible points)
____
72 – 82 points = Honor Council 83 – 90 points = Honor Council with Meritorious Distinction Comments:
______________________________ IASC Board Member
____
______________________________ IASC Board Member
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Iowa Association of Student Councils Honor Council Information
SPECIAL APPLICATION (COVID-19 Version) 2019-2020
(These criteria will be used to judge portfolios and determine Honor Councils. The IASC Advisory Board revised this set of criteria on April 2020 due to the Corona virus pandemic.)
Purpose
The Honor Council program of the Iowa Association of Student Councils is designed to recognize Student Councils who present evidence of having an effective and progressive Council organization in a variety of areas. Middle schools must earn a minimum of 72 points in order to be recognized at the Iowa Student Leadership Conference and to receive an award designation the council as “Honor Council.” Middle schools receiving 83 - 90 points will be designated as “Honor Council with Meritorious Distinction.” Schools not earning the minimum points will receive a Certificate of Merit from the Iowa Association of Student Councils.
General Information 1. The Honor Council portfolio will be compiled by students and postmarked by August 1. Mail portfolios to SAI, Attention: Portfolios, 12199 Stratford Dr., Clive, Iowa 50325 or e-mail digital portfolios to iascstuco@gmail.com. 2. The material must be from June 1, 2019 through June 1, 2020. Place material in the portfolio in the same order as it appears in the criteria. Any additional information a council wishes to include must be placed after all the material requested in the criteria. 3. A project or activity cannot be used for more than one criteria item. 4. Each portfolio must contain the official application, which must be completed and placed in the front of the portfolio. 5. The councils may submit portfolios in any format. It is recommended in a digital format or a 3 ring binder. 6. A table of contents must be included which indicates where items can be found. 7. The IASC Advisory Board will evaluate the portfolios at a summer meeting. 8. The Advisory Board will follow the checklist, which will determine the point allotment. The portfolio will be returned with an evaluation form at the fall Iowa Student Leadership Conference. 9.
All evaluation decisions are final.
10. Questions concerning the Honor Council program should be addressed to the IASC Advisory Board.
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IOWA HONOR COUNCIL APPLICATION
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE LEGIBLY) •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• SCHOOL_______________________________________________ ADDRESS __________________________________
ZIP CODE_______
SCHOOL PHONE _______________ SCHOOL ENROLLMENT _______ Is the school a current member of the NASC? Yes____ No_____ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1st Advisor
2nd Advisor
ADVISOR’S NAME ______________________
___________________________
HOME ADDRESS _______________________
___________________________
CITY __________________________________
ZIP CODE ____________
EMAIL ________________________________
___________________________
STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT INFORMATION NAME_______________________________________________________ HOME ADDRESS ______________________________________________________ CITY, ZIP CODE ________________________________ CELL ________________ EMAIL _______________________________________ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I verify that this portfolio is the student’s work Portfolio Chairperson’s or President’s Signature _________________________ Advisor’s Signature __________________________________________________ If you would like to have one of your projects considered for the Kelly Neiber Service Award, please indicate below which one you would like the evaluators to consider. _____State Project _____Project 2 _____Project 3 _____Project 4
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MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR COUNCIL EVALUATION FORM ADVISOR/ADVISORS________________________________________ SCHOOL ___________________________ SCHOOL YEAR__________ SCHOOL PRINCIPAL/SUPERINTENDENT ________________________ Each item will be assigned from 0 – 3 points.
A. PORTFOLIO FORMAT 1.
A complete application form is found in the front of the portfolio with all proper lines filled in
____
2. A table of contents is included.
____
3. Signed letter reviewing the past council year from ONE of the following: a. student council president b. advisor OR c. school principal.
____
Comments:
B. CONSTITUTION
COUNCIL ORGANIZATION
Submit a copy of the constitution and by-laws
____
C. Organization
1. Describe your council’s organizational structure 2. Explain the process for the elections
D. Meetings
____ ____
1. Provide an explanation of how often the council and executive board meet. 2. Submission of one summer meeting agenda. 3. Submission of one summer meeting minutes.
____ ____ ____
4. Submission of one agenda from the school year 5. Submission of one minutes from the school year
____ ____
(Please make sure they are written in sentences & paragraphs. See online example)
(Please make sure they are written in sentence and paragraph format. See online example)
Comments:
E. Activities at Home and Abroad 1.
List briefly all projects and/or activities the council was involved in during the past school year. (June-May) 10
____
2. Describe areas of community service in which the council has been involved. Provide evidence.
3.
____
Comments: Select 4 projects and answer the following the questions and include evidence after the answers. State Project (Project 1) –Mental Health a. What was the purpose of the activity? b. Give a detailed description of all aspects of activity c. Provide detailed evidence of the project [ie. pictures, letters]
____ ____ ____
Comments:
Project 2 a. What was the purpose of the activity? b. Give a detailed description of all aspects of activity c. Provide detailed evidence of the project [ie. pictures, letters]
____ ____ ____
Comments:
Project 3 a. What was the purpose of the activity? b. Give a detailed description of all aspects of activity c. Provide detailed evidence of the project [ie. pictures, letters]
____ ____ ____
Comments:
Project 4 a. What was the purpose of the activity? b. Give a detailed description of all aspects of activity. c. Provide detailed evidence of the project(s) [ie. pictures, letters]
____ ____ ____
Comments: F. LEADERSHIP TRAINING & CONFERENCES
4. Attendance to an athletic conference, district leadership workshop or any or other leadership training outside your school. Provide evidence Host a leadership conference (3 Bonus Points)
____ ____
5. Attendance at the annual IASC Iowa Student Leadership Conference in Des Moines. Provide evidence ____ 11
Present a break-out session (3 Bonus Points)
____
6. Local leadership training for your own student council. Provide evidence and explain the type and purpose of the training.
____
G. Communications
Show what methods your council uses to communicate within the council, within the school, and within your community.
____
Comments:
H. Portfolio Order
Materials are placed in the portfolio in the same order as requested on this form.
Total Points Earned
____ ____
Comments:
______________________________ IASC Board Member
______________________________ IASC Board Member
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CONSTITUTIONS
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CONSTITUTION OF THE ROLAND-STORY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL PREAMBLE We, the students of the Roland-Story High School, in order to afford students a better opportunity for leadership and service, and to establish a closer relationship among citizens, the faculty, and the student body do ordain and establish this Constitution of the RolandStory High School Student CounciL ARTICLE I Name The name of this organization shall be the Roland-Story High School Student Council, of Roland-Story High School, Story City, Iowa. The Roland-Story High School Student Council is a representative body. ARTICLE II Objectives It shall be the objective of the Roland-Story High School Student Council to provide for student activities, serve as a training experience for both leaders and followers, promote the common good, develop high ideals of personal conduct, act as a clearing house for student activities, seek to interest students in student affairs, and help to solve problems that may arise. Its primary purpose is to advance the cause of education through a closer relationship to the administration with the student body; to organize the student body into a closer relationship with each other, and to promote the ideals of good citizenship upon every occasion. ARTICLE III Membership SECTION 1 The membership shall consist of the following: 1. The membership of this organization shall be open to all Roland-Story High School students according to their current eligibility status. 2. All grades shall have equal representation with three elected representatives representing each high school class. SECTION 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Eligibility--Members elected to the Roland-Story High School Student Council must meet the following qualifications: Must have attended Roland-Story High School at least one semester prior to election to membership. Must have and maintain at least an overall "C" average. Must have passed in four subjects in preceding semester. Must have ability and desire for leadership, with a good service record. Must be a person who has exhibited excellent qualities of school and community citizenship. Must be in good standing with the Roland-Story Good Conduct Code.
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SECTION 3
Members of the Council may be expelled by a two-thirds vote of all members of the Council for improper conduct, actions unbecoming of a member, for irregular attendance at the Council or lack of professional interest in the work of the Council Members may also be removed from the Council for less than an overall "C" average in a series of 2 successive quarter periods.
SECTION 4 Term of representative shall be one year for all members except one from grades 9, 10, 11. A carry over member from these grades already serving will be chosen by the Student Council members, to serve an additional year. These members will automatically become the representatives of grades 10, 11, and 12 respectively in their second year of office. SECTION 5 The methods of selection of class representatives shall be a. Each high school class shall have three representatives--the carry-over members chosen from the previous year's Student Council class representatives and the remaining by yearly elections. b. The "non carry-over members of the Student Council shall be elected by a vote of members of the respective classes. c. Council members who are lost by way of ineligibility, moving, etc., may be replaced by a new election by the class. ARTICLE IV Meetings SECTION 1 The first meeting of the Council shall be held at the discretion of the administration and all representatives shall be present. Following meetings shall be held whenever necessary. SECTION 2 Special meetings may be called by the President of the Council with the approval of the Principal or at the latter's request. SECTION 3
Student Council meetings shall have priority over other meetings and/or activities when it involves members who are involved in more than one organization or activity.
SECTION 4 Student Council members are to attend all Council meetings unless an emergency arises which prohibits them from attending. Any member missing more than three meetings shall be dropped as a member of the Student Council. SECTION 5
Permanent committees shall meet whenever the chairman deems
necessary. SECTION 6
Special committee meetings shall be called by the chairman.
SECTION 7 Any member of the Roland-Story High School faculty or student body may attend the Council meetings.
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ARTICLE V Officers SECTION 1 Class representatives of 9, 10, 11, and 12 shall elect a president, vice president, secretary, and historian from within their membership. SECTION 2 The executive officers of the Council .shall be the executive officers of the student body. SECTION 3 To be eligible for the position of president or vice-president, a student must have earned enough credits to be classed as at least a junior and must have or maintain an overall "C" average by the opening of the semester following his/her election. SECTION 4 To be eligible for the position of secretary, a student must have or maintain at least an overall "C" average and have enough credits to be classed as a sophomore, by the opening of the semester following his/her election. SECTION 5
The officers will perform the following duties: A. The President shall preside over all meetings. B. The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President and shall perform such duties as prescribed by the President C. The Secretary shall keep and present the minutes of all meetings and shall also take roll call at each meeting, and any other duties prescribed by the President ARTICLE VI Council Actions
No action of this Council may become operative without the approval of the Principal of the Roland-Story High School. ARTICLE VII Amendments SECTION 1 Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by a two-thirds request of the Council, by the written request of two-thirds of the student body or at the request of the Principal of the high school. SECTION 2 All requests for amendments must be approved by the Roland-Story High
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School Principal. SECTION 3
A proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to all members of the Council at a meeting previous to the one at which the voting is to take place.
SECTION 4 The passage of the proposed amendment requires a three-fourths vote of all the members of the Council. ARTICLE VIII Revisions If revision becomes necessary, the president shall appoint a committee to study and make necessary recommendations. These recommendations shall be presented to the Council to be discussed and voted upon. If accepted, these recommendations shall be presented to the student body in a manner to be chosen by the Council. Voting by the student body on the revised constitution shall be one week after presentation.
ARTICLE IX Guidelines SECTION l
All the functions of the Roland-Story High School Student Council will be governed by Parliamentary Procedure.
SECTION 2 All control of funds and activities of the Council is under the auspices of the Roland-Story High School Principal and the Board of Education of the Roland-Story School District. SECTION 3 The Roland-Story High School Principal or a faculty member delegated by the Principal shall be sponsor to the organization. ARTICLE X By-Laws SECTION 1 A quorum shall consist of 3/4 of the membership of the CounciL SECTION 2 Student Council-sponsored activities are as follows: 1. Homecoming Week Activities 2. Homecoming Dance 3. Student Assemblies 4. Sweet Week 5. Make-A-Difference Night 6. Buddy-For-Everybuddy Program
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Ballard High School Student Council Constitution Article I: Name and Purpose Section 1. The name of this governing body shall be the Ballard High School Student Council (BHSSC). Section 2. The purpose of the Ballard High School Student Council shall be to act as the ultimate representative of the views of the Ballard High School student population by instituting and pursuing academic and political policies of interest to the student body; to provide student input on student activities policies and to make appropriate recommendations; to act as a liaison between the student body and the high school administration, the community, the government and other individuals and organizations; and to inform the high school’s students and community of activities. Article II: Membership Section 1. Any Ballard High School student [in] grades 9-12 who is and remains in good academic standing may be a member of BHSSC. BHSSC will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex gender identity, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, military affiliation, socioeconomic status, or familial status. Section 2. BHSSC members will be selected in the spring for the following school year. Candidates will be required to complete a nomination form and get a recommendation from a fellow student and from a non-related adult. All candidates who turn in a completed form on time and meet the BHSSC minimum requirements for selection will be accepted. If an excess number of candidates apply, the best candidates will be chosen by a board made up of the senior Student Council members and the Student Council advisor. Section 3. The Ballard Student Council will meet during advisor time, and attendance requirements will be the same as any other class or advisor group. Attendance at other scheduled meetings and activities is expected and required unless prior arrangements are made with the advisor. Section 4. In the event that a BHSSC member exceeds five unexcused absences* per quarter, a committee consisting of the President, Vice
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President, and Sergeant at Arms will notify the member of their infraction with a written warning. A probationary period will be granted in which the member has the opportunity to meet the Council’s attendance expectations. At the end of the probationary period the committee will review the member’s attendance to determine whether the probationary period should be lifted or continued or membership should be terminated. A second infraction after the probationary period will result in termination of membership. A terminated member will be eligible to reapply for membership during successive school years, but not during the current school year. *An unexcused absence is when a member does not report to the Student Council advisor of his or her absence from Student Council on a particular day. Excused absences include absences marked in Infinite Campus, seeking help from a teacher, making up a test/quiz/assignment, attending a meeting for another organization. To be counted as excused, all members must inform the Student Council advisor about his or her reason for absence at the beginning of advisor or with a pass if they arrive late to Advisor time. While DMACC students may be late arriving to Advisor time, they are otherwise expected to attend Student Council like all other members of Student Council. Article III: Officers Section 1. Officers will be chosen by the BHSSC from the members in the spring for the following year. Each BHSSC member may run for no more than two officer positions and must meet the eligibility requirements for each office. All members running for an office must complete a statement of intent for each office. A separate statement of intent should be completed for each office. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the BHSSC after [no more than] a week long campaign and a Question/Answer session. Secret ballots will be used. Section 2. In the case that an office has no candidates, no election for that office will occur in the spring. An election for that office will be held, in August, on or before the first day of class. All members will be eligible to run for such an office. Section 3. The following officers will be elected each spring: President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Publicity Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, and Sergeant-at-Arms. President: The President will be a senior and have prior BHSSC experience. The President shall serve as the primary spokesperson for and representative of BHSSC as well as the student body of Ballard High School; to act on behalf of the student body of Ballard High School; bear primary responsibility for the execution of all BHSSC directives; chair meetings of the BHSSC; maintain relationships with
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the faculty, administration, and Board of Education; have the power to call an emergency meeting of the BHSSC with adequate notice; and have the power to delegate authority. Vice President: The Vice President will be a junior or senior and have prior BHSSC experience; fulfill the duties of the President in the absence of the President; assist the President in the fulfillment of the duties of President; become the President if the President vacates his/her office for any reason. Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary will be a member with prior BHSSC experience from any grade and shall be the primary administrator of the BHSSC’s intra-council communications and will keep records of all actions taken by the BHSSC (this includes, but is not limited to, compiling meeting agendas and minutes, the voting records of members of the BHSSC, current updated calendars of the BHSSC events and activities, as well as establishing and maintaining BHSSC’s internal electronic mail messages; distribute an accurate copy of the Constitution and its bylaws to each member of the BHSSC at the beginning of each academic year). Publicity Secretary: The Publicity Secretary will be a member with prior BHSSC experience from any grade and will be the primary administrator of the BHSSC external communications and must have the bulletin board current and up-to-date; must put together articles for each issue of the Ballard School Dimensions; and will be our contact with local newspapers. Treasurer: The Treasurer will be a member with prior BHSSC experience from any grade and will administer and monitor the budget of the BHSSC; be the primary financial officer of the BHSSC; and provide financial reports to the BHSSC at every meeting. Historian: The Historian will be a member with prior BHSSC experience from any grade. The responsibilities of the Historian will include collecting records and reports for the year, getting committee reports for all activities, and submitting the BHSSC notebook for IASC. The Historian will also be responsible for recording the BHSSC’s actions by photographing any events that the BHSSC hosts. Sergeant-at-Arms: The Sergeant-at-Arms will be a member with prior BHSSC experience from any grade. The responsibilities of the Sergeant-at-Arms will be to maintain records of Student Council members’ hours for the leadership letter, communicate regularly with committee chairs to determine committee needs, communicate regularly with all Student Council members to make sure all needs are being met, and take attendance at full meetings and keep track of all absences (excused and unexcused).
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Section 4. It will be the responsibility of the Student Council body to assure that the actions of BHSSC officers are those that best represent BHSSC and befit their particular officership. Section 5. If an BHSSC officer violates the school's Good Conduct Code he or she will be removed from office and replaced following the guidelines in Article 3, Section 5 of this Constitution. Section 6. In the event that the President vacates his/her office for any reason the Vice President will take over the duties of the President. The Vice President position will be filled by electing a new Vice President. Section 7. In the event that an officer, other than the President, vacates their office for any reason, an election will be held to fill that position. Section 8. In the event that a new officer post is needed for whatever reason, such a post can be created by a majority vote of the Student Council, and the new office will be filled using the procedures found in Article 3, Section 1. The new office, its description, and its requirements will be added to Article 3 section 2. Article IV: Operating Procedures Section 1. The BHSSC will meet every day during advisor time and before or after school, as needed throughout the year. Section 2. A modified version of Robert’s Rules of Order will be used during all BHSSC meetings and committee meetings. Section 3. Temporary committees will be created as needed to address issues, solve problems, and make recommendations to the BHSSC. Participation will be voluntary. Article V. Amendments Section 1. Any member of the BHSSC may propose amendments to the Constitution. A proposal to amend the Constitution must be submitted to the President and Student Council Advisor in advance and must be included on the agenda of the next regular meeting. The amendment will be discussed and voted on at the next BHSSC meeting. An amendment must receive a 2/3 vote of the full Student Council membership to become a part of the Constitution. Article VI. Terms of Office Section 1. The term of office for all members and officers begins the day after the end of the second semester, and ends on the final day of classes of the following academic year. The seniors' term will end on the seniors' final day of classes.
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CONSTITUTION OF THE BELLEVUE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL ARTICLE 1: NAME Section l: The name of this organization is the Student Council of Bellevue Community High School, Bellevue, Iowa. ARTICLE 2: PURPOSE Section 1: To promote the general welfare of the students. Section 2: To represent the student body. Section 3: To promote school spirit and pride. Section 4: To provide opportunities to participate in a democratic student government. Section 5: To promote good citizenship and develop leadership skills. ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP Section l: The student council shall consist of two (2) elected representatives from each class (senior, junior, sophomore, freshman) as well as the president and vice-president, secretary, treasurer and historian. Section 2: The president of each class will serve as a representative. ARTICLE 4: OFFICERS Section 1: The officers of this organization shall be President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Historian. Section 2: The term of office shall be one year. ARTICLE 5: ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT Section l: This constitution may be amended by a 3/4 vote of council members provided the amendment has been read at two regular council meetings. Section 2: This constitution shall be ratified by a 2/3 vote of the student council ARTICLE 6: ADVISOR Section l: The advisor will be a staff member of Bellevue High School. Section 2: The advisor will serve as a resource person for the student council. Section 3: The advisor will serve as liaison between faculty, administration and student council. ARTICLE 7: POWER AND AUTHORITY Section 1: The powers of the council are delegated by the school administration.
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BY LAWS OF BELLEVUE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL ARTICLE 1: MEETINGS Section l: Student Council meetings will be held at least twice a month during a designated period of the school day and be open to the student body, faculty and administration. Subsection A: Meetings may also be called during the summer, when needed. Section 2: A special meeting may be called when the need arises. Section 3: The parliamentary authority shall be Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised. Section 4: The general procedure for meetings shall be: Call to Order Roll Call Approval of Minutes Committee Reports New Business Old Business Advisor Comments Adjournment Section 5: A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the officers and members. ARTICLE 2: ELECTIONS Section l: Shall be conducted by the student council in power. Section 2: Shall be conducted during the month of April Section 3: The ballots shall be counted by the Advisor and outgoing President or a witness that is not involved in the election. Section 4: Election of Student Council President and Vice President. Subsection A: Two seniors or a combination of one junior and one senior may vie for the positions, running as a team. Subsection B: The member running for President must have 2 years experience on the council and the member running for Vice-President must have 1 year experience. Subsection C: The candidates must submit a petition for election to the current president of the student council. Subsection D: Each team shall have the opportunity to campaign and give a speech to the student body prior to the election. Subsection E: Election of these officers shall be by the team receiving the most votes being declared the winner. Section 5: Election of Representative Subsection A: The election shall be held within 10 days of the election for President/Vice President. Subsection B: Candidates must submit petitions to their class sponsors. Subsection C: All qualified students are eligible to run for office. Subsection D: A student may run for more than one office. Subsection E: The votes shall be counted by the Student Council advisor or class sponsors. Subsection F: The person receiving the most votes for each office shall be elected to that office. Section 6: Ties
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In the case of a tie, the student council/teachers/graduating council members or any combination will vote for the nominees, The winners of this vote will become the president/vicepresident. The votes of the graduating seniors may be counted twice, therefore, their votes being weighted. ARTICLE 3: TERMS OF OFFICE Section 1: The term of office, or membership is one year. Section 2: Qualifications. Subsection A: A student who ran unsuccessfully in the spring election or who won the position of vice-president, secretary, treasurer or historian for their class may “work on” to student council by completing 12 hours of work on student council projects. This work shall be completed by the summer retreat if hours are available. Regular meetings or committee meetings will not be included in the work-on hours. Any student new to the school is also allowed to “work on” by completing 12 hours of sponsor approved activities. Work ons must have their time completed by the end of the first semester. Subsection B: The 12 hours of work will be certified by the student council president and faculty advisor. A student becomes a voting member of the council as soon as his 12 work-on hours are completed. Subsection C: Work-on members who have completed their hours are members of the student council, but are not class officers. Subsection D: Work-on members who complete their hours during the middle of a month will not need to obtain points until the beginning of the next month. Subsection E: During the course of working-on, work-on members must attend all Student Council meetings, unless excused. ARTICLE 4: DUTIES OF OFFICERS Section l: Duties of the President Subsection A: Preside over all meetings. Subsection B: Maintain a business-like atmosphere at the meetings. Subsection C: Appoint all committees. Subsection D: Serve as ex-officio member of all committees. Subsection E: Call special meetings. Subsection F: Prepare an agenda for each meeting. Subsection G: Vote only as a tie-breaker. Section 2: Duties of the Vice-President Subsection A: Assist the president. Subsection B: Preside in the president’s absence. Subsection C: Act as coordinator of committees. Subsection D: Chair a by-law review committee. Subsection E: Organize and head a point system committee. Section 3: Secretary Subsection A: Keep minutes of all meetings. Subsection B: Aid the president in preparing agendas for all meetings. Subsection C: Post and read copies of the minutes. Subsection D: Attend to necessary correspondence.
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Section 4: Treasurer Subsection A: Keep accurate financial records. Subsection B: Inform members of financial transactions. Subsection C: Must create and maintain a budget for the year. Section 5: Historian Subsection A: Compile a student council scrapbook. Subsection B: Coordinate publicity by serving a chair of publicity committee and media releases as directed. Section 6: Representatives Subsection A: Attend all meetings Subsection B: Serve as committee chairpersons. Subsection C: Serve as liaisons between students, class sponsors, and council. ARTICLE 5: POINT SYSTEM Section 1: Each member of the council will be required to obtain a monthly amount of points. The amount of points allotted for each position on the council will be as follows: Subsection A: All members will be awarded 5 points for each general meeting that they attend. If they are absent from a meeting but are excused, they will be awarded no points. If they are unexcused from a meeting, they will be penalized 5 points. Subsection B: All council members will be awarded 3 points for participating in a work activity or project, as well as for attending special committee meeting. Subsection C: The president is required to obtain 48 points each month. He/she will be awarded 3 points for creating a weekly agenda for general meetings, as well as for meetings with the advisor before regular council meetings. Subsection D: The vice-president is also required to obtain 48 points each month. Subsection E: The secretary is required to obtain 48 points per month as well. They will be awarded 3 points for typing and posting meeting minutes weekly. Subsection F: The historian is required to obtain 37 points per month. They will be awarded 5 points for updating the scrapbook monthly. Subsection G: The treasurer is required to obtain 40 points per month. They will be awarded 1 point for updating and reporting the council’s current balance at each meeting. Subsection H: Class -Representatives are required to obtain 30 points each month. They will be awarded 1 point per week for checking in with their sponsors. They will be penalized 1 point each week that they do not check in with their sponsors. Subsection I: Class presidents and work-ons are required to obtain 26 points per month. Section 2: Individuals who have attained more than the required monthly amount of points may carry over up to half of his or her allowed monthly points to the following months. Points carried over may only be from the previous month and may not be carried over for more than 1 month at a time. Section 3: A member failing to complete work in a timely manner or attend meetings (regular, committee) bill be deducted points for the month. Lack of participation in council projects will also result in the loss of points. ARTICLE 6: REMOVAL FROM OFFICE AND VACANCY Section l: ARTICLE 6: REMOVAL FROM OFFICE AND VACANCY Any officer or member may be suspended or removed from office for failure to attend meetings, failure to represent the class, failure to carry out duties, or if any school official or
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police officer contacts the school who personally witnesses any student committing any detrimental actions, the student will be removed from the council. Detrimental action includes any citation for under-age possession of controlled substances, illegal activities besides littering, and common driving citations. Subsection A: Detrimental Action is grounds for suspension from council or removal from council. It is up to the rest of the council to decide which is best. Subsection B: The council will decide whether to suspend or remove the officer or member from the council after discussion. Subsection C: Any citation for underage possession of controlled substances will result in automatic removal from the council. Section 2: A 2/3 vote of the entire Student Council will suspend or remove the officer or member. Subsection A: The suspension of the officer or member will be 2 weeks from all activities and voting rights will be suspended. The suspended officer or member must be present at all Student Council Meetings. Section 3: After two unexcused absences from regular meetings, special meetings or special activities a warning of removal will be given. The next unexcused absence will result in expulsion from the student council. Section 4: Any member who does not obtain the needed points per month will be put on probation. The next month they have to obtain their monthly points plus the number of points they were short last month. If they do not obtain all the needed points, they will be dropped from the council. If a member does not obtain points 2 non-consecutive months, they will be dropped from the council. Subsection A: Vacant positions may be filled by the class. Subsection B: Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the council. Section 5: Vacancies may be filled by students with the next highest vote total in the last election, except in the case of the Presidency, when duties of said officer shall devolve upon the Vice President. The student council shall then appoint a vice president from within the council. ARTICLE 6: COMMITTEES Section 1: The standing committees shall be Activities, Service, Publicity and Spirit and Pride. Subsection A: The president may organize additional standing committees. Subsection B: Special committees may be organized when deemed necessary by the president. Section 2: If no member volunteers to be chairperson of a standing or special committee, the President shall appoint one who will report on their activities at general meetings and conduct committee meetings when needed. Section 3: The vice president shall chair a By Laws Committee to annually review the By Laws. Section 4: Special committees shall be organized as necessary. Amended June 2013
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HCMS Student Council Constitution Name – The name of this organization shall be the Middle School Student Council of the Harlan Community Middle School. Student Council Motto: Student Council is a combination of representatives from all grade levels that were chosen by their classmates as leaders. These representatives will provide a voice in school governance, plan social events and spirit days. They will plan and conduct community service, fundraisers, and school improvement projects. Student Representatives are to set good examples for their peers and build a positive school culture. Objectives-The purpose of this organization shall be: 1. To work toward goals and improvement in school system. 2. To achieve these goals in a respectable and responsible way. 3. To promote positive leadership skills for the student body. Membership-The Middle School Student Council shall consist of seven students from each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. If there is a tie in a given class, there may be up to seven students elected from each class. Representative will be elected by their classmates to serve a one-year term. Election of the Middle School Student Council shall be held at the end of the school year. Any student elected to the Middle School Student Council must continue to show good citizenship and positive school behavior. (Examples: No more than one detention per year, positive support for others, no good conduct rule violations, etc.) All representatives on the Middle School Student Council not displaying good citizenship or positive school behavior can be removed by the advisor’s recommendation and/or the representatives’ recommendation. Reasons for removal can occur for any inappropriate behavior of a council member. Meetings- Middle School Student Council shall meet every week at 7:40 am or an designated by the advisor. If a member chooses not to attend any three meetings, he/she shall be removed from the Middle School Student Council with the advisor’s recommendation. Any members not attending a meeting and not having an excused absence will be given a verbal warning the first unexcused absence, a written reprimand the second unexcused absence and removed from Student Council for the third unexcused absence. A member is counted tardy when they are five or more minutes late for a meeting. If a member has more than two tardies in a quarter, then he/she is put on probation. If he/she is on probabtion and a third tardy is accumulated in that quarter, he/she will be dismissed from Student Council. I have read and agree to the terms in the HCMS Student Council Constitution. _________________________
_________________________
(Print Name)
(Signature)
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SAMPLE AGENDA & MINUTES
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Sample of Agenda Sample Agenda for a Business Meeting or Non-Profit Executive Meeting: A quorum is usually needed to vote on any use of funds, and the Secretary should take minutes including who is present and who initiates motions on the floor (if Parliamentary Procedure is used). The following is an agenda template for any type of business or non-profit meeting. Agenda Heading I. Call to Order, Welcome Statement, Introductions II. Roll Call, Determination of a Quorum III. Approval of Minutes from previous meeting (if no additions or corrections) IV. Report from President V. Officer Reports in order of rank VI. Old Business VII. New Business VIII. Miscellaneous announcements for the good of the whole IX. Adjournment Tips on Creating an Agenda • Contact participants before the meeting to find out if there is anything they want included on the agenda under new or old business. Ask participants beforehand how much time they need to give their reports. • Sometimes it is difficult to judge the timing on an agenda. Either be patient with experimenting on the timing, or be firm with the times in an effort to move the meeting along. One of the main purposes of creating a meeting agenda is to provide structure and help make the meeting more productive. Reasons to Use an Agenda • A printed agenda is a useful tool to help the Secretary take minutes of the meeting, even if items in the meeting are discussed out of order. The agenda ensures that all business is covered, and leaves room for some flexibility. • An agenda can be used to prevent members from monopolizing time in the meeting with irrelevant discussions and extensive grievances. • An agenda is an excellent meeting planning tool to keep meeting length to a reasonable time frame. A well-planned agenda also makes for more efficient meetings- especially when used in conjunction with Parliamentary Procedure. • The necessity of forming committees is sometimes brought about when meetings stray from the agenda. Committees can work on issues in separate meetings. • Each organization has its unique structure and style of conducting business and board meetings, but the elements are always similar: call to order, reports, business discussions and decision-making, and adjournment. http://www.suite101.com/content/meeting-agenda-template-a112869
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Sample Minutes
•
Taking minutes at a meeting is not always a popular activity, but it is an important one. The meeting minutes serve as a record of what action the group has taken. In the eyes of the courts and auditors meeting minutes are legal documents. Nonetheless, there is no single format to take minutes. You can do what makes sense for you and your group. However, following these tips can help make writing meeting minutes easier: • Remember that meeting minutes are for future and outside readers as much as they are for the people present. Make sure whatever you write down will be clear to people coming into the process at a later time. • Typing meeting minutes on a laptop can make the process quicker and easier; however, a pen and paper work well, too, and might keep you from writing down too much information. • Make a note of who is present. If necessary, pass around a sign-in sheet. • Use the meeting agenda as an outline for the minutes. • Details do not belong in meeting minutes. Do write down any motions and decisions made and the key findings of any committee reports. • Use bullet points to make the minutes easier to read. Each bullet statement should represent a different finding, discussion, or decision. Use nested bullets (bulleted statements within a bullet) if appropriate. • Make a note of issues that were tabled until future meetings; this will serve as an important reminder to the board of things that still need to be done. • Transcribe or review minutes as soon as possible after the meeting, while your memory of what happened is still fresh. • Before you submit the meeting minutes, proofread for typos and omissions.
Follow the format of the sample meeting minute template below to help you record meeting minutes. Name of Organization Board Meeting Minutes: Month Day, Year Time and location Present: Name members in attendance Absent: Name absent members. Others Present: any guests to the meeting Proceedings: • Meeting called to order at (time) by (person, usually chair) • Minutes from (prior meeting date) amended and approved. • Subcommittee Reports – (highlights of information presented and discussions had) • Any action taken. For instance, MOTION to (do action); seconded and passed. • Meeting adjourned at (time) Future Business: Here is a place to remind people of:
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• • •
conversations that were tabled until next time, possible agendas items for upcoming meetings, assignments that board members have taken on
Minutes submitted by (name) http://www.suite101.com/content/how-to-take-meeting-minutes-a13225
Example of Minutes
Anytown Student Council September 12, 2020 Room 105 7:30 A.M. The meeting was called to order at 7:32 a.m. by student body president, Jane Doe. John Smith moved and Nancy Jones seconded the motion to approve the agenda. The motion carried. Secretary May Petersen read the minutes of the previous meeting. Jonas Lange moved and Cindy Johnson seconded the motion to approve the minutes as read (or as corrected if corrections are needed). The motion passed. Old Business The teacher appreciation breakfast that was scheduled for August 31 had to be changed because of a conflict with the teachers. Linda Sorenson moved and Jared Carter seconded the motion to reschedule the breakfast for September 30 at 7:30 a.m. Discussion followed. The motion passed. The selected Homecoming Parade Marshall, Otis Anderson has been contacted and he agreed to lead our parade. New Business Project Unify—We have been contacted by a school in Massachusetts to be part of Project Unify. Josh Ryan moved and Samantha Hardy seconded the motion to create a Project Unify activity. Discussion followed. Jess Born moved and Sarah Stanzi seconded the motion to table the motion until they could find out more information. Sarah, Jess and Josh will be on a committee to look into this. Soap and Towel Campaign—Our advisor Mrs. Bruck received a letter from another school asking us to take part in a soap and towel campaign. Greg Hemmy moved and Sky O’Neil seconded the motion to take part in this campaign. Discussion followed. Kenzie Craig moved and Jill Ony seconded the motion to amend the main motion by adding “during the Homecoming dance with students getting a reduced price on tickets if they bring soap or a towel to the dance.” Discussion followed and the amendment passed. We voted on the main motion as amended and it also passed Reports from Committees The dance committee reported that they had found a D.J. for the Homecoming dance. Cost will be $600. The School Improvement committed reported that they had given new students to the district school t-shirts.
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Comments for the Good of the Order Mrs. Bruck told us about how much the teachers appreciated our greeting them on the first day of school. Student Body president Jane Doe reminded us to seek out the new kids and get to know them. Stacy Tremmer moved and John Hancock seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 a.m. The next meeting will be September 19 at 7:30 a.m. Respectfully submitted,
Jannie Decker AHS Student Council Secretary (Be sure to sign minutes)
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SAMPLE AGENDA MOCK MEETING Tuesday, June 13, 2017 2:15 AM @ McCollum Science Hall I. Call to order II. Minutes from previous meeting III. Treasurer’s Report—(Does NOT need a motion since it is factual) The presiding officer says, “Thank you. The report requires no action and will be placed on file. The next item of business is. . . .” IV. Correspondence V. Report of the Executive Board: (Name) VI. Reports of Standing Committees: A. School Spirit—(Name) B. Community Service—(Name) C. School Improvement—(Name) D. Fundraising—(Name) E. Entertainment/Food—(Name) (If any action is required in the report, the person giving it makes the motion. This motion does not require a second. The motion is disposed before the next report.) VII. Reports of Special Committees A. Homecoming—(Name) B. Dance Marathon—(Name) (If any action is required in the report, the person giving it makes the motion. This motion does not require a second. The motion is disposed before the next report.) VIII.
Unfinished Business A. Location of the Homecoming dance IX. New Business A. Theme for Homecoming 2017 B. Have a Lock-In before Homecoming C. Sponsor a Mentoring Program for Freshmen D. Hold a Dance Marathon in November E. Plant flowers around the school F. Hold a Leadership Workshop for 5th graders as a fundraiser G. Have a Custodian Appreciation Day H. Raise money for resurfacing the parking lot
X. Adjournment Next Meeting: (Date, time, location)
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Cascade Student Council July 17, 2018 New City Park 5:30 P.M. The meeting was called to order at 5:32 p.m. by student body president, Wil Roling. Roll Call was taken by Madeline Rhomberg and we had 7 of 41 members absent. Kate Manternach moved and Samantah Recker seconded the motion to approve the agenda. The motion carried. Secretary Madeline Rhomberg read the minutes of the previous meeting. Aliyah Weber moved and Nora Noonan seconded the motion to approve the minutes as read. The motion passed. Old Business The first official officer meeting had to be reschedules due to a death in Mrs. Kolpin’s family. The meeting was held the following day. Each officer has received their binder of official duties. Senior send off was a successful even per administration and they would like to see it in the upcoming years. New Business Student Council Shirts – We will be accepting student council shirt designs until our August meeting. We will be voting on the design at this meeting. Ava Morriem moved that we order the shirts through Cascade Customs. Ern Knipper seconded the motion to order through them. Discussion followed. Jess Hoffman moved and Eli Green seconded the motion to table the motion until they could find out more information regarding prices, colors, and production. Ava, Jess and Erin will be on a committee to look into this. Our annual student council retreat will be on August 24, 2018. Erin Knipper moved, and Kate Manternach seconded the motion to use $100 of student council funds to use for supplies and snacks for the retreat. Discussion followed. The motion carried. Comments for the Good of the Order Student Body president Wil Roling was impressed with attendance at our summer meeting and hopes that our attendance to meetings this year will be at an all-time high. Gavin Fouse-Wollenbuer moved and Samantha Recher seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 5:55 p.m. The next meeting will be August 29 at 7:30 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Madeline Rhomberg Madeline Rhomberg CHS Student Council Secretary
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ELECTIONS
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HS Student Council/Class Officer Nomination Information for 2018-2019 Any student wishing to run for student council/class officer will need to do the following: 1. Write a personal statement why they want to be on Student Council and some ideas they want to bring to the school. This must be written before you collect your signatures. 2. Receive 10 signatures from their peers 3. Receive 2 signatures from high school staff members Students will no longer run for a specific office; they will simply note their interest in being on student council. Once voting has commenced, those who were on the ballot may be offered a position by Ms. Emerson, as determined by the number of votes each member receives. If you are offered a position, you may elect to fill a lower position if desired. After all positions are filled, all remaining nominees will be notified that the positions have been filled. The positions available for each class are: ● President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 2 Class Representatives (1 will be the carry-over rep) ● If you are the carry-over rep from last year, you still must fill out the nomination form, unless you no longer want to be a member of student council. ● If the carry-over rep from last year is elected into a higher position, then a new rep will be elected for that position. ● The 8th grade class will elect 2 new representatives. The voting process for new student council/class officers will be a combination of 2 parts: 1. Student voting 2. Staff voting Students will vote by class via a Google survey once all the nomination forms are returned. Each student will anonymously get to vote for 5 people via the survey. Each vote will count as 1 point. Staff will also vote via a survey, which will help determine if the student exemplifies the qualities that are to be shown by members of the student council. This is similar to the way staff vote for National Honor Society. A “yes” will count as 1 point, and a “no” will be a 0. Multiple staff veto votes will result in removal of that nominee from the ballot. Forms are due back to Ms. Emerson by Friday, May 18th and voting will take place the week of May 21st.
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Name: Grade: Why are you interested in being a Student Council Member/Class Officer and what are some ideas you want to bring to the school? (Minimum of 3 sentences)
Peer Signatures: you cannot collect these until your personal statement is written. 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Staff Signatures: you cannot collect these until your personal statement is written.
1
2
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STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS When: Give to Student Council Adviser--_____________________________________________. One petition with 25 signatures of PEOPLE IN YOUR GRADE by ________________. One recommendation form from an adult who is not your relative by ________________. One personal statement explaining why you would be a valuable Student Council member and what contributions you will make to Student Council by _______________________. Responsibilities of membership: •
• • • • • • • • • • •
Participate in five hours of Student Council community service per quarter. If you have only four hours, you’re on probation the next quarter. If you have three or fewer, you will forfeit membership. Attend all meetings (every Wednesday at 7:40 a.m.) Be on time for meetings Swear to uphold the code of ethics The president of each class will attend executive meetings (once a month on Monday before school) The officers of the Senior Class will be responsible for organizing reunions. Junior officers will plan Prom. Foster a spirit of co-operation among students and staff members Encourage interest and participation between the classroom and extra-curricular activities Stimulate loyalty and school spirit Promote the general welfare of the student body Take part in Student Council sponsored activities
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PETITION FOR STUDENT COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE 25 student signatures of students in your grade are required for nomination. Please have this signed and returned to Ms Gray by 3:30 p.m. on ______________________. Name___________________________________ Grade (next year) _________________________
1. ______________________________
20. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
21. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
22. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
23. ______________________________
5. ______________________________
24. ______________________________
6. ______________________________
25. ______________________________
7. ______________________________ 8. ______________________________ 9. ______________________________ 10. ______________________________ 11. ______________________________ 12. ______________________________ 13. ______________________________ 14. ______________________________ 15. ______________________________ 16. ______________________________ 17. ______________________________ 18. ______________________________ 19. ______________________________
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SAMPLE PERSONAL STATEMENT My name is Jane Doe and I am running for HCHS Student Council for the 2019 2020 school year. I have been a member of Student Council since I was in 6th grade and have enjoyed being involved with school spirit activities, especially Homecoming. I feel honored that I can make a difference in our community by taking part in projects such as highway clean-up; fundraising efforts for American Cancer Society; and working on school improvement projects such as painting the hallway. I believe that I can bring leadership experience to next year’s student council. Although I was not a village leader, I did help organizing the Homecoming parade this year and spent several study halls sending out letters and organizing packets to be sent out to school personnel and community members. Last year when we had the Senior Survivor, I helped plan the sophomore challenge events and the meal. When we organized the breakfast for the teachers this year during American Education Week, I stayed up late and made cinnamon rolls and brought them to the breakfast. I feel that I am a good role model for younger students. I try to ask others what they think and not just give my opinion. I volunteered to help clean up after the Homecoming dance even though my friends left without me. I maintain high standards in the classroom as well as in extra-curricular activities by always working as hard as I can. I want to do whatever I can to make sure our Student Council is the best it can be.
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Student Council Recommendation Form ____________________________________is applying for Student Council membership and (Name of student) would like you to complete this recommendation form. The recommendation form is due ________________. Please assess the above student on the following qualities. If you have not observed this quality, please select N/A. Superior Excellent Above Average Average Weak Not Observed 1. Responsible 5 4 3 2 1 N/A 2. Attendance
5
4
3
2
1
N/A
3. Self-starter
5
4
3
2
1
N/A
4. On time
5
4
3
2
1
N/A
5. Character
5
4
3
2
1
N/A
6. Listens
5
4
3
2
1
N/A
7. Creative
5
4
3
2
1
N/A
8. Leader
5
4
3
2
1
N/A
Comments: __________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ (Use the back if necessary.) I
would
would not
recommend this student for student council.
__________________________________ (Your signature) Please put this in an envelope and seal the envelope. Write your name across the envelope flap and give to the student or adviser. Thanks for your help and your time!
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SERVICE LEARNING
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SERVICE LEARNING
What the Heck Is Service Learning?
Here's a simple definition for service learning with details and resources for planning a unit. By Heather Wolpert-Gawron November 7, 2016
Š iStock.com/Steve Debenport
According to Vanderbilt University, service learning is defined as: "A form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as students seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding and skills for themselves." Wikipedia explains service learning as: "An educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs." That second definition is easier to comprehend, but it still feels more complicated than it needs to be. How about this: In service learning, students learn educational standards through tackling real-life problems in their community. WHAT DOES SERVICE LEARNING LOOK LIKE? Community service, as many of us know, has been a part of educational systems for years. But what takes service learning to the next level is that it combines serving the community with the rich academic frontloading, assessment, and reflection typically seen in project-based learning. In a service-learning unit, goals are clearly defined, and according to The Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, there are many kinds of projects that classrooms can adopt. Classes can be involved in direct issues that are more
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personal and face-to-face, like working with the homeless. Involvement can be indirect where the students are working on broader issues, perhaps an environmental problem that is local. The unit can also include advocacy that centers on educating others about the issues. Additionally, the unit can be research-based where the students act to curate and present on information based on public needs. Here are several ideas for service-learning units: •
Work on a Habitat for Humanity building site.
•
Pack up food bags for the homeless.
•
Adopt-a-Highway.
•
Set up a tutoring system or reading buddies with younger students.
•
Clean up a local park or beach.
•
Launch a drought and water awareness campaign.
•
Create a “pen pal” video conferencing group with a senior citizens home.
THE BREAKDOWN OF A SERVICE-LEARNING UNIT It’s not enough to help others. Deep service learning isn’t afraid to tackle the rigorous standards along with the service. You might find it helpful to split your unit into four parts: 1. Pre-Reflection: Have your students brainstorm in writing the ways in which they can help their world or their local community. Check out Newsela, CNN Student News, or their local papers for articles on current events and issues of interest to get in informational reading, as well. 2. Research: Guide your students in techniques to help them search wisely and efficiently. They should conduct online polls (crowdsourcing) and create graphs to chart their findings. Students should summarize their findings using embedded images, graphs, and other multimedia elements. (Try an infographic tool like Piktochart.)
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3. Presentation: Have your students present their findings to the school, each other, and outside stakeholders. They can develop posters to promote their call to action, write a letter campaign, or develop a simple website using Weebly. Students can “go on the road” with their findings to local schools and organizations or produce screencasts for the school website. 4. Reflection: Ask your students to think back on what they gained from journeying through this project. Have them reflect on the following: •
What did you learn about the topic?
•
What did you learn about yourself?
•
How do you now think differently?
ASSESSING SERVICE LEARNING Another element that tends to make service learning unique is that multiple stakeholders assess students: Community assessment: The community partners can get their say as well by assessing the students. They may even get voice in developing the rubric or criteria for evaluating the students. Teacher assessment: Along with evaluating students on the content, you might additionally assess them on how well they accomplished the writing, graphing, researching, or speaking. Student assessment: Your students might conduct self-assessment as a form of reflection. They also may assist in developing the rubric that other stakeholders use to assess them. What we’re talking about here is a form of engagement. It’s about leveraging the need to do something good in the world as a means to help kids hit their learning objectives. It’s about teaching empathy as well as literacy. It’s about teaching compassion as well as composition. It’s about teaching advocacy as well as algebra.
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Food Drive: State Project When the IASC (Iowa Association of Student Councils) announced this year’s state project, Plant the Seed to Feed, the students involved in Student Council at Southwest Valley High School were determined to come up with an idea that benefited both community members and citizens of the world. The two primary goals of this project looked to increase awareness of food insecurity in Iowa and to encourage organizations to help contribute items to hunger-related fundraisers, collection drives, and educational events. Locating local food banks and other community organizations were taken into consideration when coming up with a project idea. Before deciding on a topic idea, the Student Council members researched some background information to become acquainted with this topic. In our world there are many individuals who do not receive adequate nutrition from food. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) rounded up about $15 million people of the 7.6 billion people in the world are suffering from chronic undernourishment. There is an estimate 40 million Americans who are considered to be food insecure with more than 12 million being accounted for as children. Currently, 376,240 Iowans are considered food insecure with 121,550 being children. Nearly half of Iowa children qualify for free and reduced lunch at school. After looking at the statistics, members of the Student Council decided to hold a food drive. We wanted to complete a state project that directly helped/impacted our peers and communities with food insecurity issues. We completed this on December 18, 2018 at a home basketball game against a conference team. Community members, students, and individuals from the other team were advised to bring food pantry needs and personal care items that would be donated to the food pantries both in Corning (MATURA) and Villisca (Villisca Food Pantry), the towns of which our school consists of. During halftime of the girls and boys varsity matches a basketball shooting contest took place. Participants donated a dollar to try and make a three-point shot. If contestants were to make it, they would receive a candy bar. Student Council members also held a booth that consisted of a tri-fold and cards filled with information about what food pantries are in need of, and to raise awareness of food insecurity in Iowa. It was a great turnout as many contributed from both our community and our opposing team’s community as well. We did not want to stop our project there though. It was decided to have the studwnts in our high school compete against each other in a competition we called Battle of the Seminars. A student’s seminar class, often known as homeroom, is made up of around ten students who are advised by one teacher. The goal of this competition was to see who could donate the most food pantry needs and personal care items with the system having each supply be graded off of a point system over a two week time period. For example: Soup cans were one point, noodles were two points, toothbrushes were three points, etc. The competitiveness the students brought was great as the reward for the most donated items led that seminar to get out of school early one day for the last forty minutes of school (the time when seminar is). A total of $204.80 and 217 lbs. of food/supplies were donated at the end of this project. This project was a great experience for our members to be involved in as it included helping both our school’s communities and potentially individuals in Iowa.
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HOMECOMING
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HOMECOMING THEMES Africa
Hip Hop
Alice in Wonderland
Hollywood
Arabian Nights
Ice Cream
Arctic Bliss
Indiana Jones
Around the World in 80 Days
James Bond
Asian
Luau
Autumn in New England
Mardi Gras
Beach
Masquerade
Black Tie
Medieval Times
Bohemian
Musical Holiday
British
Neverland
Camelot
Orient Express
Candy
Over the Rainbow
Carnival
Paradise Escape
Chinese New Year
Renaissance Themes
Circus
Roaring 20’s
Colors
Rock ‘n’ Roll 50’s
Diamonds
Roman Holiday
Disco and the 70’s
Safari & Jungle
Disney
The Sun, the Moon and the Stars
Egyptian Mysteries
Super Heroes
Evening in Paris
Take Me Back to Broadway
Fairy Tale
Tinseltown
Fantasy Island
To the Stars
Fiesta
TV Favorites
Fire & Ice
Under the Sea
Flower Power and the 60’s
Western
Galaxy Rebellion
Winter
Garden
Wizard of Oz
Glow
Worlds of Fantasy
Greece Hasbro Game Night Heroes & Villains
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IOWA ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT COUNCILS 50
Iowa Association of Student Councils Constitution Amended June 14, 2019
ARTICLE I Name The name of this organization shall be the Iowa Association of Student Councils (IASC) . ARTICLE II Sponsorship and Supervision The IASC shall be under the sponsorship and supervision of the Iowa High School Athletic Association and in partnership with the School Administrators of Iowa.
The purposes of the IASC Council shall be
ARTICLE III Purposes
a. To promote student participation within the school and its community b. To encourage the development of new student councils in high schools and middle level schools. c. To assist all student councils in becoming more effective organizations within their school, community, state and nation. d. To help district associations of student councils e. To provide student council members and advisers with assistance. f. To provide information on all phases of student council activities. g. To provide student council members and advisers with assistance as requested and to facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information on all phases of student council activities. h. To provide leadership training for student council members and advisers. i. To encourage and support healthy living styles for young people j. To assist student councils and their leadership to focus on relevant current problems that affect them and to encourage them to seek solutions to those problems. ARTICLE IV Membership All high school and middle level schools in Iowa that have a student council or similar official organization shall be eligible to participate in activities and programs sponsored by the IASC.
Section 1: Membership
ARTICLE V IASC Advisory Board
a. The IASC Advisory Board shall consist of fifteen (15) members, nine adults, six students and liaison members as needed b. An advisory board member must work in Iowa and be active in education. c. The executive directors shall serve on the board in an advisory capacity. d. The IASC Advisory Board’s adult members will include one adult who is a middle school advisor. e. Membership shall include the following officers: President, Past-President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, State President, First Vice-President, and Second Vice-President. See Article 5, Section 7. f. Student representatives on the board shall consist of the president, the first vice-president, the second vice-president, the president-elect, the first vice-president-elect, and the second vicepresident-elect. g. Term of office for an adult advisory board member will be for four (4) years. Three (of the nine) advisory board members will be selected each year on a rotational basis (with the fourth year remaining intact). h. Any student council advisor may apply for selection to the IASC Advisory Board.
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i.
j.
Student officers will be selected at the fall conference. Students shall submit a request for candidacy preceding the fall conference. Students shall be interviewed by the advisory board and selected for positions of president-elect, first vice-president-elect, and second vice-presidentelect. All committee appointments shall be effective at the winter IASC Board Meeting.
Section 2: Mission Building Tomorrow’s Leaders--The mission of the Iowa Association of Student Councils is to serve Iowa schools, students, and advisers by providing resources, programs, leadership opportunities through collaboration, education, support and recognition to build tomorrow's leaders. Section 3: Purposes The IASC Advisory Board shall a. Advise the Iowa High School Athletic Association Executive Director concerning activities, projects, and needs of the IASC. b. Stimulate the study of issues and concerns of student council programs. c. Serve as a discussion group concerning the fall and spring conferences and for problems affecting the IASC and local districts; d. Serve as the selection committee concerning advisor of the year, administrator of the year, honor council, and Kelly Neiber Service Project of the Year. e. As individuals, serve as a resource person to local student council organizations; f. Suggest and report the activities of the IASC through appropriate means of communication; and g. Carry on the general business of the IASC. Section 4: Eligibility a. Students and advisers shall be from an Iowa school. Student membership must be maintained in an Iowa school student council by the student board member throughout his or her term of office. Failure to do so will remove a board member from the Advisory Board. b. A board member’s school or place of employment and position shall be in Iowa at the time of selection and be maintained in Iowa or the board member will be subject to replacement on the Advisory Board. Section 5: Offices a. The president
1. The IASC Advisory Board shall be chaired by a President and assisted by the student president. The President’s duties shall include i. Presiding over the IASC Advisory Board meetings ii. Composing the agenda for the IASC Advisory Board meetings iii. Assisting with the IASC newsletter iv. Organizing and conducting the spring advisor’s conference. 2. The President shall be an Advisor and member of the IASC Advisory Board. 3. The President’s term shall be two years. 4. The President shall be elected by voting members of the IASC Advisory Board at the winter IASC Advisory Board meeting in the odd year. b. The Vice-President 1. The Vice-President shall be an advisor and member of the IASC Advisory Board. 2. The Vice-president’s duties shall include a. Conducting meetings if the president is absent b. Recording attendance at meetings/events. 3. The Vice-President’s term shall be two years. 4. The Vice-President shall be elected by voting members of the IASC Advisory Board at the winter meeting in even years. c. The Secretary
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1. The Secretary shall be an advisor and member of the IASC Advisory Board. 2. The Secretary’s duties shall include a. Recording and disseminating the minutes of all IASC Advisory Board meetings. b. Notifying IASC Advisory Board of meetings. 3. The Secretary’s term shall be two years. 4. The Secretary shall be elected by voting members of the IASC Advisory board at the winter IASC Advisory Board meeting in the even years. d. The Treasurer 1. The Treasurer shall be an advisor and a member of the IASC Advisory Board. 2. The Treasurer’s duties shall include a. Working with the accountant for IHSAA. b. Keeping track of all income and expenses. c. Presenting a financial report at each meeting. 3. The Treasurer’s term shall be two years. 4. The Treasurer shall be elected by voting members of the IASC Advisory Board at the winter IASC Advisory Board meeting in odd years. e. The Past President 1. The Past President shall be an advisor and a member of the IASC Advisory Board. 2. The Past-President’s duties shall be to serve as an advisor. f. The State President 1. The State President shall be a student and voting member of the IASC Advisory Board. 2. The State President’s duties shall include i. attending (Iowa Leadership Training Camp (ILTC) ii. attending State Conference iii. attending all IASC board meetings iv. being responsible for the statewide project v. attending national conference one year with the registration paid for by the Iowa Student Councils. 3. The State President’s term shall be two years total: one year as State President-elect and one year as State President. 4. The State President shall be selected by members of the IASC Advisory board at the Fall Conference IASC Advisory Board meeting. Applicants must be sophomores, attend an Iowa school, and be an active member of the school’s student council, submit a completed application form to the IASC Executive Director by September 30, and participate in an interview. k. First Vice-President and Second Vice-president 1. The first and Second Vice-presidents shall be a student and voting member of the IASC Advisory Board 2. The First and Second Vice Presidents’ duties shall include i. attending all IASC board meetings ii. assisting with the statewide project. iii. attending Iowa Leadership Training Camp (ILTC). iv. attending state conference. v. attending NASC and LEAD conferences, if possible. 3. The First and Second Vice-President’s term shall be two years total: one year as State Vice-President-elect and one year as State Vice-President. 4. The State Vice-Presidents shall be selected by members of the IASC Advisory Board at the Fall Conference IASC Advisory Board meeting. Applicants must be sophomore, attend an Iowa school and be an active member of the school’s student council, submit a complete application form to the IASC Executive director by September 30, and participate in an interview.
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Section 6: Meetings of the Advisory Board a. The IASC Advisory Board shall meet five times yearly: once at the time and location of the fall Iowa Leadership Conference, once at the time and location of the spring Advisor’s Workshop, once at the time and location during the winter agreed and set upon at the fall Iowa Leadership conference meeting, once in June and includes judging scrapbooks, and once in August at the time of the SAI conference. b. It shall also meet at other times deemed necessary by a simple majority of the IASC. c. A quorum for conducting a meeting shall be a majority of the members. Section 7: Vacancies A vacancy on the IASC Advisory Board shall be filled by an advisor selected by the current advisory board at its next regular meeting. ARTICLE VI Executive Directors a. The IASC Executive Directors shall be appointed by the Executive Director of IHSAA for a three year term. b. The IASC Executive Directors shall serve as a non-voting member of the IASC Advisory Board. c. The IASC Executive Directors’ duties shall include 1. Coordinating and organizing the Iowa Fall Leadership Conference. 2. Attending the IASC Advisory Board meetings. 3. Manage finances, and 4. Function as a liaison between IHSAA, SAI and the IASC Advisory Board 5. Represent Iowa at all national level meetings for Executive Directors.
ARTICLE VII IASC Representative Council
Section I. Membership a. The IASC Representative Council will consist of ten students and their advisors, two students and two advisors from each of the five districts of the state: Northwest, Southwest, Central, Northeast and Southeast. b. Students will be selected during their sophomore year and serve a two-year term. One student shall be selected from each district on a yearly basis. c. Students will be selected after the fall conference. Students shall submit an application and be selected by the IASC Advisory Board. Section 2. Purposes The IASC Representative Council shall a. Support the mission of IASC b. Act as a sounding board for the IASC Advisory Board c. Provide feedback to IASC about programs and activities. d. Communicate with schools in their regions about IASC activities and programs. e. Host a regional leadership conference/workshop once a year (not during October) d. Serve as a resource for area student councils Section 3. Representation IASC Representative Council members must attend or be employed by an Iowa school.
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Section 4. Eligibility a. Students and advisers shall be from an Iowa school. Student membership must be maintained in an Iowa school student council by the representative council member throughout his or her term of office. Failure to do so will remove the student from the council. b. A representative council member’s school or place of employment and position shall be in Iowa at the time of selection and be maintained in Iowa or the council member will be subject to replacement. Section 5. Meetings of the Representative Council a. The Representative Council shall meet face-to-face at least once a year before the state conference. b. Each district will meet separately as deemed necessary to plan the leadership conference. ARTICLE VIII Camp Director e. The IASC Camp Director shall be appointed by the Executive Director of IHSAA. f. The IASC Camp Director shall serve as a non-voting member of the IASC Advisory Board. g. The IASC Camp Director’s duties shall include 1. Coordinating and organizing the Iowa Leadership Training Camp. 2. Managing finances for the camp 3. Functioning as a liaison between IHSAA and the IASC Advisory Board ARTICLE IX Finances All expenses incurred to conduct and do business shall be paid by the IASC through IHSAA. ARTICLE X Rules of Order The latest edition of Roberts of Order shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure and not specifically defined by the constitution of IASC. ARTICLE XI Amendments Section 1: A proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the IASC President at least 60 days prior to the date of the next scheduled IASC Advisory Board meeting. The President shall direct the Secretary to send a copy of the proposed amendment to all members of the IASC Advisory Board within 30 days after the above deadline. The proposed amendment must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the IASC Advisory Board voting membership. Section 2: Amendments to the constitution may be presented by an Iowa school student council; an advisor of an Iowa school student council; an IASC advisory board member; or an Iowa school student council member. ARTICLE XII Removal/Disciplinary Action Any member of the IASC Advisory Board or Representative Council who displays behavior that is considered inappropriate may be considered for disciplinary action by the IASC Advisory Board.
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Get people talking to each other so they’re comfortable asking questions or talking to each other
Give detailed information
3 – 7 min.
15 – 20 min.
To review your purpose/goal
People will know & can contact you
1 – 2 min
1 – 5 min
Purpose
Time
WRAP-UP & QUESTIONS Check to see if people know what you want them to know. Ask questions and give prizes for correct answers or ask them to share with someone sitting close to them how they could use this at their school. Ask them to write on a note card what they learned from this session & collect the cards. Ask if they have questions. If still time, ask if they can use this idea at their school— why or why not? Ask about obstacles or how they might adapt it. Ask them to share similar ideas they have. Thank them for coming.
If you’re talking about an idea, what research do you have to support what you’re saying? What do the experts say about this? What qualifies you to talk about this? What books/articles can they read to find out more? Is this typical of just your school or does it apply to other schools?
INFORMATION This is the most important part of your session. Start with the end in mind. What do you want your participants to know or be able to do by the time they leave and how will you know if they know it or can do it? You should include a power point or video. Think about every tiny little detail. If you’re talking about a project, what will they need to do this in their school? What kind of permissions will they need? Who will they need to contact in advance? What supplies will they need? Why would they want to do this? Who does it benefit? What are some obstacles that they may need to be aware of? Give/show examples/pictures of what you did.
ICEBREAKER Books, Internet, Advisors have tons of ideas for icebreakers—Research & select one that fits your group size and session focus
INTRODUCTIONS Introduce yourselves. Tell what school you’re from and give your background information so that people know why you are qualified to talk about this. Be sure to give your contact information (at both beginning and end)
Activity
(Based on 30-minute session)
PRESENTING A BREAK-OUT SESSION
ICEBREAKERS
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IcEnnEAKERs, ExtrRGTzERS AND Grr ro Tnrxcs ro CoxsrDER P urp
+ + -
=:>
+ -
ctiviti e s : Getting to know names Getting to know a little bit more about each other Discovering similarities and differences E,stablishing trust Building on existing trust PracticingTeamwork Letting loose and just having fun Creating a sense of unity Showing that it is okay to be goofy
o ses
:=>
of
Kxow Gauns
G um e s/A
Choose your games/activities carefully: 1. How much time does it take? How much time much time do we have? 2. Is it appropriate for students in the age range
working? Is
it
is it worth? How
with whom I am appropriate for the context of the event? Is it
appropriate to the time of day? 3. What will the parents think when the student describes it? 4. How well should students know each other before use this activity? How far along should a group have developed before I use this activity? Will it expand students' comfort zones? Is it too far outside of some students' comfort zones? Will it make some students uncomfortable? Does it accomplish what we need to accomplish at that point in the program? Does it enable every student to connect with other students? If I am using it in connection with a workshop, does it further the content of the workshop? Can I draw a logical connection between it and the workshop content?
I
5. 6. 7. 8.
I i
Catherine McCall, forrner MASC Executive Director
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59
ICEBREAKER , ENERGIZER & GAME SELECTION CHART
Possible Games
Purpose(s) 1. How much time does it take?
2. Appropriate to age, context & time of day? 3. Parent Standard?
4. Requires Prior Familiarity? 5. Expand vs. Exceed Comfort zone?
6. Accomplish program needs at that time?
Purpose(s) of Group Get to Know __________________________ Purpose(s) of Group Game Break 1 ______ ____________________ Purpose(s) of Group Game Break 2 ______ ________ _ __________ Purpose(s) of Energizer Breaks _______________________ ____
(
7. Connect Students?
8. Connect with content?
LYAME GAMES ADJECTM NAME GAME: The group is formed in a circle, and each group member is required to think of an adjective that describes him/her AND rhymes with the individual's first name. Each group member will amplify their new creative name, and the rest of the group will repeat that name and all the names of the previous people. BLANKET NAME GAME: Have your group divide itself into two groups. Tell them to sit on the floor facing each other. Hold up a blanket between the groups so that each team can not see the other. A member of each team is quietly selected to move up to the blanket. On the count of three, drop the blanket so that each of the selected members are facing each other. Whoever says the other person's name first, wins. Whoever loses, goes to the other team.. GROUP JUGGLING: The group starts in a circle formation. The leader of the group will begin with one object in hand (i.e. a small ball). The leader will ask one group member to repeat their name, and then the leader will gently toss the object to that group member. The group member will reply "Thank you, (the leader's name)!" The leader will reply by saying, "Your welcome, (the individual's name)!" The object will continue around the circle in the same manner, making sure everyone has received the object, until the object ends up in the hands of the original leader. NOTE: During the first round, once a group member has tossed the object, have them cross their atms to prevent repetition. The same pattern will start again with the leader adding more objects. Once an object has been dropped, the pattern starts all over with the first object. NOTE: The leader should mix up sizes and shapes of objects (i.e. a rubber chicken, toilet paper, etc.)
MOTION NAME GAME: Have everyone stand in a circle. Anyone can begin the game by saying his/her name and demonstrating a fphysical] motion to go with it. When the person is done, the entire group repeats the name and the motion. Then, the second person (on either side of the first) introduces him/herself and does a motion. The entire group repeats that name/motion and then the first name/motion. This will continue until each person has given their name and done their motion, and the entire group has repeated everyone's name and motions.
NAME TAG MANIA: Participants
are given a name tag and a magic marker. They are asked to print their name on the upper portion of the name tag and then to draw three objects that represent who they are on the bottom portion of the tag. After completing the activity, participants are then asked to share their names and what they drew on the tags. (i.e. My name is Jess. I drew a sailboat, a dolphin, and a paint brush.)
ICEBREAKERS AUTOGRAPH SHEET: Participants are given a sheet with various traits on it. The objective is to find a person in the group who fits one of the descriptions and get that person's autograph next to the trait. When making up the list, be creative, but include traits pertinent to the group. Each person may sign each sheet only once. Here are some examples:
Likes broccoli Balances his/her checkbook Has been to a fortune teller
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Speaks another language
CONFUSION: Great high energy game to help participants begin to feel more comfortable in new goup. Give each participant a sheet with various tasks and ask them to complete it when you say,
"GO!" Here is a sample:
. ' . . . . . ' o
Get a male to do five push-ups and sign here Stand on one foot with your arms outstreched for 20 seconds. Have someone time you and sign here Leap frog over someone 5 times Get someone to whisper the pledge of allegiance and sign here Play "Ring around the Rosy" with two other people and have them sign here Get a female to recite a nursery rhyme Shake hands with someone you do not know and continue holding hands while debating the merits of your favorite ice cream flavor Have someone teach you a dance step (even if they make it up) The first person to complete the entire sheet, wins.
DO YOU LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR: The group stands in a circle with room in the center. (Best played with groups of 20 or more.) One person begins in the circle and says to an individual in the group, "_, do you love your neighbor?" The individual pointed out can either say, "Yes I (wearing green, love my neighbors and _, but I REALLY love people
if
fromCo,etc.),,or..No,Idonotlovemyneighborsand-.,,Iftheindividualuses
the first phrase, all members of the group with that characteristic must find a new spot in the circle at least three spaces from they are standing. The person with no space (last person remaining) becomes the caller. If the individual uses the second phrase, his/her two "neighbors" must switch places with one another. The group members move in quickly to "lose" their spaces. The last of the two becomcs the caller.
TOILET PAPER GAME:
Get a roll of toilet paper and explain to your group that they are going camping and need to take as much toilet paper as they think they may need for a three day trip. Once everyone has an ample supply, explain to the group that for every square in their possession, they must share something about themselves. NOTE: If anyone knows the activity, ask them not to give away the secret under any circumstances.
TRUTH, TRUTH, LIE: Give the group some time to write down two things about themselves that o'lie." Each group member will then share these facts about themselves are true, and one thing that is a and the rest of the group has to figure out which "fact" is actually a "lie." WHO AM I...OR FAMOUS PAIRS: In this exercise, group members will be asked to identiflz the names of famous pairs or persons. The leader tapes the name of a famous person on the back of each participant. (i.e. Fred Flinstone, Mary Lou Retton, Bill Clinton, etc.) The group member is not to see who is taped to their back. Their task is to find out who they are. The participants mill around the room asking others yes/no questions. If the member receives a "yes" answer, they can continue to ask that individual questions until they receive a"no" answer. Then they must continue on to ask someone else. When a group member figures out who they are, they take off the tag, put it on the front of their shirt, and write their own name on it. The member then can help other members find out who they are. The exercise concludes when all members have discovered who they are.
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More Games Ball Toss: Have everyone stand in a circle and give one person a ball. Have this first person throw the ball at someone else in the group while saying their name. The person that receives the ball must say "thank you, _ (insert name" before throwing it to someone else. Have the ball tossed around the circle until everyone has received the ball form someone and has thrown the ball to someone. Make sure everyone knows that they will need to know both who through to them and to whom they threw. Then have the ball go through once more. Next start the sequence again and after a few tosses start a second ball and then a third ball. Make sure every time a ball is thrown that names are being yelled to get attention. Finally, after all the balls have completed the sequence have the balls be thrown in the reverse sequence!
Autograph Sheet:_Participants are given a sheet with various traits on it. The objective is to find a person in the group who fits one of the descriptions and get that person's autograph next to the trait. Participants continue to receive autographs until their entire sheet is filled.
Evolution Rock Paper Scissors: It is essential that every group member knows how to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Everyone starts out as an egg, and waddles around going "Whobble, Whobble!" When an egg finds another egg, they play "Rock, Paper, Scissors." The winner will evolve to a chicken, and hop around making chicken noises until they find another chicken to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors." The loser will become an egg again; an egg is the lowest species one can be. The winner of the chickens will become a dinosaur. The dinosaurs walk around like dinosaurs repeating, "Auh, Auh!" The winner of the dinosaur match becomes an ultimate being. Ultimate beings walk around with their arms in the air repeating, "Ultimate being, Ultimate being!" The loser of the dinosaur match becomes a chicken again. Once an ultimate being has won hislher final match up, they are out of the game, or may continue to try their luck. Splash: Have the group form a circle. If there are more than 15-20 people, you may want to make two circles. One person is the "caller". The "caller" is not part of the circle- they either stand on the outside or the inside of the circle. When the "caller" calls the name of a person in the circle, that person ducks down and the person on the right and left of the "ducker" turn toward each other, push their arms toward each other, and say "splash" (the person in the middle had to duck so they wouldn't get splashed). If the "ducker" or the person on either side of them doesn't do what they are supposed to, they are out. The "caller" continues calling names until there are only two people left, who are both the winner. The "caller" should start calling names slowly and then speed up so that the game goes quickly.
Do you love your neighbor? The group stands in a circle with room in the center. (Best if played with groups of 20 or more.) One person begins in the circle and says to an individual in the group,
..-,doyou1oveyourneighbor?,,TheindividualpointedoutcaneitherSayS,..YeSIlovemy
(wearing green, from CO, and _, but I REALLY love people "No, I not love my neighbor's and If the individual uses the first etc.)" or do _." phrase, all members of the group with that characteristic must find a new spot in the circle at least three spaces from they are standing. The person with no space (last person remaining) becomes the caller. If the individual uses the second phrase, hislher two "neighbors" must switch places with one another. The group members move in quickly to "lose" their spaces. The last of the fwo becomes the caller.
neighbor's
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Spoons: Split the group into two teams. They should sit down shoulder to shoulder with the two teams facing each other, about 1-2 feet in between the two groups. At one end, a staffer will flip a coin. When the coin lands on a designated side, they member on both teams who is the closest to the staffer will start the pulse by squeezing the hand of their team member next to them. The 2'd team member as quick as possible where then the last member will attempt to grab the marker as quick as possible.
Captain's Coming: First the Captain of the ship must explain the directions of the ship to its passengers. Starboard means the right side; Port means the left side; Bow means the front; and Stern means the back of the boat. After the Captain has tested the group on the different directions, the Captain yells, "Attention on the deck!" and everyone comes back to middle of ship so the Captain may add a few commands. Such commands include: "lifeboat". 3 people get in a straight line, sitting down, straddling the person in front of their legs, and begins rowing and singing "row, row, row your boat". Other commands include "Man Overboard," in which one person grabs a partner, and acts as if they are rescuing a drowning victim. "Captain's 8a11" means everybody grabs a partner; and dances with them. "Scrub the deck" means everyone gets down to scrub the deck. Finally, "The Captain is coming" means everyone stands at attention for the Captain. People cannot move out of the attention position until the caller says "At Ease". If people do not perform the command correctly, they are eliminated. Mingle Mingle: Everyone mingles with others in a group until the facilitator calls out a number. Players must then form groups of that exact number and then follows what ever directions the caller gives (i.e. share your best vacation ever). Any group containing more or less than the number shouted
out is removed from the game. Anyone not mingling between the calling of members is
also
disqualified. The game ends when there are two players left.
Blanket Game: Have your group divide itself into two groups. Tell them to sit on the floor facing each other. Hold up a blanket between the groups so that each team cannot see the other. A member of each team is quietly selected to move up to the blanket. On the count of three, drop the blanket so that each of the selected members are facing each other. Whoever says the other person's name first, wins. Whoever loses, goes to the other team. Uncommon Commonalities: The object of this game is to find something in common with others in your group - the catch is, you want it to be something that is "uncommon." For example, a common commonality might be all are in high school, or all are wearing blue. An uncommon commonality might be we've all had some kind of surgery or we have all shaken the hand of a president of the United States. The larger the group, the harder the task.
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STORY BOOK QUIZ 1.
The three pigs build three houses…name the 3 materials used. a. _______________ b. _______________ c. _______________
2. The wicked Queen wanted WHO to bring back WHAT item of Snow White’s to prove her death? A. Who ______________________ B. What________________________ 3.
Who did Pocahontas marry? ___________________________________________
4.
Finish this poem completely: Mary, Mary quite contrary…
5. Where were Little Boy Blue’s cows found? ________________________________ 6. Where did Peter, Peter Pumpkin-Eater keep his wife? _______________________ 7. What did Jack Be Nimble jump over? _____________________________________ 8. What color is Clifford the Dog? __________________________________________ 9. What did ole Mother Hubbard want for her dog? ___________________________ 10. What’s the name of the little fat mouse in Cinderella? _______________________ 11. Name the evil woman in 101 Dalmatians. _________________________________ 12. What is the name of Aladdin’s girl friend? _________________________________ 13. Finish the 1st line of the poem: “Rub-a-dub, three men in a tub!” *Name their occupations. ______________________________________________ 14. Baa, Baa Black Sheep, Have you any _______________? 15. Little Miss Muffet sat on a _______________________. 16. Where was “Rock-a-bye baby’s” cradle placed? __________________________________ 17. Name 4 characters in The Little Mermaid 3. _____________ 4. _______________
1. _______________
18. Name the 3 nephews of Donald Duck. 1. _______________ 3. _______________
2. _______________
19. Name Mickey & Goofy’s dog’s name. _______________ 20. Name Robin Hood’s girlfriend. _________________________________
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2. _______________
21. Who could not put Humpty-Dumpty together again? ____________________________________________________________________________________ 22. Name the three bears:
1. _____________________ 2. ____________________ 3. ____________
23. What did the old woman who lived in a shoe have so many of? _______________________________ 24. Name the dwarf who ordered the princess to spin stray into gold. _____________________________ 25. What is the name of the beautiful maiden locked in the tower who let down her long hair so she could be rescued by the prince? __________________________________________________ 26. What did sleeping beauty do to herself that caused her to fall into a deep, coma-like sleep? ___________________________________________________________________________________ 27. Where di the 7 dwarves work? _____________________________________28. What did Little Bo-Peep lose? ____________________________________ 29. In Mary Poppins, what ingredient made the medicine go down much easier? ________________________________________________________30. Jack Sprat could eat no…What? __________________________ 31. The cow jumped over the _________________ & the dish ran away with a ________________. 32. Name 3 famous pigs found in children’s stories: 3. ____________________
1. ______________
2. ____________________
33. Name at least 4 famous dogs in children’s books: 1. __________________ 2. ___________________ 3. ___________________________ 4. ___________________________________ 34. Name of the crocodile in Peter Pan: ______________________________ 35. Name of Pinocchio’s “father.” ______________________
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Wears size 6 shoes
Likes pizza
Has 2 brothers
Has the no. 9 in telephone number
Is left-handed
Birthday is in December
Favorite color is yellow
Drives a blue car
Plays tennis
Went to the movie last week
Has a pet dog
Name begins with “J�
Born in April
Sings in shower
Talks in their sleep
Did not make bed to day
Reads comics
Takes naps
Loves icecream
Watches cartoons
Never changed a diaper
Detective story fan
Watches reality TV
Has a tattoo
Listens to rap
Name:_____________________
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LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES/ GAMES
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A BIT DICEY Use this activity for Pep Assembly Competition Leadership Retreat Team Building or Icebreeaker DIRECTIONS: 1. Create teams of 6 – 10 members. Team should be of equal size. If uneven, one team member will have to repeat the activity. 2. Each person will receive a craft stick. 3. The first team member will receive 5 dice and places one end of the craft stick in their mouth. He/she must stack the five dice, one at a time on the stick and hold the stacked dice for 2 seconds (the time it takes for the next person in line to sing “Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream”). 4. The first person then passes the dice to the second person who repeats Steps 4 & 5. 5. If the dice fall before the song is completed (2 sec.), the person moves to the end of the line and will have to try again. 6. The firs team to have all members complete the task is a winner.
PROCESSING QUESTIONS: 1. What did you do well as a team? 2. Though the task was individually done, how did your team work as a group? How can this be applied to the activities your group works on throughout the year? 3. Did someone emerge as the leader of the group? How did they become the leader? 4. What happened when someone in the group was not successful? 5. What did you learn from watching others? How does this apply to other activities of your group? 6. What role did communication in the success of your group? What is the biggest lesson you learned from this activity? 68
DOMINOS Use this game for Use this activity for an icebreaker, to teach connection and help students to see their similarities. DIRECTIONS: Give every student in the group one domino. Make sure there is enough space in the room for the students to be up and moving around. Next give these instructions: 1. Put your right thumb over one side of the domino, so only one side is showing. You will move around the room and find a person who has a domino side, when put with yours, totals six. (Once students have moved around and found a partner, ask students to find something the two of them have in common. Let students discuss. You may opt to give them another question or two.) 2. Have students move around several times, giving them a different number to total and a different question. You may even do larger numbers to form small groups. Twelve is a good number to use for small group formation. 3. Questions can include: a. What is your favorite class in school? b. What do you do in your spare time? c. What is the best place you have every gone on vacation? d. Who is the most influential person in your life? If you are doing small groups, you can use brainstorming for the project discussion. For example, if you are working on Spirit Ideas or Themes or Community Service ideas, move the kids around in small groups and have one student record the discussion.
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LET IT ROLL Use this activity for Team Building, Leadership Retreat, Icebreaker, and Communication/Cooperation . DIRECTIONS: 1. Form groups of 6 students around tables. 2. Each person takes turns rolling a pair of dice. 3. Using the chart on the back of this page, the student will share his/her response to the question indicated by the pair of numbers on the dice.
PROCESSING QUESTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4.
How does this activity help you learn about each other? What else would you like to learn about the people in your group? Do you feel more comfortable with the people in your group? Why? How does this type of activity help you move into committees or working on projects together? 5. What questions do you believe your group could use the next time you do this?
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MAGIC FLYING CARPET Use this activity for an icebreaker, to teach teambuilding, communication, cooperation and problem solving. DIRECTIONS: 1. SET UP: Cut tarp into 4 “magic carpets” 4” x 5” and lay it out on the ground. Divide group into 8 – 10 students and have each group stand on a tarp. 2. TELL STUDENTS: Your group is on a magic carpet ride, high above the clouds. You suddenly realize that you are going the wrong direction because the magic carpet is upside down. You must turn the carpet over without getting off the carpet. If one person falls or steps off, you must start all over. Everyone must keep both feet on the carpet at all times (so students do not get on each other’s shoulders.)
PROCESSING QUESTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4.
What was your role with regard to the solution? Were you active or passive? Who did the most work? How did you feel when you were trying to turn the carpet over? As a Council do you ever have lots of people trying to come up with a solution, but no one is listening to anyone else? If so, how do you solve the problem? 5. If the method you were using to turn the carpet over didn’t work, who decided to try another method or did you continue to try to same thing? 6. If some people were pushed off the carpet, what did you do to help them stay on?
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MIGRATION Use this activity for Pep Assembly Competition
Team Bulding Goal Setting Planning & Implementation Directions
Processing Questions 1. What one word would you use to describe this task? 2. Thinking back on the activity, what are some of the observations you made about the task? About group members? About yourself? 3. Did the task capture your interest? Why or why not? 4. Did you get bord during the activity? Why or why not? 5. What are some ways to make things/tasks less boring? 6. What long-term tasks do you thin you or your group will be facing this year? 7. What advice/strategies would you give to others in your group when facing long-term tasks?
1.
Create a Start Line and a Finish line 50 – 60 ft apart. 2. Demonstrate how to “shoot” a popper to move it forward. Give the group a minute or so to practice shooting a popper. 3. Place the 50 poppers behind the starting line and share the objective of the activity with the group – to move all of the poppers from behind the Start Line across the Finish Line only by popping. Inform the group this will be a timed activity. 4. Give the group about a minute to strategize a plan and then have all group members move behind the Starting Line and give the “Go” command.
Note: Varying the distance to be covered can change the dynamics of the task. Shorter distances tend to keep a higher level of engagement. Application may be made to long term tasks & sticking with a task until completion. 72
NO HANDS CUP TOWER Use this activity for Team Building Leadership Retreat Communication/Cooperation Icebreaker DIRECTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Form groups of 9 students around tables. Each group will get a “stacking tool” (hair band w/ six strings attached) & 6 plastic cups. The six cups should be lined up at one end of the table with the open end facing up. Eight people in the group must hold one string of the stacking tool with their backs to the table and one person will be the leader and face the table. The group must work together while listening to the leader as he/she gives directions on using the stacking tool to “grab” the cups one at a time and stack them to form two rows of three.
PROCESSING QUESTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What did your group do to complete the task? What was the most difficult part of this activity? Why? How important is effective communication in a group successfully completing a task? How important is it for everyone to see what the end goal is? What happens when the leader knows what is supposed to happen, but the rest of the team doesn’t know? 6. How did you feel during this activity? 7. What did the leader do to encourage you to complete this activity? 73
PING PONG PEOPLE Use this activity for Decision Making, Group Dynamics, Team Building, or Communication.
PROCEDURE: 1.
You need at least two balls per person. Explain the importance of reaching and including “ALL KIDS IN YOUR SCHOOL.” 2. Explain that the bucket of balls represents all the people in your school. The yellow balls are those “different kids.”
DIRECTIONS: 1. The bucket will be tossed in the air. All the balls must be gathered & put in the bucket by all the participants. Each person must contribute one ball to the bucket. 2. Once the bucket is tossed in the air, your feet cannot move. You cannot put your hands or knees on the floor to retrieve the balls (people). 3. You can use any props or objects in the room to bring your “people/balls” back to the group. 4. You may have 2 – 3 minutes to strategize.
PROCESSING QUESTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
How much work was it to “save/retrieve” one ball or one student? Have you “written off kids in your school” because they are different and don’t matter? What went right or wrong? How did you cover the “corners” or the middle section? How do you cover the various corners and areas of schools to include all students? Who did not have a bell? Why did you not get a ball? Why did you cheat or not cheat saying you got a bell when you did not have a ball to put back into the bucket? In your opinion was it too much work to save 1 – 3 balls? How often do you think that the work involved in the project is too much work to save 1 – 3 students in your school? 74
PUZZLES Use this activity for an icebreaker, to teach teambuilding, communication, and cooperation. DIRECTIONS:
Form small groups of students (4 – 6) around a table. Give them a 24 piece puzzle, all
pieces face down and do not show them the box lid or diagram of the puzzle. They will have one minute to put the puzzle together. You can do several variations of this activity.
1. 2. 3. 4.
No one at the table may speak. Each person must have a turn putting a piece in correctly Each person must put in a piece before someone can place a second piece. Vary the time limit – challenge the students to see how quickly they can put it together. It is a good idea to have your group divided and working on several puzzles at the same time. This adds competition to the activity. You can also move the groups around to the different puzzles – giving each group 15 – 20 seconds at a table/puzzle.
PROCESSING QUESTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4.
What just happened in our group? Is it hard to accomplish a task without talking? Did you find yourself wanting to “help” someone with their puzzle piece? How do we help each other be successful when we are working on a StuCo project? How does not having the “picture” affect the outcome? In Student Council is it a good idea to have a plan and “see the end result” before we get started? 5. Was there an advantage to having this activity be a competition? Why? 75
SCOUT KNOT RELAY Use this game for Pep Assembly Competitions, Team-Building, Leadership Retreats, and as an Icebreaker. DIRECTIONS: 1. Create teams of 6 – 10 members. 2. Tie as many knots in the rope as you have team members. 3. On go, the first person in the team runs to the rope and unties a knot with one hand and return to the line. 4. The next person runs down and does the same. Continue until all knots are untied. 5. The first team to untie all their knots is the winner.
PROCESSING QUESTIONS: 1. 2. 3. 4.
What strategy did your team use to be successful? Can you verbalize an analogy between Student Council and this game? What happens in our Council when we find a “knot” or difficult situation? Can you think of a time when out Student Council gave up and did not try to complete a task? 5. Who helped energize the group to accomplish this task? 6. Would this have been easier using two hands? Discuss a time when we only had one “hand” in Student Council and found success.
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