August/September 2014

Hands-On Leadership

Important Dates Sept 26: Student Executive Council Applications DUE

Sept 29—Oct. 3: MS Fall Regional Workshops

Oct. 10: Advisor Workshop (FREE), Century HS

Nov. 2-3: HS Fall Conference in Seaside

OASC Summer Camp

by the #’s . . .

In case you didn’t make it to one of

our camps this summer, here’s a

quick break down of what you

missed out on during the weeks

of fun . . .

2 Weeks

4 Camps

337 High School Students

43 Middle School Students

25+ Activity Advisors/Leadership Teachers

87 Schools Represented

7 States Represented

3 Countries Represented

63 Staff members/Alumni

7 Tech

Crew

4 Bicycles

13 Times

"thank you"

was said to

Valsetz staff

member

per person per week

Hundreds of new friendships made

Millions of laughs and tears

A lot more than Sara - The amount of mail that

Custodian Ron and The Drone received!

Continued on page 2

In this issue . . .

MS Camp is Back!, pg 2

Building Inclusivity, pg 3

SEC President, pg 3

Board Chair Notes, pp 4-5

Working with Admin, pg 5

Advisor Institute, pg 6

SEC News, pp 7-9

Updated Calendar, pg 10

Save the Dates!, pg 11

Meet the Speaker, pg 12

Community Service, pg 13

Advisor Tips, “Pump Up

the Volume on Student

Leadership,” pp 14-15

Lesson Plan: “6 Word

Memoirs for Teens and

Leaders,” pp 16

Julie Kasper

Board Chair

Century HS, Hillsboro

Kelsey Bowers

Tualatin HS, Tualatin

Leigh Church

Hazelbrook MS, Tualatin

Sarah Cole

Hillsboro High School

Jeremy Crowin

Brown MS, Hillsboro

Morgan Hubbard

Connections Academy

Cathy Kay

Armand Larive MS, Hermiston

Hillary Kirk

Redmond PA HS, Redmond

Noland Peebles

Thurston HS, Springfield

Heather Ransom

South MS, Grants Pass

OASC Board Members OASC Executive Director: Sara Nilles

“Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determination.”

~John Seaman Garns

Jake Halbakken

President

Oregon City HS, Oregon City

Victoria Blanger

At-Large Representative

Gresham HS, Gresham

Ana Parvankin

At-Large Representative

Sam Barlow HS, Gresham

Mica Annis

Metro Representative

Glencoe HS, Hillsboro

Lizzi Cox

Eastern Representative

Echo Sr HS, Echo

Nathan Geissel

Southern Representative

Grants Pass HS, Grants Pass

Ally Gibbons

Central Representative

The Dalles Wahtonka HS, The Dalles

Amanda Kelley

Mid-West Representative

South Albany HS, Albany

Joe Stuart

Northwest Representative

McMinnville HS, McMinnville

Zeke Medley

Mid-Level Representative

South MS, Grants Pass

Corina Romero

Mid-Level Representative

Brown MS, Hillsboro

Student Executive Council

Sara Nilles

OASC Executive Director

O R E G O N A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T C O U N C I L S 707 13th Street SE, Suite 100

Salem, Oregon 97301

503-480-7206

OASC Hands-On Leadership

August/September 2014

Page 2

Continued from page 1, “OASC Summer Camp by the #’s,” by Sara Nilles

A huge THANK YOU to all the staff, campers, parents, and sponsors who

supported our camps this summer—can’t wait to see you next year!

Middle School Camp is Back! After 8 long years, OASC middle school camp returned with a blast!

An amazing 43 campers and 18 staff members rocked an energy-packed,

enthusiastic four days filled with leadership activities, lessons, and fun! Over

20 middle schools from throughout the state attended the camp, with every region being

represented.

From Council Junior Olympics to Boundary Breaking to the “Game Time Dance,”

every activity was met with excitement and eagerness. We identified leadership styles,

created vision statements and “6-Word Memoirs” (see lesson plan on page 16 of this

newsletter edition), discussed current leadership topics during “Ask an Expert,” and

learned how to fill our own and each other’s “buckets.” We “shook” it, “shuffled” it, and

“followed the leader.” We listened to and talked with Dr. Monte Selby, a Grammy award-winning musi-

cian and motivational speaker. We connected with each other, laughed and cried together, and made

life-long friends.

OASC Middle School Camp—Building leaders for tomorrow while making memories that will last a life time.

Heather Ransom

Board Member

Middle School Camp

Director

South MS, Grants Pass

February 2011

August/September 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Page 3

Building Inclusivity

From Summer to Fall . . .

A Note from Your SEC President . . .

Hello, OASC! I hope your summer has been filled with times of adventure,

laughter, and leadership; I know mine has! This June, fifteen student leaders and

I, along with three advisers, took a trip to Orlando, Florida to attend the National

Association of Student Councils (NASC) conference. For the first two days of

the trip, we toured a few Disney World parks. My personal favorite was Holly-

wood Studios! The rest of the week was spent at Ocoee High School at the

conference. As a group we represented Oregon and bounced around ideas with dele-

gates throughout the nation! We ended the week with some boundary breaking after a day at Universal

Studios. All in all, the trip was a ton of fun and definitely worth it! If you are interested in attending na-

tionals next year, the conference will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico! We will have more infor-

mation about NASC at Fall Conference!

Speaking of Fall Conference, I am pleased to announce our theme this year: Passport To Leader-

ship! We are focusing on embracing and celebrating diversity in our world! Keep the dates saved in

your calendar - November 2nd and 3rd. Fall Conference is where we hold elections for our Student

Executive Council positions! If you are a student interested in applying to join the SEC, or if you are an

adviser who knows someone with great potential, please check out the SEC application on our website

OASC.org.

Aside from Fall Conference, the Fall Season is coming up quick, and that means school is starting

soon. I recently heard of an idea to boost Senior spirit at your high school. During registration, block

off a certain amount of parking spots in your lot and sell them to Seniors to have their own parking spots

for the whole year! This is something we will be trying at Oregon City High School for the first time and

we are really excited for it! We talked to our administration and a few other key people and we

will be getting started in just a few weeks! This is just one idea to kick off the school year and

get the Seniors excited! Have a great rest of your summer OASC!

Jake Halbakken

2013-14 President

Oregon City HS, Oregon City

Bri Vega has been involved in leadership for five years and will be ASB President

for Hilhi. She is determined to raise the level of inclusiveness at her school with her

leadership class. Vega realizes the lack of spirit and participation from her student

body over the years has increased. Their goal for the year is to make their events

more diverse for the student body that has a wide range of preferences.

Every school is different and the majority of schools are filled with a bunch

of different people. Tailoring your events to help fit to more than just the majority

of your student body's wants and needs can increase participation for school events. "...In order to

include everyone in an event, the event needs to include the various kinds of fun," said Vega. If you

have ever created an event you know you can't please everyone, but Vega believes you can try.

Try keeping in mind all the various clubs and groups at school and their preferences when

creating the event because when you start publicizing the event, more people will become drawn to

attend, knowing they just might enjoy it.

Victoria Blanger

At-Large Representative

Gresham HS, Gresham

“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.”

~Harold S. Geneen

Focusing on Relationships

From the Desk of Your NEW OASC Board Chair . . .

As teachers go back to school feeling refreshed, comfort can be found in those

things that remain the same and excitement can be found in all that is new. In many

cases, new classroom supplies can be found along with full Kleenex boxes and dry erase

markers that are not yet dried out from use. Sometimes we are greeted back to our

schools to find freshly painted walls, newly applied and polished wax on the floors and,

most importantly, new faces. Whether the changes are large or small, there is a certain

excitement that can be only found at the beginning of every school year as we experi-

ence the end of summer weather, the leaves beginning to change and our communities gathering as

football season commences.

Thinking about the childhood song “Make New Friends But Keep the Old,” I am reminded that the

Fall is a good time for focusing on relationships. It is key for every activities director and every student

council to create and build new relationships with new staff members and to renew and recommit to those

relationships with staff who are returning. Public relations should be an ongoing effort for leadership

groups and that effort should start in our own buildings. No one’s activities program can afford negative

press, an unsupportive and (worse yet) vocal staff member or an unsupportive administration.

My school depends on additional staff members to help contribute to the success of and support

our events. And, later in the year, their “word of mouth” recommendations to our student body can be

great pieces of free marketing. In formal or informal ways, it is a good idea to welcome and connect

with the following people back after a much needed and hopefully restful summer vacation:

Administrators - New administrators often depend on activities directors to help answer key

questions about the school’s culture and traditions. All administrators should be filled in

about a student council’s (or specific student council member’s) achievements from the

previous year and summer. If you haven’t had a conversation about expectations, take the

lead on scheduling that meeting. And, if you have never had an administrator accompany

you to a state or local leadership workshop, now is the time to ask. Bringing an assistant

principal with my group to spring conference not only helped her get to know my student

leaders, but it really opened her eyes to all that my students take on throughout the year.

(Speaking of sharing council accomplishments… the fall is a good time to contact local media and

request a story to be run. It is also a good opportunity to share upcoming dates with media so that your

key events can be covered. And, if you have not applied for OASC and NASC recognition in the past,

this is the year to do so. Review the standards set forth by both OASC and NASC, set some goals and

deadlines with your councils and plan to apply in 2015.) Take the opportunity to review your student

governments page on your school’s website. Is it updated? I read somewhere that you (your council in

this case) are what you put out there. Take time to review any and all social media accounts and make

sure they are what you want them to be.

Administrative Professionals - Our office managers and support staff are really the eyes

and ears of our school. Thank them for any and all the work they put in at the school over the

summer. Not all of their work is visible or obvious and (due to budgetary cutbacks) they often

have more duties than they have time to complete. I always offer my students to complete non-

confidential projects during teacher in-service week. We benefit all year from this type of “paying

it forward”.

Custodians - Don’t forget to thank the custodians for all of their hard work throughout the

summer. Custodians can be the most visible and least appreciated adults in the building. Not to mention,

they address some of the unintentional “damage” we leaders inflict upon our building (can anyone say

Continued on page 5

Julie Kasper

OASC Board Chair

OASC Hands-On Leadership

August/September 2014

Page 4

Working with Your Administration Have you or your leadership class ever had a wonderful idea for an event, but

when you go to your administration you get denied? This is a sad reality to every lead-

ership class or student council. While no matter how hard you try, there are some ideas

that will be denied regardless, I have some methods that will help you effectively work

with your administrators and get your events and ideas approved!

Always remember that the #1 priority of the administration at your school is to

keep the students safe. If there is any possibility that students could get hurt, your ad-

ministrator will most likely deny your idea. The 2nd priority of administration is to har-

bor a safe and effective learning environment. While not every leadership event is go-

ing to be educational, you have to make sure that it isn’t going to interfere with classes, because if they

do, your chance of being denied goes up astronomically!

Once you have your event or idea planned out, use some of these tips to boost your success rate:

Put everything in writing! Type a proposal detailing your idea, what supplies will be needed

and the costs to give to your administrator.

Schedule an appointment. If you just drop in, they may not have the time to fully listen to and

consider your idea.

Make sure that you are prepared! Rehearse what you are going to tell your administrator,

and be prepared to answer any questions that they may have. Do not go in without knowing

what you are going to say!

In conclusion, don’t be discouraged if you get an event or idea rejected! Ask why they made that

decision, and take it into account for the next time you present an idea. Remember that your administra-

tion is not out to cause trouble for you, you just need to be flexible and work with them!

Nathan Geissel

Southern Representative

Grants Pass HS, Grants Pass

August/September 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Page 5

Continued from page 4, “Focusing on Relationships,” by Julie Kasper

Sharpie soaked through the poster and onto the floor?). We give our custodians treats throughout the

year to let them know how much we value their service.

Teachers and staff - Have school swag? Give it away! There is no better way to make a new staff

member feel like a part of your school’s community than to have at least a t-shirt to wear on those school

spirit days. Small purchases like t-shirts will provide dividends throughout the school year. Back-to-

school time is also a good time to confirm commitments from teachers and staff members who serve as

class advisors, judges, club advisors and committee advisors. Inevitably, change will have happened

over the summer and you will need to recruit additional help. Take advantage of acquiring this new help

while everyone is rested and still feeling positive.

The students - It is important to make every student feel like a valued member of your student

body. Inspired by motivational speaker Mark Scharenbroich, my students make posters with every

student’s name on it. These adorn the walls of our school when the students return in September. If you

don’t get these done by the time school starts, Homecoming is another good time for these posters to be

hung. And, if you haven’t ordered you free spirit gear throw-out items for pep assemblies, make sure

you do so right when you get back to school.

Your leaders’ parents - Was the last time you saw parents at the officer induction last spring? If

so, host a meet-and-greet during Back to School night or invite everyone to a BBQ. Your leadership

students will spend a lot of time with you, and it is important for their parents to know who you are.

And remember, connections are key. Just letting people know that they matter can make a world

of difference with the climate and culture of your schools.

OASC Hands-On Leadership

August/September 2014

Page 6

For the 2014 OASC Advisor Institute, there was a Grammy award-wining

presenter . . . Dr. Monte Selby. He spoke about teaching youth with song, and how

music can affect the brain by sticking to patterns,

which helps to remember content and creates

meaningful learning within a classroom setting.

Throughout the entirety of the institute, he went

over many different strategies that work for all types

of students, not just student councils, but also focused

on how specific strategies can work well for students for multiple areas.

The one strategy I really liked for meetings was the “line

continuum.” This is a strategy where you have a different type of

continuum, like “agree/disagree” or scale of numbers. The options

when using this strategy is vast and it can be manipulated for multiple

areas within a council or any class for that matter.

One way this can be used is with parliamentary procedure.

Implementing this in meetings can be pretty simple. Before the first

official meeting have a few mini-lessons of which should be modeled;

what each thing should look like in meetings. One could be expectations

of meetings, what the kids expect of each other and the advisor when

meetings are conducted. Second, could be how parli pro actually looks in

a well-structured meeting setting. This should be a bit longer than the first to

highlight a ten-minute skit of what a structured meeting with expectations looked like so all students

understand.

Another way to use this strategy would be consensus building; why it’s used, how it can be used,

and again another short skit of what that would look like. Finally, one would go into the line continuum

strategy and how it’s another way to build a consensus or vote. Explaining verbally, and visually, then

have a few practice rounds with something that was related, maybe what happened in years passed,

such as whether or not to have an executive council, or anything else that would be relatable. After a

continuum has been used, there would be a time to debrief and discuss different ways it could be used

throughout the year for different topics.

The great thing about this strategy is that the evaluation part is relatively easy. The evaluation

of this would be the level of engagement by the students (who is always at the same place, who follows

others, who’s not taking it seriously etc.), and whether or not the students can effectively make

decisions about something after completing the strategy.

It was a worthwhile experience going to the advisor institute, and although this is only one

strategy, there were many more that I took away from the three days of hearing Dr. Selby present and

sharing ideas with other advisors. I would recommend this institute to any advisor, new or veteran.

From the OASC Advisor Institute . . .

Kelsey Bowers

Board Member

Tualatin HS, Tualatin

Dr. Monte Selby

August/September 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Page 7

From Your Student Executive Council . . . From Ana Parvankin, Your At-Large Representative: Hello to all the great student leaders across Oregon!

I hope you all have had an absolutely fantastic summer, and hope you are gearing up already towards

planning a great year for your school!

It’s super important that your leadership class gets along with each other, and that all starts with

some bonding! Of course, you can do the simple BBQ during the summer, but what better way is

there to do bonding by giving back to your community at the same time? There are many different

events that you can sign up to volunteer as a group. The Oregon Food Bank (OFB) has 4 different loca-

tions around the state: Portland, Washington County, Southeast, and Tillamook County. Towards the end

of August, the OFB will release their online application for volunteers for this next school year which you

can find on http://www.oregonfoodbank.org. I’ve volunteered at the Portland location several times, and have

mostly helped package frozen food, such as peas. While you’re helping out, you’re with a group of people so it’s

fun to talk to them and get to know them more.

For all the seniors out there, I’ve heard other schools do this and I think it’s such a cute idea… You “start”

the school year by watching the sunrise all together on your school’s football field on the 1st day of senior year

and then you “end” it the same way you started it, except with a sunset on the last day of senior year. The sunrise

represents a new beginning to your year, and the sunset represents the ending to all your required public educa-

tion years. You could even do this with a couple of friends, or with your entire senior class. The best way to adver-

tise is definitely through word of mouth and social media over summer. If anybody would like to share an awe-

some idea that their school has done, please feel free to e-mail me at anaparvankin@yahoo.com. I would love to

hear them and write about it! Best wishes to everyone for an amazing year!

From Mica Annis, Your Metro Representative: I write this newsletter as I try and avoid post camp depression. Recently, I was at my third year of OASC summer camp, surrounding by 200 of the most inspiring,

best leaders in the state. This past week I laughed, I cried, I danced. As Jon Bullock would say, “It

was awesome.” A problem I have always had with summer camp is learning how to bring every-

thing I learned back my school and the “real” world.

I know this is something that many fellow campers struggle with. Over and over again

people kept telling me that “no one understands what OASC summer camp is really about.” One way people can

have a dose of OASC in the real world is with awesome retreats and back to school activities. A tight knit ASB will

work better together. At Century HS, their retreat is 3 days long and filled mainly with fun activities and ice

breakers. At Wilson HS, one fall tradition they have is to go as a Student Council to a corn maze. Plan activities

together! Hang out! One reason our councils at summer camp work so well is because we emphasize bonding and

getting to know each other. As a student, I think this must happen in any leadership class in order to produce

good work and leaders.

From Nathan Geissel, Your Southern Representative: Happy summer, OASC! While most of us are out relax-ing in the summer sunshine, school is sneaking around the corner, and you know what that means for any-

one in ASB! Time to start planning your events for the beginning of the year! With school coming, many go

on Leadership Retreats. Retreats are a great opportunity to unite your leadership class together for the

upcoming school year, as well as to begin to brainstorm and plan the first events for the school year. My

school had a retreat earlier this month, where we began to plan our Freshman Orientation days, as well as

the beginning of Homecoming. Early planning is key to the first events of the school year, so make sure that you

start early! Remember, the higher your school spirit and morale starts with, the better year your school will have!

Schools in the Southern Region: I would love to hear from you! Send me an email at ngeissel@gmail.com. Enjoy

the last part of your summer, OASC!

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

~Steve Jobs

OASC Hands-On Leadership

August/September 2014

Page 8

From Lizzi Cox, Your Eastern Representative: Hello, OASC! Summer Camp has just finished for the

year, and it was amazing yet again. I recommend

that all schools send at least one person to camp.

They will learn so many valuable lessons, not just

for leadership but for the real world as well. Even

if you’re not in ASB or in a leadership class, you

can still go! Try it next year, and if it works well,

I hope to see you all at Summer Camp!

Fall Conference is the next OASC event

on the schedule. It will be November 2nd and 3rd in

Seaside. There are fantastic workshops and seminars

every year. It’s also a great way to introduce new

students and advisors to OASC. Fall Conference is

also when the student run for positions on the Student

Executive Council. Good luck to all who apply! If your

school is in the Eastern Region and you would like to be

featured in the newsletter, email me at liz-

zic16@gmail.com. Hope to see you all at Fall Confer-

ence!

From Ally Gibbons, Your Central Representa-

tive: Hey there, OASC! Most of us are coming up

on our last few weeks of summer before school

starts. What does that mean? It means Retreat

time! During August many schools bring their

ASB together to get ready to kick off the school year

with a bang. This may include Freshman Orientation,

First Day Assemblies, and best of all, HOMECOMING!!

All of this takes a good chunk of time and many schools

make their retreats two to three days long to get a head

start on all of the events this school year will bring.

In the Central Region, we have many fun outdoor opportunities such as Mt. Bachelor, the Columbia River,

and the Deschutes River in Maupin. Some ASB groups, such as Ridgeview High School in Redmond, like to utilize

these for some bonding time. This summer Ridgeview ASB went to the Deschutes for some white water raft-

ing! After some great bonding, the group got together and began to make plans for approaching Homecom-

ing Week. The school year is coming quick and will surly bring a great year for all of us filled with opportu-

nities to bring your ASB, Leadership class, and hopefully your school closer together. Don’t forget that Fall

Conference is right around the corner. Hope to see you all there!

From Corina Romero, Your Mid-Level Representative: In the past few months, Wood Middle School in Wil-

sonville has held their Jr. Scoop Sale where the Young Entrepreneurs Group also held their annual clothing sale, with

all clothing items priced at $1. The name of the event comes from the homemade ice cream that they

sell at the event. Last year the group raised more than $2000 which was then donated to Doernbecher

Children's hospital to buy new books! The clothes that were left over were then donated to Goodwill

More SEC News . . .

“Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there.”

~Virginia Burden

August/September 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Page 9

“To know what to do is wisdom. To know how to do is skill.

To do things as it should be done is service.

Most of us are wise and skillful, but its service that prospers—service.”

~Charlie “Tremendous” Jones

From Amanda Kelley, Your Midwest Representative: It’s crazy to think that in just a few weeks school will be starting again. It is almost like we had no summer!! This summer I got the chance to attend OASC Session 1

summer camp and it was the best week of my life. If you get the chance, let your students know to start

fundraising early so they can go next year!

Schools like to do summer retreats before the school year begins. Sweet Home

High School got a beach house for a weekend! At their retreat they talked about who

would be chairing what, and how it would be funded. Their main focus was Homecoming because,

like most schools, it is their first big event they have. The overall theme for Homecoming Week at

Sweet Home is TV. They are hoping to recreate game shows, and TV shows as well. Sweet Home

holds activities like “He Man” (boys playing volleyball) and their powder puff during their

homecoming week.

Central High School has also been working hard this summer to prepare for their freshman orientation

day. This is the first day of school when it’s only the freshman class. The leadership students at Central take the

freshman on tours, and they play games with them as well. Welcoming your freshman is a very important part in

making them feel a part of the family. I hope everyone’s school year starts off great and I can’t wait to hear what

kind of amazing things you all have going on.

From Joe Stewart, Your Northwest Representative: Wow, it’s hard to believe another summer vacation has already

gone by this quickly! One of the things I did this summer was return to the always amazing OASC summer

camp at Western Oregon University. My roommate at camp this year at camp was Trahern Sundling, the

incoming student body president at Tillamook High School, one of the schools in the OASC Northwest

region. He told me about an awesome fundraiser they do at Tillamook High School called “Charity Drive,”

an annual event in which they partner with the organization Kids Making Miracles to raise money for

Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Tillamook High School raises an astonishing amount of money through this fundraiser. They

usually raise $300,000 to $400,000 each year for Doernbecher! That is more money than I have ever

heard of from any school raising money for anything. How do they do this? During Charity Drive,

they have a ton of different mini-fundraisers. From stuff we’ve all heard of like concessions at sporting

events and car washes and a walkathon to great ideas I have never heard of before like Donkey

Basketball and a Boxing tournament and Jell-O wrestling! I was very impressed and will try to bring

some of these fundraisers to my own school here in McMinnville.

From Zeke Medley, Your Mid-Level Representative: For most students, summer doesn't end until about a month into the school year. For student councils and their advisors,

summer never truly begins! Many Oregon middle school councils are setting up for

this coming year by checking lockers and more to make sure the equipment is ready for

incoming students. Additionally there are loads of exciting programs being planned to

help welcome incoming 5th graders. Oregon middle school councils are geared up and

ready for this next exciting year!

And More SEC News . . .

OASC Hands-On Leadership

August/September 2014

Page 10

JANUARY, 2015 Jan. 23 : Camp Staff Applications are DUE Jan. 10: SEC Retreat at Sara’s house Jan. 11: OASC Executive Board Meeting (Portland Metro area) Before or on Jan. 29: Winter Energizer Early-Bird ($140) Registration

FEBRUARY, 2015 Feb. 9: Winter Energizer Last Day to Register! (Based on availability) Feb. 14-16: Winter Energizer at Valley Catholic HS Feb. 19: Camp Staff notifications Feb. : COSA Scholarship Applications DUE Feb. : Nominations for Advisor of the Year closed Feb. 25-27 : CADA Conference for Advisors in San Diego, CA

MARCH, 2015 Beg. of March: Camp Scholarship Applications become available March : Deposit to attend NASC due (based on availability) March : Advisor of the Year DUE March 20-28: Potential OASC Service Learning trip to the Dominican

Republic (9th-12th grade)

SEPTEMBER, 2014 Sept. 19 : Last day to register for the MS Fall Regional workshops at

the early-bird rate Sept. 22 : Last day to update #’s for the MS Fall Regional workshops

without penalty Sept. 26: SEC Applications need to be in the mail and postmarked no

later than this day! Sept.29 – Oct. 3 : OASC Middle School Regional Workshops

September 29: EASTERN REGION – Hermiston at LDS church, hosted by Sandstone M.S. September 30: METRO WEST – Broadway Rose Theatre, hosted by Hazelbrook M.S.

OCTOBER, 2014 Sept.29 – Oct. 3 : OASC Middle School Regional Workshops

October 1: METRO EAST – Floyd Light M.S. October 2: CENTRAL/MID-WEST REGION—Redmond Proficiency Academy

October 3: SOUTHERN REGION - Talent M.S. Oct. 6: Last day to register for the HS Fall Conf. in Seaside at the

early-bird rate Oct. 9 : SEC Campaign Selection Meeting (Executive Board)

NOVEMBER, 2014 Nov. 1: SEC Retreat / Executive Board Meeting Nov. 2-3: OASC H.S. Fall Conference in Seaside DECEMBER, 2014 Dec. 5-7: National Conference on Student Activities – Scottsdale, AZ Mid Dec: Camp Staff Applications are posted on the website

If you would like to learn more about any of the events listed above, please visit http://oasc.org/?page_id=65

for links to more information. You can also contact Sara Nilles, OASC Program Director . . .

707 13th Street SE, Suite 100 | Salem, OR 97301-4035 | 503-480-7206 voice | 503-581-9840 fax | email: sara@oasc.org

OASC 2014

“Successful leaders embrace the power of teamwork by tapping into the innate strengths each person brings to the table.”

~Scott Beare

August/September 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Page 11

“There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be

built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.”

~Buck Rodgers

Sept. 29 Hermiston, OR (Sandstone MS Hosting)

Sept. 30 Tualatin, OR (Hazelbrook MS Hosting)

Oct. 1 Portland, OR (Floyd Light MS Hosting)

Oct. 2 Redmond, OR (Redmond Proficiency Academy Hosting)

Oct. 3 Phoenix, OR (Talent MS Hosting)

November 2-3, Seaside

OASC Hands-On Leadership

August/September 2014

Page 12

“People are like sticks of dynamite . . . the power is on the inside, but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit.”

~Mac Anderson

Danny V. Batimana is a professional speaker with the

Movement Talent Agency (MTA) and the

CEO & Founder of Happiness is NOW Inc.,

a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,

specializing in motivational presentations

and after-school dance crew programs.

This Filipino-American born enter-

tainer and entrepreneur resides in Los

Angeles, California. After graduating from Diamond Bar High School, he

became one of the hip-hop choreographers for the Los Angeles Laker Girls,

Portland Trailblazers, and Los Angeles Clippers Spirit, respectively. At the

same time he studied business management at Cal State University, Fullerton; his dual career in the arts and

business began to flourish and led him to create Team Millennia, a competitive hip-hop dance team based out

of Orange County.

By the age of 22, he had choreographed, produced, and directed various dance shows and projects,

which led him to pursue an entertainment career in his homeland of the Philippines. After one year, he decided

to return to California and obtain a secondary teaching credential in business, mathematics, and dance at Cal

State University, Fullerton. This led him to teach mathematics and leadership for several years at West Covina

high school and eventually developing the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) “professional dance” program

at Western high school.

While teaching, he was also the owner of the Team Millennia Dance Studio, director of Team Millennia

(America’s Best Dance Crew season 2 & 3), TM Juniors, and TM Tots; while producing the Bridge Dance Competi-

tions (formerly Prelude) and Summer Intensive Dance Camps & Showcases.

In 2010, he became the manager of the Poreotics Dance Crew (America’s Best Dance Crew Season 5 champions),

traveling the world and gaining experiences, which would eventually lead to his desire to ‘change the world’

through a happiness youth movement called “Happiness is NOW.’

Danny is currently traveling and speaking throughout the U.S. inspiring and empowering the youth in

finding their passions, leading to happiness, and creating their personal success.

Be on the lookout for his new book, “Happiness is NOW” (released July 2014) and check out his blog:

www.dannyVbatimana.com. “Love what you do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

Learn more about at Danny and Happiness is Now at http://happinessisnow.org/.

Check it out . . . Looking for a great motivational speaker?

Looking for someone to pump up spirit at your school? Need an

expert to bring your group together? Each month, we’ll focus on a great

speaker . . . We’re working to help you find the perfect fit for you and your school!

Read on!

August/September 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Page 13

Want to put together a community service project but not sure where to start. Interested

in learning about something you haven’t tried before? Check this one out!

“A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well

and to help those who are doing well to do even better.”

~Jose Ortega y Gasser

Excelsior Middle School leadership teacher Kim Karr co-founded a program called #iCANHELP when in-

spired by a concerned student after a fake and damaging Facebook page was created on a local teacher. Kim re-

alized that STUDENTS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING about all the bullying and negativity on social media sites,

they just needed the right tools to respond. The #iCANHELP message is clear- one person has the power to make

a difference and delete negativity online and in his or her life. Through assemblies, presentations, social media

campaigns and student leadership trainings, #iCANHELP GIVES STUDENTS THE POWER to control the influences

in their lives. Kim has traveled all over California speaking to middle and high schools rallying POSITIVE WARRI-

ORS who are ready to combat negativity.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Schedule an #iCANHELP crew member to do an interactive presentation at your school, event, or organization.

The speaker will:

Instruct kids on how to deal with conflict, harassment, and bullying online, and teach them to stand up for each other

Make kids aware of how their actions online leave a digital reputation

Get kids & adults to understand that mean words “crumple” people

Show students and staff how to promote positivity at school, online, and in their lives in general.

Show your support with #iCANHELP t-shirts for $10, or if you purchase 100 or more they are $5 each. T-shirts

come in any color- customize them to your school color! What an easy way to show the world that YOU can help!

Implement #iCANHELP at your school, business, or organization. Use these 20 activities to get started, then follow

us on on our social media sites to see what other organizations are doing. Contact us for a ready-to-use 10 minute

#iCANHELP online presentation, more #iCANHELP activities, and other great ideas to implement.

Learn more about at #iCANHELP at http://www.icanhelpdeletenegativity.org/.

OASC Hands-On Leadership

August/September 2014

Page 14

Tips for Leadership Advisors Written by Linda Yaron for Teacher Leaders Network

http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/04/23/tln_yaron_studentleadership.html

Ten Ways to Pump Up the Volume on Student Leadership

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success will take care of itself.”

~Henry Ford

"I don't know how we are going to do this, but we are going to do it," I told my 25 Peer College

Leaders (PCLs) on the first day of class last August. The Peer College Leaders program was designed to

create a greater college-going culture at our high school. In the process, it has come to mean so much

more: a vehicle for student voice and leadership.

Through the course of the year, PCLs have developed the capacity to take action with a purpose, improve

their school community, and develop leadership skills. All while filling a deep school need.

Positioning students at the center of change is good practice. Students gain the space and structure to

actively shape their educational experience. Meanwhile, schools creatively leverage human resources to achieve

more. Our school found the following ten elements to be essential to building a student-centered approach to

leadership:

1) Cultivate a sense of purpose. The goal of our program is clear: to increase college information and access. When I once mentioned that our school had no college counselor, a PCL, Melony, corrected me, noting that we

now have 25 college counselors. Students feel the weight of responsibility and know that the work they do can

improve the opportunities their peers have in life.

2) Encourage investment and ownership. Students own the program. They choose to be part of the class, identify our goals and priority areas, and carry out meaningful tasks. Students are accountable for specific

projects, with rotating leadership opportunities for students. One student wrote in a survey, "Every day I feel

great coming to this class, knowing I'm here to aid my community, leaving my comfort zone and really becoming

someone different, becoming a CHANGE!"

3) Focus on a genuine need of the school community. Increasing college access and completion is a high priority for our inner-city school, but our staff resources are stretched thin. Many of our students will be the first

in their families to go to college, and need help navigating the system. This is where the PCL program comes in.

It is not to say that a student-leadership program should be the sole component of an essential school need, but

that it can deeply add dimension and effectiveness to a systemic effort.

4) Give students responsibility. Knowing exactly which responsibility to pass onto which student is key to our program. I had to learn about students' strengths and interests, then match school needs with tasks that students

were both interested in and had the capacity to lead. It's a delicate balance: setting students up for success while

providing them with space to take risks. I had to be flexible as they tested their limits and strengths. And I had to

identify multiple pathways to success. But they stepped up. As one student said, "The job of teaching others about

college made me more responsible and matured my way of thinking. Being in this class overall changed my

perspective of what we are all capable of."

5) Be visible. The idea of college-going is now visible at our school. It is plastered on the walls and evident in everyday conversations. A PCL recently said, "I have noticed that the culture of the school has changed with the

implementation of the Peer College class in this school. I hear people talking about college and the academic

life more often now than before." From creating posters to mentoring peers to leading college workshops with

families, the PCLs have been visible in their efforts. They've even reached out beyond our school community:

presenting to teachers and principals at a district conference, serving on a Common Core community panel,

and coordinating a Community Career Day.

Continued on page 15

August/September 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Page 15

Continued from page 14, “Ten Ways to Pump Up the Volume on Student Leadership,” by Linda Yaron

6) Involve enough students to make a difference. Only 25 students are PCLs. But since we are a small school of 450, the PCLs represent a third of our senior class. We involved enough students to make it cool to know about

college—easily extending outward into the school population. A junior applying to be a PCL next year wrote in

her application, "the word college excites me."

7) Build Community. The PCLs designed and made group shirts and went on university field trips together, cultivating a greater sense of unity and community. In a presentation about our program, my student Steve

referred to his fellow PCLs as his brothers, and to our class as a family.

8) Develop an accountability system. At the most basic level, accountability means that the future of the program—whether it will exist next year and beyond—is based on the results we produce.

PCLs hold each other accountable. Students worked together to create a rubric of follow-through, leadership,

and impact. PCLs rotate point people for tasks. They create reports that detail bimonthly efforts in the areas of

college awareness, visibility, community, family, and university connections. Committees lead each area, and

students periodically reflect on their measurable impact on the school. Which brings us to ...

9) Measure impact. We tracked success along the way: setting up some "early wins," conducting student and family surveys and sharing results school-wide.

One student wrote that our Advisory Talks made her "look at college more carefully," helping her to pick a

college that she would want to go to. Another wrote, "They really get to us. They know what we are going

through." Students across grade levels have won local and competitive national scholarships, due in part to the

work of the PCLs. Once it became clear that tangible change was occurring, PCLs became even more engaged.

10) Celebrate success. Just as we all do, students want to see the fruits of their impact. Whether with clapping or cake (or preferably both), it is vitally important that we celebrate the success of our efforts. Our "Superstar

Wall," "College Knowledge Newsletter," and school-wide announcements of accomplishments motivate future

successes.

When the PCLs walk the stage in June, they will leave a lasting legacy of leadership: proof that students

themselves can produce change through their actions. This change can be structured to maximize impact, and

it can yield meaningful and tangible results that meet school needs. Though we still have a long way to go until

we succeed in creating the college-going culture that we want at our school, we are on the way.

Interestingly, the most significant changes seem to be those within the lives of the students who have

served as PCLs themselves for being part of this process. As one student commented, "The experience has

motivated me to be someone in life to pass down the knowledge I have gained and what I will gain in the future.

The experience has impacted me to pursue a career or dream that will help others in my community."

Whatever your school situation is, it's worth taking time to teach students to lead and involve them in the

solution.

Linda Yaron is a National Board-certified teacher in an inner-city high school in the Los Angeles Unified School

District. She is a former U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellow and a member of the CTQ

Collaboratory.

“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in their leader.

A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”

~Lao Tzu

OASC Hands-On Leadership Page 16

Lesson Plans for Leaders on the Go . . . Busy, but you'd like to try something new? Check out this month’s featured leadership lesson plan.

6-Word Memoirs for Teens and Leaders

August/September 2014

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Students will create, reflect on, and revise a memoir, taking into account word choice and

message.

ANTICIPATORY SET

To set the mood and get kids focused and thinking about positive messages that we receive

daily instead of all the negative, show the Kid President video: A Pep Talk from Kid President to You.

ACTIVITIES

1. Begin a class discussion with students about memoirs and their “life stories.” What do students consider to

be their “life story”? Would they need to write a novel to explain everything, or could they tell about one

event that helped shape them as a person? Explain to students that they are going to be writing memoirs of

their lives, but there’s a catch—they only have six words to portray themselves however they wish and to

get a message across.

2. Introduce the idea of six-word memoirs by projecting the video Six-Word Memoirs: The Video Story for stu-

dents to see. I also show some examples from 6 word memoirs of the past so they can see more examples.

3. Again, explain the parameters of the assignment: students must write a personal memoir in only six words.

To give students a bit more information about what’s required, show students the “Six Tips for Writing Six-

Word Memoirs” video.

4. Allow for students’ questions and then ask that students spend some time brainstorming and writing down

different possibilities for their own six-word memoir. I normally play music and let the kids sprawl out and

be alone with their thoughts. Eventually, ask students to choose one memoir that they deem their “favorite”

and they would like to use for the remainder of this lesson.

5. Arrange students in small groups to share their examples. As they share, ask them to look for similarities

and differences in their examples.

6. Finally, give students time to post their final memoir to share with their classmates. Choices for sharing

may include:

Create a class book of memoirs.

Create a bulletin board in your school to display the creative memoirs.

Produce a video of your students’ memoirs, much like the videos they watched at the begin-ning of the session.

CLOSURE

Finally, have each student share their memoir with the class and why it ultimately describes their life as a

leader. Allow the classmates’ to ask questions to get to know each other better and build a stronger class-

room community!

EXTENSIONS

Make six-word memoirs a part of your classroom routine. Do warm-ups or exit slips that ask students to write

six-word memoirs about daily life or around a subject you are teaching. You’ll be amazed at how much

you’ll learn about students based on their memoirs!

Source: Maegan MacKelvie, Advisor, Ridgeview HS, Redmond.

“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have someone on your side.”

~Margaret Carty