april/may 2014 hands-on leadership -...

Everyone has witnessed them – the uncomfortably boring presentations that left you fidget-ing in your seat, nodding off out of sheer boredom, and checking the clock every minute to make sure time hadn’t actually begun to stand still. And, we’ve all seen presenters who lacked presence, read directly from their note cards, and said “um,” “ah” and “you know” so many times you ran out of fingers and toes on which to count them. While these communications aren’t without their redeeming qualities (who can’t use a little free time to pass a level or two in “Candy Crush?”), this sort of ineffective presenta-tion is sadly all too pervasive in our schools, com-munities and workplaces.

We’ve all suffered through boring, pointless and just plain bad communications delivered by bad communicators. Based on my own frequent observation of poor presentations and presenters in both my work and volunteer roles, I’d go so far

Continued on page 2

April/May 2014

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

Hands-On Leadership

Important Dates May 15: OASC Camp Scholarship Application Round 2 DUE

June 9: Early Bird Camp Registration Ends, Camp Fees DUE to receive early-bird pricing June 24-30: Oregon’s trip to the NASC Conference, Orlando, FL

July 1: Last Day to Register for Summer Camp, Final Camp Payments DUE

In this issue . . .

Board Chair Notes, pg 3 From Your SEC President,

A Real OASC Love Story, pp 4-5

National Award!, pg 5 Be a Resource, pg 6 Summer Ideas, pg 7 Qualities of a Leader, pg 7 SEC News, pp 8-10 Summer Camps!, pg 11 Meet the Speaker, pg 12 Community Service, pg 13 Advisor Tips from the

OASC Director, pg 14 Updated Calendar, pg 15 Lesson Plan: “What’s on

Your Plate?” pg 16

Maegan Mackelvie Board Chair

Ridgeview HS, Redmond

Kelsey Bowers Tualatin HS, Tualatin

Leigh Church Hazelbrook MS, Tualatin

Jeremy Crowin Brown MS, Hillsboro

Amo Estrada Echo Jr/Sr HS, Echo

Julie Kasper Century HS, Hillsboro

Patrick Mackelvie Alumni

Stacy Michaelson Alumni

Noland Peebles Thurston HS, Springfield

Heather Ransom South MS, Grants Pass

OASC Board Members OASC Executive Director: Sara Nilles

“Paint your masterpiece daily. Always autograph your work with excellence.”

~Greg Hickman

You’re Talking . . . but What are You REALLY Saying?

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 Stewart 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

Patrick MacKelvie Board Member

Alumni

OASC Hands-On Leadership April/May 2014

Continued from page 1, “You’re Talking . . . ,” by Patrick MacKelvie as to say we have a pandemic on our hands. I can’t tell you how often my time is spent listening to someone strug-gle through an important, well intended presentation, only to be so distracted by their poor delivery, lack of cha-risma, or sloppy visual aids that I miss the entire point of the message being delivered. Based on my experience, I’m confident making the following statement: the world is full of terrible communicators.

Being a bad communicator doesn’t make you a bad person, but it does inhibit your ability to get a job, advance your career, gain support for causes you care about, and even be a good friend, partner, or spouse. If you think you can get along without those things, there are many lonely mountaintops seeking resident hermits. The single most important gift you can give yourself in your education and life (it’s never too late!) is to ensure you learn how to effectively communicate. I know the calculus tests and science labs seem important now – and I’m not suggesting those exercises are without their own merits – but becoming an effective communicator will serve you throughout your life in all manner of roles and relationships you stand to take on. Whether you’re manning the drive-thru window at a local burger joint, or delivering speeches as the President of the United States, learning how to effectively communicate is a sure fire way to help you achieve your goals and attain success.

Building on what defines poor communication, I pose a question to the converse - what makes a skillful communicator engaging, and a well-crafted presentation captivating? It’s a familiar question to most, but one that warrants continued examination, as poor communicators and communications continue to find our way into our daily lives. I offer three suggestions that, if executed well, will turn any dud presenter into a stud communicator:

Presence – What you’re doing shouldn’t distract from the message you’re delivering. In fact, your posture, body language, tone, and inflection should bolster and reinforce your presentation. Too many times I see slouched presenters with meek voices attempting to deliver big messages and ideas. If you want to be effective in your delivery, you have to embody your message. You are likely the only link your audience has to your topic, or at very least, their guide responsible for leading them through it. Your actions should be fueled by your passion to tell your audience why what you have to say matters.

If you’re delivering a persuasive talk, leverage your words and body language to compel your audience to act. Motivational speech? Reach out and grab your audience with your passion. Make them care by showing them how much your message matters to you. You could have the most compelling point in the history of man, but have it fall completely on deaf ears due to poor presence. At the very least, carry yourself confidently from the minute you address your audience until after you’ve left the room. Your demeanor will influence the staying power of your words.

Delivery – Practice, practice, practice. If your presentation isn’t worth spending your precious time to adequately prepare, how can you expect the collective time and attention of your audience? Think about it: you’re asking busy, important people with their own priorities and schedules to give you their undivided focus for a period of time, yet you couldn’t spare the time necessary to rehearse your message? Clumsily fumbling through a presenta-tion is an automatic license for your audience to not to pay attention to or care about what you have to say. I wish I had some “secret formula” to share or shortcut to offer, but in this case the old adage is true: practice really does make perfect…or will at least help you get close enough.

When rehearsing your talk, do so in front of a friend or family member. Having an audience will help you become accustom to communicating your message to someone else. If you can’t find anyone to listen to your dry run, hold court with your dog, or at least practice your talk aloud. Better yet, present to your reflection in a mirror. Actually seeing yourself speak the words will not only help you retain the information, but will also add polish to your delivery.

Continued on page 3

February 2011

April/May 2014

OASC Hands-On Leadership

Direct to you from CADA! From the Desk of Your OASC Board Chair . . .

Continued from page 2, “You’re Talking . . . ,” by Patrick MacKelvie

Visual Aides – For the love of all things good, don’t read your slides. I’ll say it again, and even ask nicely: pretty please with sugar on top don’t read your slides! Every time someone reads me a PowerPoint presentation, half of me feels like I’m back in Mrs. Smith’s kindergarten class during story time as she reads aloud the “Little Engine That Could,” and the other half is looking for the nearest sharp object to stab myself in the eye (or both eyes, since the presentation is being read to me anyway). Reading your presentation to your audience is akin to suggesting they are not capable of deciphering your visuals themselves.

Rather than relying on your slide deck as a crutch to get you through your presentation, have a “visual conversation” with your audience. In other words, tell a story and allow your visuals to support it. If you are using PowerPoint, know your slides well and have something intelligent to say about each. If you can’t think of anything insightful to say about a particular visual or slide, it shouldn’t be in your presentation. Or, consider ditching the slide deck altogether. The expression “Death By PowerPoint” is universally known for very good reason. Go completely unconventional and try utilizing a whiteboard or props to deliver your message.

In closing, I’m reminded of an article in “Fortune” magazine last year citing a study that found the average adult attention span to be only five minutes (Fisher, 2013). Your ability to engage people during that short window will ultimately determine your success with any particular communication. Focus on how you can grab your audience with your presence, delivery and by leveraging visuals to make them active, interested participants in your presentation. Only then will you succeed in delivering your message to your audience in a meaningful and lasting way…or at least persuade them to take a long enough break from “Candy Crush” to give you a minute or two.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”

~Michael Jordan

Five Oregon leadership teachers and one Executive Director just returned from CADA, the California Activities Director Conference, in Reno, Nevada last month. The theme was CADAtoons and the conference was filled with remarkable keynote speakers and workshops. As I ventured around the booths and area’s decorations, I couldn’t help but think what an awesome future homecoming theme this could be! A school could easily use their school name or mascot as an overall theme, such as Raventoons, and have each class choose a cartoon. Some cartoons that California areas used were: The Jetson’s, Winnie the Pooh, The Smurfs, and Marvel Heroes to name a few.

The CADA Conference is such a wonderful opportunity to network with other advisors in the country and return back to your school with a plethora of ideas and curriculum. If you haven’t heard of the CADA Conference, it is defi-nitely worth checking out and asking your administration permission far enough in advance to ensure you can attend. And not to mention, next year’s conference is in San Diego! Who from Oregon doesn’t need a little sunshine in March??? For more information, check out the CADA website at www.cada1.org!

Maegan MacKelvie OASC Board Chair


Hello OASC! I hope you are all enjoying the Spring! Recently, OASC held a fundraiser at the Oregon Public House. Over the course of ten hours we raised $555 dollars. $255 were pure donations! It was a great event that reunited a lot of OASC Alumni with live music from Max Barenberg from Blackboard Music. In fact, the whole entire event was planned by an OASC Alumni, Justin Cornett. Justin put a lot of work into this event to help send OASC students to camp. All the money that was raised will be given out as camp scholarships to students who apply. So if you're a student who will be receiving a scholarship in the near future, be sure to thank Justin for his hard work! While I was at the fundraiser I met Michelle and Evan Pine, a married couple who told me they met through OASC. After speaking with them I decided to interview Michelle on their "OASC love story." This is how our conversation went: How did you meet through OASC? Evan and I were JC's at session two. We had both attended camp through part of high school (me two years, Evan three I think), but never at the same time. I hadn't originally applied to be a JC, but at the last minute (Monday, for camp starting on Saturday), another JC had to back out and my dad, who was coordinating Advanced Camp with Nancy Moen, suggested I do it. What year was it? 2001. We both went back as JC's in 2002. What high schools did you go to? I went to Ontario High School in Ontario; Evan went to Henley High in Klamath Falls. What year did you both graduate? I graduated in 1998, Evan in 2001. How did you keep the connection/relationship going after high school? Two weeks after camp, a group of JC's met in Portland for a weekend. Two weeks after that, Evan and I went camping together. When the summer ended, I was living in Portland attending Mt Hood Community College. Evan moved to Ontario to attend Treasure Valley Community College. Since that was where I was originally from, I would visit every other month, and the other months he would come to Portland. The following year we both moved to La Grande to go to Eastern Oregon University. When did you get married? May 23, 2004 Where are you currently living? Portland, Oregon How do you still stay involved in OASC? This will be my first year back to OASC, this time as an SC. We've stayed involved vicariously through other people. We're good friends with the Ross's, who are like the quintessential OASC family, so we always hear a lot about what's going on. Last summer I finally convinced my niece to attend camp, which she concurred was the best week ever. I'm excited to be going back to camp, and am working on getting Evan to apply as an SC for next year.

Continued on page 5

A Real OASC Love Story

A Note from Your SEC President . . .

Jake Halbakken 2013-14 President

Oregon City HS, Oregon City

April/May 2014


Continued from page 4, “A Real OASC Love Story ,” by Jake Halbakken Will you send your children to OASC summer camp? Do you even need to ask? It's pretty much assumed all three will eventually go! Do you have any interesting stories you'd like to share? I remember calling my girlfriend, also an OASC alumna, that first week I was a JC, telling her about my crush on Evan. But...I could-n't tell if he liked me back or if his flirtatiousness was just that OASC charm. We both agreed that you couldn't tell at camp be-cause everyone was just so darn friendly.

That first year dating long-distance ended up being a good train-ing for us. In September 2003 Evan went to basic training, and the month after he returned he got orders for Iraq. We were married the end of May and he left for 17 months on July 1.

Evan is a gunsmith and now owns his own business making custom long-range hunting rifles. I teach at Riverdale High School--English, Leadership, and special education. Our OASC training--and connections--have definitely had a huge impact on our lives!

There you have it OASC, your own personal love story! I look forward to seeing everyone at Spring Conference!

Michelle and Evan Pine and their children

“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”

~Donald N. Adams

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Teaching Tolerance, the educational project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, has named Hedrick Middle School as a Mix It Up Model School for its exemplary efforts to foster respect and understanding. Hedrick Middle School is one of 76 schools from across the country receiving the honor. “In today’s polarized world, it’s refreshing to see schools that are doing extraordinary things to encourage students, faculty and staff to cross the social boundaries that so often divide us,” said Maureen Costello, the direc-tor of the Teaching Tolerance project. “By recognizing these schools and calling attention to their great work, we hope that other schools will follow their lead.”

The 76 schools recognized today were among the 6,000 schools that participated in Teaching Tolerance’s Mix It Up at Lunch Day Program, an effort to break down the barriers between students so there are fewer misun-derstandings that can lead to conflicts, bullying and harassment. They will be recognized on the Teaching Toler-ance website as Mix It Up Model Schools at http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/model-schools.

Teaching Tolerance’s Mix It Up at Lunch Day program began in 2002. The 2014 Mix It Up at Lunch Day will be held Oct. 28. Many schools plan activities for the entire day, and some schools use the event to kick off a yearlong exploration of social divisions.

Teaching Tolerance is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation’s children. The program reaches hundreds of thousands of educators and millions of students annually through its Teaching Tolerance maga-zine, multimedia teaching kits, online curricula, professional development resources and classroom-friendly social justice documentaries. These materials are provided to educators at no cost.

OASC would like to congratulate & commend Hedrick on their efforts that led to this award!

National Civil Rights Group Recognizes Hedrick Middle School for Tolerance Efforts

Designated ‘Mix It Up’ Model School by the Southern Poverty Law Center

Way to go, Hornets!


I recently had a conversation with an old friend who is going through a bit of a hard time. I've become very familiar with the state's various support programs through my work over the past few years. I instantly started making a mental list of all the sources of help I could point her toward - many of which I wouldn't know about if not for my day job. Last year, another good friend received an unfortunate medical diagnosis. At the time, he was between jobs and didn't have health insurance. When he shared the news, we talked about how fortunate it was that he was familiar with the health care system, and knew how to access his needed treatment, even without insurance. We also talked about how much scarier this news

would have been if he didn't have this knowledge. As leaders, we often have access to information and resources that others are either lacking or are simply unaware of. It's our responsibility to help share this information and to act as a resource for others. I work in politics and I enjoy it. For me, it's a matter of understanding of how our government and society functions - of understanding how the system works, and, when it's not working, striving to improve it. But I also understand that for a lot of people, politics, or "the system" aren't things with which they are terribly concerned. When simply managing the day-to-day necessities of life - finding a job, paying bills, taking classes, making sure familiar obligations are met, etc. - can feel overwhelming, finding extra time to be concerned with the government doesn't rate as a priority. I get that, I do. But that means that a lot of people are like fish who don't notice the water they swim in. I bet you see this in your schools as well. In college, I was often frustrated by well-intentioned students who would complain about issues on campus, but not do anything to change them. Why wouldn't they just go have a conversation with the administration (the people who could actually change things), like I would? As I talked with some of my classmates, I realized they weren't as familiar with the various offices on campus asI was. Whereas I had enough information to figure out which dean to go to with a given request or complaint, many students weren't even aware that they could get time with a campus administrator. As a student leader, you are likely familiar with all of the various offices and resources on your campus or in your community. You know what forms must be filled out in order to hold an event. You know which secretaries or janitors will do you a favor when you're scrambling to set up decorations after school. You know which adminis-trator to talk to if you have an issue (and you probably have a sense of how to sweet talk them as well). In student government, this is the world we live in - we know "the system" like the back of our hand. However, for many students, even though these factors influence their experience at school, they are simply unaware of them. But when they need help with something, or they have a frustration or concern, they don't neces-sarily know where to turn. And this can leave them feeling awfully powerless. Really strong leaders are the ones who encourage others to grow and to explore their potential as leaders.

For those of us who understand "the system" - whether that's our school, our dis-trict, our city, or our state or federal government - we have a responsibility to act as a resource for others. It is not simply our job to plan events and try to engage our peers, but to help them understand how they can become engaged when they want to and in the manners that make sense for them. Have students who complain about how all of your dances are always the same, or how there are never any

new or different events? Help them learn how to influence the process or how to start clubs and plan events. People won't always put the information you share to use. And I encourage you to be thoughtful and consci-entious in how you share your knowledge (try not to come across as a know-it-all, a mistake I've make more often than I'd like to admit). But whether it's me helping my friend figure out how she can get some short-term support to get back on her feet, or you helping a fellow student who feels like no one cares what they think, we should try to be the best resource and support to others we can be. Sometimes, you'll be amazed and inspired by what they do with the knowledge you share.

Don't Just Be a Leader, Be a Resource

Stacy Michaelson Board Member

Alumni

April/May 2014


“The task of a great leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”

~Henry Kissinger

From September to June we go from assembly to dance to service project to tryout. Our agendas and calendars are filled with endless due dates, event opportunities and fundraisers. And then it’s the middle of June, and we have three months of no responsibility and relative freedom. As young leaders we have a choice, to spend the next three months waking up at noon, eating soggy cereal and watching Judge Judy- or we can seize the day and use this summer to improve ourselves as leaders and people.

If you do plan to choose the latter, I have you covered! This summer, the opportunities are endless and leadership can be found anywhere and everywhere. First and foremost, ATTEND OASC SUMMER CAMP! If you are a student council member, star athlete, performer or just some-one looking for something to do, OASC Summer Camp is for you. Summer camp is the best week of my summer, and it’s full of leadership training, new friendships, fun activities and exciting ideas. If you don’t leave summer camp a better leader, student, friend and person, then you probably didn’t go. See you there!

Since summer camp is only 6 days, there are many other things you can do while you’re not at OASC. Look into applying to your town’s Youth Advisory Council, where you can work with the mayor and help make your community a better place. If you’re looking for something just over the summer, internships are always a great resume builder- and usually teach you a lot. Explore internships through a local Chamber of Commerce, Parks and Recreation or a business of your choice (such as Intel or a local newspaper). If an internships is too much commitment for you, you can also sign up for weekly (daily, bi-daily, bi-weekly) volunteer opportunities.

LEADERSHIP IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE SUMMER

There are many qualities of a great advisor. If I were to name them all, this would be at least four pages long. I’m going to talk about the four qualities I think are the most important. These quali-ties are very important so you can connect with your students and your school. The first and most important quality of a great advisor is the ability to listen to your students. You all want to make your school a better place, and the students may have differ-ent ideas. They are the people who see their classmates before, during and after school which means they may have ideas on how to reach the students in the best way possible. Another important quality is the ability to change. All councils change. One year

may be full of bananas and the next year filled with apples and oranges. With councils changing every year, a good advisor needs to be able to change with the council. While being able to work well with your students is good, an important quality the advisor has to have is the ability to stand their ground. As an advisor, you cannot let the students do whatever they want. Our imagina-tions can run wild, so its important that you, as an advisor, can curtail our wild imaginations, while still creating a fun activity for the school. The last quality I am going to mention is compassion. To be an amazing leadership advisor, or any type of

advisor, you have to have compassion. You have to care - about your students, about your school, about your town. Students find it easier to connect with a teacher or advisor when the students know that they care. If the advisor gives off an uninterested aura, it can stifle the learning and leading going on at school. Also, when you truly care about your school, it shows others they can be proud of their school.

Qualities of a Great Leader

Mica Annis Metro Representative Glencoe HS, Hillsboro

Lizzi Cox Eastern Representative

Echo Sr. HS, Echo


From Your Student Executive Council . . . From Victoria Blanger, Your At-Large Representative: Hello to all the great leaders out there! It’s crazy how

close the school year is to ending. As the year comes closer to an end, none of you ever stop working hard as leaders just like Clackamas high school leadership. They recently finished their annual “Unity Idol” to raise money for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. ASB President Alexander Parini states, “It’s one of Clackamas’ proudest accomplishments.” If you have ever seen the popular show American Idol then you’re not too far off knowing what “Unity Idol” is either. Clackamas leadership and their Shades of Unity club

team up together every year to go through both serious and humorous auditions that are filmed to be shown at the end of the event. To advance you receive a golden ticket and become a semifinalist. After that voting begins to figure out who the finalists will be. The way voting goes for “Unity Idol” is that you must buy your vote for the contestant, where the proceeds goes towards the charity. At the end of this successful event Clackamas wraps it up with an assembly to determine the winner. By having each contest-ant perform their last song where three judges vote and the amount of crowd cheering determines who the win-ner will be. “Unity Idol has been a success because students enjoy seeing musically talented students perform and how [diverse they] are,” Parini says. This is a great and unique way to raise money for any cause or charity, great job Clackamas leadership! I hope this helps any of you leaders looking for a new way to spice up your fundraising events. Remember to enjoy the rest of your school year and stay great leaders! Also, if you have any questions please feel free to email me at [email protected].

From Ana Parvankin, Your At-Large Representative: Leadership is like a tree to me. The root is your student government class itself, that branches out into many different categories. These categories are the range in the number of key items that are necessary as a leader. One of these items is charity. Silverton High School has done a successful job at this act of giving back. Mr. Mascot Pageant is an annual spring event at Silverton that donates admission proceeds to Medi-cal Teams International, which is a Oregon based global, local, and medical relief non-profit. Anybody can

sign up to be a contestant. They then appear in front of a committee to answer a series of serious questions. The top eight people are selected to be official contestants. Contestants have the role of thinking creatively for fund-raising, learning the Mr. Silverton High School dance, and coming up with their own talent. Tickets are usually pre-sold, and each contestant receives 15 tickets that they must sell to people on their own. They also have to receive donations of suits for each boy and props for the talents. The actual show takes about two hours. A group dance is choreographed by senior dance members, which the contestants all dance to in a group. Each boy then performs their own talent. They are judged by two teachers or community members, along with the winner from the previous year. In the words of DJ McIntire, "Mr. Mascot Pageant is loved by student and staff, and is widely looked forward to and loved." Pageants, like Mr. Mascot Pageant, is a super fun charity event that can be brought back to your own school. There are thousands of organizations across the nation, that would love to receive funds from your school to advance their programs. So strive to pick out a charity that your leadership class is passionate about to fundraise for, so you can fulfill one of the most important roles as a leader- to give!

From Mica Annis, Your Metro Representative: Hello, all! Welcome to your April-May update on a couple of you metro schools. I know at this time of the year you may be in slump, but we still have three months to go and many events and activities to plan (not to mention planning for summer, and next year). Valley Catholic and Vernonia High School are two metro schools that know it is not quit time. Instead they have been work-ing hard these last few months, and have produced some awesome events.

Valley Catholic hosted a Red Out basketball game for American Heart Association. There they united fans from both sides and managed to raise $713 for their cause. For every $1 donated during the game, $5 was donated to heart research at OHSU. A fun way they raised money was by selling strips of duct tape so that fans could tape Valley’s Student Body Officers to the gym wall. Another basketball event at Valley Catholic turned the tables, and switched focus to the boy’s JV2 team. They treated one of the games as a varsity game- with a packed student section, spotlights, and announcers. What a great way to help others feel welcome and special at school!

Vernonia Student Council has also been making their school a little better. During Random Acts of Kind-ness Week they served hot chocolate and cupcakes to the student. Random Acts of Kindness week is in mid-February and is great way to show some love to your school. Great job, Vernonia!

April/May 2014


From Lizzi Cox, Your Eastern Representative: Heppner High School has been involved with the Thirst Project. For those of you who don’t know, the Thirst Project is an organization who is working on getting freshwater wells. Their focus right now is on Swaziland. The founder and CEO, Seth Maxwell came to Fall Conference this last year and spoke to us. I know I found it fascinating! Hepp-ner has been raising money to sponsor a well. Recently they hosted a movie night as a fundraiser. At the movie night they showed Fast and Furious 6. It cost four dollars to get in. They also hosted a game

night. If your school is in the Eastern region and has something interesting going on, email me at [email protected]. Let me know what your school has going on! From Nathan Geissel, Your Southern Representative: Happy Spring, OASC! I hope everyone had an amazing

Spring Break and enjoyed their time off! This is the time of year where Leadership classes begin to lose their motivation that they began the year with; let's finish this year strong! Down in the Southern Region, lots of things are still going on! One school that has been working hard is Eagle Point High School, as they just finished up with their AirBand competition, which is one of their largest events. It is a class com-petition, designed somewhat like a lip-sync. Each grade picked their theme clear back in December,

and has been practicing ever since! They had 12 minutes to perform their routine at an assembly, with their performances judged by 5 local community members. This year, the EPHS Seniors won with the theme of Alice in Wonderland, and the sophomores came in second place performing a Wizard of Oz theme. If you are in the Southern Region and your school has any events going on, shoot me an email at [email protected] , as I would love to hear about them! I hope to see you ALL at Spring Conference! This year’s SEC has been hard at work to make this the best Spring Conference yet, so talk to your advisors and make sure that you are signed up! From Ally Gibbons, Your Central Representative: Hey there, OASC! For this April/May newsletter I would like

to talk about the importance of advertising. Lots is happening during the spring at your school, possibly in-cluding spring sports, spring musical, Sadie Hawkins, and of course the count down to the last day of school! With all this excitement it's easy for your leadership or ASB to start forgetting about the little things like advertising, that play a big role in your school functions! There are 3 main ways of advertising—social media, posters or signs, and word of mouth. Each of these are the main ways of

advertising and when you are planning an event be sure to use each of these crucial skills. Good luck on your April and May events and don't forget to use the 3 main ways of advertising in everything you do! If you would like to have your school featured in a central region newsletter feel free to email me anytime at [email protected] with cool events or ideas your leadership or ASB has!

From Amanda Kelley, Your Midwest Representative: Hey, OASC, as winter is coming to an end schools are planning for their spring activities. Have you ever thought of having a Pageant to raise money for a certain organization? If you haven’t Corvallis High School is a prime example. Their pageant isn’t just something that happens though; it is a six month long process involving 33 high school students. Some of the fundraisers they do leading up to the pageant are garage sales, cake auctions, candy grams, breakfasts’, and karaoke nights. Those are only a handful of different fundraisers. The actual

pageant is held at Corvallis High on April 26th. All the money they raise is spilt up between the Oregon Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Mario Pastega House, and the Regional Cancer Center. This ongoing event is a lot of work, but a lot of fun too. Good luck Spartans! Hope you have a very successful pageant. Let me know what your schools are up to Mid-West!! My email is open to anyone, [email protected].

More SEC News . . .

“A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough.”

~Ronald Reagan


From Joe Stewart, Your Northwest Representative: Hello again, fellow Northwestern Regioners! In this second installment the spotlight is on Newberg High School. Two leadership students, Emmie Schmidt and Sadie Ellenberg, put together a “Pink Out” at one of Newberg’s home basketball game to

raise awareness and research funds for all cancers, but breast cancer in particular. The girls sold pink t-shirts sponsored by the Newberg Fire Department that read “Dunk Cancer” to go with the basketball theme. Many students and members of the community bought t-shirts, wearing them to the game, resulting most of the bleachers being covered in pink! All the cheerleaders wore the shirts and waved pink pom-poms, and during halftime, a few Newberg students wearing shirts played a three-on-three basketball game against Newberg firefighters for entertainment! To get a t-shirt, students had to donate $10 to either nationalbreastcancer.com or allbloodcancers.com. The fundraiser went very well, raising over $800 in total!

I personally think this sounds like a great idea for a great cause, and it sounds like it was a lot of fun! I will definitely be bringing this idea to my own leadership class here at Mac High. Well, that’s all for me right now, as always you can contact me at my email [email protected]. See you in a couple months!

From Zeke Medley, Your Mid-Level Representative:

These past few months have been busy and exciting months for Oregon middle schools! Ashland Middle School's seventh grade students Hannah Doyle and Joy Owens embarked on a self driven quest to support the Thirst Project! Hannah found the company Equal Exchange that excels in helping people fundraise by selling there fair trade and organic products. Hannah and Joy have been

knocking on doors and selling these products in order to support the Thirst Project. Together they have raised over $400! Eagle Point Middle School has been hard at work recently making Chemo Care bags for local children undergoing cancer treatments. They will be delivering 26 bags in the near future! EPMS is also launching a coin war for there sparrow, between grades and students and staff! If your middle school is working on any awesome projects feel free to email me at [email protected]! Lets make Oregon middle Schools look good! From Corina Romero, Your Mid-Level Representative: This month, two schools from the Hillsboro School

District are having a competition to see who can raise more money for a charity called The Thirst Project. The two schools are Evergreen Middle School and R.A. Brown Middle School. The Thirst Project is an organization that brings safe water wells to communities in need in 3rd world countries. A well can cost from 7 to 12 thousand dollars, both schools plan to raise together enough to at least build 2 wells. They are planning to do this by hosting events and fundraisers such as a Crush for a Crush

Sale (you buy a crush soda and send it to your crush), a school carnival, or a Hat on for Charity event. The competition lasts until May so, we’ll make sure to check in on them next month to see the total amount they have raised for the Thirst Project!

And More SEC News . . .

April/May 2014



“Leaders are pioneers. They are people who venture into unexplored territory. They guide us to new and often unfamiliar destinations. People who take the lead are foot soldiers in the campaigns for change . . . the unique reason for having leaders—their differentiating function—is to move us forward. Leaders get us going someplace.”

~James M Kouzes

For more than twenty years, Harriet Turk has

challenged her audiences to think seriously about their life choices. In a world peppered with

indifference, complacency, and difficult decisions,

she offers a unique and fresh perspective regarding leadership, loyalty and living fully.

Powerful, engaging and insightful, participants leave her programs with a clear, practical,

message about healthy lifestyles—believe in yourself and the value of your life!

Harriet pulls no punches and connects with her audiences because she "tells it like it is." As

inspiring as her message is, Harriet doesn't give participants unrealistic hope. By reinforcing

the concept that we all possess personal power, participants learn that while they might be in

charge of their choices, they don't always get to choose the consequences. Learning how to

cope with failure and try again are essential and there's nobody better than Harriet Turk to

show you how to "Just Deal With It!"

Learn more about Harriet at www.harrietturk.com or see her LIVE at OASC’s 2014 Spring Conference in Portland!

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!

April/May 2014


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 leader’s role is to raise people’s aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.”

A YOUTH MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER THAT PUTS HIS ACTIONS BEFORE HIS WORDS.

Most professional speakers talk about what they’ve done or what they’ve been through. Mike talks about what he’s doing.

Having worked with youth for more than a decade, Mike has founded and continues to direct two nationally-recognized non-profit organizations (THE BAY and Skate For Change).

Companies like Red Bull and State Farm and people like Ryan Sheckler have taken notice of his reckless pursuit to help the disadvantaged. Maybe it’s time you take a look, too.

He’s passionate. He’s real. He loves people.

But most of all, he motivates others to live better lives.

For more information about Mike Smith LIVE, visit http://mikesmithlive.com and book at http://tfaspeakers.com/ or see him LIVE at OASC’s 2014 Spring Conference in Portland!


Connecting the Dots

“When everyone on a team is accountable, the team's effectiveness rises above the sum of its parts. Each team member does not just do what is asked, but what is needed.”

~John H. Murphy

Hey, OASC, as I write this I am sitting at a Caribou coffee shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, reflecting on a great weekend attending and presenting at their state MASC/MAHS conference. Not only was I excited to see how another state plans and implements a conference, but I was also excited to witness my all-time favorite Keynote Speaker, Mark Scharenbroich. I first saw him 20 years ago at an NASC conference and have seen him a handful of times since, it’s always awesome and I always take away something new. This time, Mark challenged all of us to Connect the Dots.

Use a piece of paper, poster paper, and/or a white board and start writing all the “groups” in your build-ing/school. Here is a sample – your list should be much more extensive. Next, list all the activities/events you do. How are these groups connected to the events you are planning? Who are you missing?

Now start to think about all the activities you do . . . . who is included? Who is excluded? Who are you missing? What can you do differently to make sure that ALL students and staff are connected? Yes, ASB technically means Associated Student Body; however, YOUR job is to make sure YOUR ASB is working towards making your school a place where All Students Belong.

“When students feel connected to their school, their teachers and to their peers,

academic performance improves. Improve school climate by building strong connections and your school’s performance will improve.” —Mark Scharenbroich

Tips for Leadership Advisors Submitted by Sara Nilles OASC Executive Director

April/May 2014


July, 2014 July 1: Last Day to register for camp (based on availability) July 1: Final payments for camp are DUE July 13-18: Session 1 H.S. Summer Leadership Camp (Staff Arrive 11/12th) July 20-25: Session 2 H.S. Summer Leadership Camp (Staff Arrive 18/19th) July 20-23: Session 3 M.S. Summer Leadership Camp (Staff Arrive 18th) July 20-23: Advisor Leadership Institute August, 2014 August TBA: SEC Retreat – Sara’s house August TBA: OASC Executive Board Meeting (Metro Area)

April, 2014 April 1: Early Bird Deadline for Spring Conference Pricing April 1: OASC Camp Scholarship Application Round 1 DUE April 2-13: Regular Pricing and Registration for Spring Confer-

ence April 4: Call for Presenters registration deadline for Spring Con-

ference April 9 : Student Council Program Recognition DUE April 14 : Late Spring Conference pricing Begins April 17 : Last day to update #’s for Spring Conference April 26: SEC Retreat & OASC Board Meeting (Holiday Inn –

Portland Airport) April 27-28: OASC MS/HS Spring Conference (Holiday Inn –

Portland Airport) May, 2014 May 15: OASC Camp Scholarship Application Round 2 DUE June, 2014 June 9: Last day to register for camp at the early-bird price and

bill paid in order to receive early-bird pricing. June 24-30: Oregon’s trip to NASC June 27-29: National Conference, Orlando, FL

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 Executive Director . . .

707 13th Street SE, Suite 100 | Salem, OR 97301-4035 | 503-480-7206 voice | 503-581-9840 fax | email: [email protected]

“You are already of consequence in the world if you are known as a man of strict integrity. If you can be absolutely relied upon; if when you say a thing is so, it is so;

if when you say you will do a thing, you do it; then you carry with you a passport to universal esteem.”

~Grenville Kleiser

OASC 2014

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.

~What’s on Your Plate?~


“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.”

~Tom Peters

April/May 2014

Source: Submitted by Sara Nilles, OASC Executive Director, originally by Karen Dawson.

april/may 2014 hands-on leadership -...

Documents