PASC News Inside This Issue News & Notes...................... 2 • Celebrate National Student Leadership Week in April • Certified Student Leader Recognition
Student Summit Proposals Sent to Governor Corbett and Speaker Smith
Mark Your Calendar for
Students who attended the PASC Student Summit on State Issues in Harrisburg on February 24 adopted four proposals that were sent to the Governor and to the Speaker of the State House of Representatives. (See page 7.) The following proposals were adopted:
Summer Workshops............ 3
n Transition from PSSA
• PASC Members Eligible for Difference Maker Awards Principal-Advisor-Leader Conferences Planned for September............................2
2011 District & Regional Conferences.......................... 4 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Announced...... 5 Plan Now to Attend the State Conference in
to Keystone Exams including requiring a pass/fail grade on the test, a more flexible curriculum to avoid teaching to the test, adaptations for students who struggle with taking standardized tests, and allowing students to demonstrate alternative ways that they
have adequate skills and abilities in certain subject areas.
Student delegates to the PASC Student Summit in Harrisburg debated ten proposals on a variety of topics. The four that were adopted have been sent to the Governor and the Speaker of the State House of Representatives.
n Increase in Bullying Awareness Programs in Schools including increased offerings of clubs and other positive social interactions, increased local funding for anti-bullying education for both teachers and students, and creation of peer monitoring programs. At the state level, there should be increased funding for anti-bullying programs, schools should be allowed to intervene in cases of bullying in non-school related
Sent to Elected Officials..... 7
activities, and the State Board of Education should mandate an anti-bullying component in health class curriculum.
n Marcellus Shale drilling should be taxed for the benefit of all Pennsylvania citizens. The corporate tax rate for companies that are drilling should be made lower than the existing rate. There should still be an extraction tax paid by the drilling companies that would fund responses to identified negative environmental impacts continued on page 6
Altoona................................... 6 Student Summit Proposals
Volume 35 Issue 7 March 2011
Altoona Puts a Twist on State Charity In honor of the 75th annual PASC state conference, Altoona Area High School has come up with a unique idea for the state charity. Instead of asking student councils to raise funds for one common charity, they are being asked to do additional service projects within their own schools that go above and beyond the normal
council projects. The idea is to do something that will benefit the community as a whole. It can be anything from a candy sale to a bowl-a-thon to simply volunteering time to the charity of their choice. Forms designed to record what is done within the school will be available on the conference website, www.pasc75.
org. Start now to keep a good record of what students in YOUR school are doing this year for community service. There will be a desk available at registration for form collection, but it is highly recommended that schools send results in via e-mail or the U.S. mail before the conference. Schools that participate will continued on page 4
News & Notes Celebrate National Student Leadership Week in April Each year during the third week in April, NASC, NHS, and NJHS invite schools to recognize and celebrate their student leaders during National Student Leadership Week. This theme focuses on “Student Leaders Saving Lives through Leadership and Service.” Plan your activities for April 17–23, 2011. Check out the wealth of resources on the NASC website (www.nasc.us/NASCConferencesandPrograms/NationalStudentLeadershipWeek.aspx) for ideas and materials to plan your activities.
Gaining “Certified Student Leader” Recognition from NASC NASC has created a recognition program that allows student leaders to use the distinction of “Certified Student Leader” on their transcripts for college and on scholarship applications. This program is a rigorous and challenging national skill and knowledge-based recognition program. To apply, students complete a variety of tasks focused on building leadership knowledge and improving skills, keeping records of their activities and demonstrating they’ve met the award criteria by creating a personal leadership portfolio. For details on how to apply, visit: www.nasc.us/NASCStudentLeadersProgram.aspx.
PASC Members Eligible for the 2011 DifferenceMaker Award Because PASC is a state affiliate of the Alliance for Student Activities, PASC members are eligible to submit their organization’s best service project in consideration for the Alliance’s DifferenceMaker Award, which honors groups whose service to their community has made a difference. One high school member and one middle level member will receive national recognition, a plaque for their school, and a speech by motivational speaker “The Original” Mike Smith at their school during the following year. Visit the Alliance website at www.alliance4studentactivities.org for more details and an application form. For award consideration, applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2011. To access an archive of newsletters on the Alliance website, use our special code 0A47E4 as the sign-in ID, and “advisor” as the password. This code will also get you a $10 discount on full membership. 2
PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net
Principal-Advisor-Leaders Conferences Planned for September 2011 PASC will again sponsor three principal-advisor-student leader (PAL) programs this fall. The conferences aim to provide an opportunity for principals, advisors, and student leaders to share ideas, to set goals, and to begin a working relationship for the new school year. The program will provide time for participants to interact as school teams as well as separate opportunities for principals, advisors, and students to meet in “birds-of-feather” breakout sessions. These programs will be held in 2011 at: • Tuesday, September 27—Chadwick at Wexford (19 near turnpike exit 30 and I-79) • Wednesday, September 28—Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport • Thursday, September 29—Harrisburg/Hershey Holiday Inn at Grantville (on I-81, 8 miles west of I-78) Our featured presenter and facilitator will be Ann Postelwaite, Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Student Councils, Minnesota National Honor Society, and Minnesota National Junior Honor Society. She was recognized in 2010 with the Dr. Earl Reum Award for her outstanding work in training activity advisors. She has presented numerous programs across the nation for student leaders and educators and serves as Director of Student Leadership for the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals. Each school is encouraged to bring its principal or assistant principal, student council advisor(s), and up to four student leaders to the conference. Additional teams from class government organizations or National Honor Society may attend as long as they are also accompanied by an advisor. This fall, join other schools in your area to experience this nationally recognized leadership program. Who Attends: Your school is invited to bring an administrator, advisor(s), and four student leaders as a team to this one-day PAL conference. Time: 8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Program • Opening Keynote Address by Ann Postelwaite • School Team-Building Activities •“Birds of a Feather” small group sessions for administrators, advisors, students leaders • Luncheon • Development of School and Community Engagement Action Plans by school teams Cost: Includes a continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and conference materials. Register early and save $5 per person. Early Bird deadline is August 1st $45 per person Regular deadline is September 15th $50 per person A registration packet will be sent to Student Council advisors in mid-April in the envelope with the membership invoice for 2011–2012 dues.
Underclassmen: Mark Your Calendar for a 2011 Summer Camp Experience with PASC
Watch for your school’s workshop brochure!
The 2011 Summer Leadership Workshop Brochure and Application will be mailed by March 20 to all student council advisors. It will also be posted on the PASC website. The application, Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sheet, sample daily schedule, and curriculum benchmarks can now be found on the PASC website. The Blue and Gold brochures will be posted in the next two weeks.
View Summer Workshop Video Online Pennridge High School state conference chairs visited the PASC Summer Workshops in July, 2011 and created a video that you can see on You Tube by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AkX8vGGoU. Please share this video at an upcoming Student Council meeting, or provide it to your student leaders and parents to give them a sense of what our leadership workshops programs offer. This video can also be found on the PASC website by clicking on summer workshops. Please note the following dates and locations and begin planning now for students to attend in July. Costs & Deadlines: Early Bird Regular (May 13th) ( June 10th) Blue (Grades 7–9) Grove City College July 17–21 $335 $360 Lebanon Valley College July 24–28 $335 $360 Gold (Grades 9–12) Grove City College July 10–15 $360 $385 Susquehanna University July 24–29 $360 $385 Advanced Gold (Grades 11–12) University of Pittsburgh/Johnstown July 17–23 $445 $470
Multi-Delegate Discount Created In an effort to support schools that send more than three delegates to the Summer Leadership Programs, PASC has created a multi-delegate discount for 2011. • The discount is $10 per delegate and applies to both early bird and regular registration deadlines. • The four delegates from the same school can combine and attend any of the five PASC Workshop programs. • Multiple delegates from the same school can come from more than one organization in the school (ie: Student Council, Class Government, National Honor Society) PASC Alumni Share Their Thoughts on Summer Leadership Workshop “I would have never had the confidence or basic skills to go on after high school and achieve so much if I didn’t take advantage of all PASC had to offer. I encourage everyone to go to as many conferences, workshops, and PASC Summer Leadership Workshops (Camps) as possible. The people you meet and the skills you gain are so valuable.” —Stacy Toy, Western Wayne HS graduate, Elizabeth College B.A. in Mass Communications. Masters degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland, additional studies at Oxford University, England. Employed at WNEP-TV Channel 16.
“PASC has helped me maintain strong personal and professional leadership skills throughout my education and career. The PASC conferences and workshops I attended helped me learn how to network with peers and create lasting connections. I strengthened my public speaking ability by leading student workshops and learned valuable leadership skills I still use everyday in the management of hospital operations.” —Jonathan Forte, graduate of Pocono Mountain HS, 2003 graduate of the University of Scranton in Biology, Masters in Health Administration, employed as Executive Assistant for Operations at the VA Maryland Health Care Systems, Baltimore, MD.
Register Now!
PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net
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2011 PASC District/Regional Conferences Mark your calendar and plan to attend the district/regional conference in your area. District/Region Districts 1 & 2 District 3 District 4 District 6 District 7 District 8 District 9 District 10 Districts 11 & 12 District 13
Date Location April 20 North Clarion JSHS Theme: HOOPS—Helping Others Overcome Personal Struggles April 27 Robert Morris University Theme: Tying Knots: Let’s Pull Together www.tyingknots.weebly.com April 27 Pluma’s Restaurant and Banquets–Irwin Theme: Tying Knots: Let’s Pull Together www.tyingknots2011.weebly.com Speaker: Andy Costanzo March 4 West Branch JSHS Theme: Discover Yourself Speaker: Shawn Harper March25–26 Cowanesque Valley JSHS Theme: Through the Decades Speakers: Al Duncan and Tim Piccirillo March 11 Red Lion HS Theme: DIET: Delegation, Initiative, Enthusiasm, and Teamwork Speaker: Grant Baldwin www.diet2011.weeby.com April 15 Lackawanna Trial JSHS Theme: Reach for Your Dreams Speaker: Ravi Roth, Lackawanna Trail Grad Site and date to be determined April 14 Garnet Valley MS Theme: Get Into the Rhythm of Leadership Speaker: Josh Sunquist www.garnetvalleyschools.com (Go to Garnet Valley HS and click on Region F Conference) April 29 South Mountain YMCA Camp; hosted by Tulpehocken HS—Theme: “One Rain Drop Raises The Sea
Altoona Puts a Twist on State Charity (from page 1) be recognized in a number of ways. There will be a large color-coded map at the conference that will show all of the student councils that contribute time or money and the totals that they achieve. Also, the school totals will be projected on the big screens during one of the general sessions. In addition, Altoona will post sheets of 4
paper displaying each school’s results in the windows of the cafeteria. Schools are encouraged to bring in pictures of their projects to post. These can be turned into the state charity desk at registration. So, it is time to
PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net
start brainstorming ways that you can make a difference in your community so that your school’s accomplishments can be shown at the 2011 PASC State Conference!
PASC NEWS is published monthly during the school year. To submit announcements, articles, or corrections for newsletters, please email the Executive Director or Assistant Executive Director. Articles or information from PASC NEWS may be reproduced for use, with appropriate credit. Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer North Penn HS 1340 Valley Forge Road Lansdale, PA 19446 215-280-9299 215-855-0632 (Fax) Finnemeyer@aol.com PASCInfo@aol.com Assistant Executive Director Kathy Ann Coll 174 Link Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15237 412-366-5744 Kcoll1@comcast.net PASC President Mariam Ahmad Altoona Area HS 1400 7th Avenue Altoona, PA 16602 PASC President-Elect Savanna Hovis Laurel JSHS 2497 Harlansburg Road New Castle, PA 16101 PASC News Editor Lyn Fiscus Leadership Logistics PASC Email: PASCInfo@aol.com PASC Website: www.pasc.net
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Announced Shoshanna Goldin, Moravian Academy senior, and Hollywood Ruch, an eighth grader at Mechanicsburg Middle School, were named Pennsylvania’s top two youth volunteers for 2011 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. PASC annually promotes this awards program in our September issue of PASC NEWS. As state honorees, Shoshanna and Hollywood will each receive $1,000 and attend a national awards program in Washington, D.C., in early May. Shoshanna helped raise millions of dollars as a spokesperson for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children’s Miracle Network, volunteered as a news broadcaster at a local radio station for the blind, and researched consumption of energy drinks by high school and middle school students. “Four years ago, one brain tumor, 13 hours of surgery, and 10 days in intensive care altered my destiny,” Shoshanna said. Her passion led her to become a spokesperson for the hospital and to reach out to others in need. Hollywood delivers dozens of speeches a year at school assemblies across the country to change the way young people view bullying, substance abuse, and drunk driving. Hollywood was injured in an alcoholrelated car accident when he was five, which knocked out six teeth and made it more difficult for him to tie his shoes, button his shirt, and write legibly.
Kids made fun of Hollywood, which led him to speak out about bullying in an effort to prevent others from suffering the same kind of experience he faced. Each year, he hosts a walk/run in his community and seeks support from businesses to raise money for his national campaign. Hollywood was a keynote speaker at the 30th anniversary Mother’s Against Drunk Driving Conference in Washington, D.C.
Distinguished Finalists In addition to these honorees, eight other Pennsylvania students were named as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities.
n Eric Bellis, sixth grader at DeFranco Elementary School-Bangor, raised more than $10,000 to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by participating in the Walk for the Cure. Eric also wrote letters to 300 celebrities and secured 50 autographed items for a silent auction that he sponsored.
n Tara Hedden, Western Wayne HS, raised more than $1,000 to support the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Tara, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, participated in a local walk, sponsored a Mother’s day brunch, sold awareness bracelets, and hosted a dressdown day at her school.
n Breanna Lincoski, California HS, founded “Kid-to Kid Connections” a program where teen volunteers write letters of support and encouragement to area children who
Allentown and Mechanicsburg students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions, and a trip to nation’s capital. Honors also bestowed on youth volunteers from Daisytown, Dresher, Guy Mills, Lancaster, Nazareth, Portland, Waymart, and Wexford.
have loved ones in the Albert Gallatin Hospice program.
n Brian McWilliams, PineRichland HS, raised more than $30,000 for the “Team Alex Fund” to help pay for medical costs incurred by the four-year-old son of his former cross country coach by coordinating a charity run that featured more than 800 participants.
n Lauren O’Grady, Manheim Township HS, founded ECHO (Encore Community Humanitarian Outreach), a youth service organization of fellow dancers. Members of ECHO have taught classes at the local Boys and Girls Club, have cleaned and helped at a day-care center, have raised money for earthquake victims in Haiti, and have raised $5,000 for Down syndrome awareness.
n Kendall Ohrwashel, Nazareth HS, organized and managed a book drive and sale every summer since 2007 as a fundraiser that yielded nearly $15,000 to grant Wishes for two children with life-threatening medical conditions though the Make -A-Wish Foundation. He
donates any leftover books to local charitable organizations.
n Calista Pierce, a fifth grader at Maplewood MS, has raised more than $10,000 to support Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Inspired by her Special Olympian brother, she created “Calista Cares” and has hosted lemonade stands, bake sales, raffles, and sold homemade craft items.
n Emily Zaumer, Upper Dublin HS, created a website that sells $5 singing emailgrams for all occasions to raise money for research into peanut allergies. Her site at www.ezgreetings.org, has raised nearly $4,000 so far. Not only does PASC recognize and honor these outstanding community volunteers, but we hope that PASC students and advisors can find inspiration in the projects noted above. The 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards applications will be due in late October 2011. Look for details in the September issue of PASC NEWS or contact the Prudential Foundation directly at www.spirit.prudential.com.
PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net
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Plan Now to Attend the State Conference in Altoona n Dates: November 10–12,
will be able to select three workshops conducted by peers. Applications for workshop presenters now on the website. • Early Bird Deadline: July 14 • Final Workshop Deadline: August 5
2011
n Cost: $110 per student and advisor delegate
n Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 1 to August 1 (Guarantees 6 student delegates)
n Seeking Advisor Round-
n Regular Registration Deadline: August 2 to October 14 (4 student delegates)
n Housing: Student delegates in host homes School option to house delegates in hotels (with advisor transportation and some meals)
n Schedule: Detailed sched-
n Hotels for Advisors: See
information on the website Mark Scharenbroich Mark Brown Mike Smith
conference website or see review in February PASC NEWS Correction please note: cost of Ramada Inn (primary hotel) is $105 per night
ule for students and advisors now on the website
n Speakers: See background
n Entertainment: • Thursday Night, Beatlemania
Concert/Dance • Friday Night, Banquet at the Blair County Convention Center • Separate High School and Middle Level Dances • Advisor Reception at the Ramada Inn
n Seeking Student-Led
table Presenters: Advisor will attend four 10–12 minute roundtable presentations following Friday morning’s free advisor breakfast at the Ramada Inn. Volunteers needed to share a successful project/activity or best practice with your fellow advisors. Contact Kathy Coll to volunteer at kcoll1@ comcast.net. We need your new ideas!
n Questions: Direct email on the website or call 814-9468254 or fax 814-505-1505.
Workshops: Student delegates
Everything You Want to Know about the PASC Conference Is Now at WWW.PASC75.COM Student Summit Proposals Sent to Elected Officials (Continued from page 1) in the areas where drilling is occurring. Higher environmental standards should also be established.
n School Lunch Nutrition should be required though the following steps: • Schools should be encouraged to buy fresh local produce • Salad bars should be mandatory in school cafeterias • All vending machines should be required to sell healthy choices such as granola bars, fruit, and milk • All carbonated beverages should be banned in public schools PASC News • March 2011 • 6
• A “sin tax” should be enacted on “unhealthy” foods served in schools such as snack cakes, cookies, potato chips, etc. • Health and nutrition classes must be implemented at elementary levels. The proposal also supports the State Board of Education recommendations proposed in Chapter 12.6 based on federal nutrition standards. Six additional proposals were debated during the afternoon session of the Summit but failed to gain approval of the delegates. Those not gaining www.pasc.net
approval were on Safe Driving, Mandatory Physical Education, AP Testing Requirements, Alternative Energy and Recycling in Schools, Zero Interest Loans for Higher Education.
PASC Alumni Partners Paul Biedlingmaier (left), a second term senior at Georgetown University who chaired the Summit when he was in high school, and Joni Klopp (right), a former PASC Summer staff member who is interning with the State House Transportation committee and is at Kutztown University, volunteered to help at this year’s Summit.
Share your thoughts on these issues and student proposals by joining the PASC Facebook Group. For a full
copy of each of the ten Student Summit proposals go to www. pasc.net
PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net
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