PASC News Volume 35Issue 7

March 2011

Students who attended the PASC Student Summit on State Issues in Harrisburg on February 24 adopted four proposals that were sent to the Governor and to the Speaker of the State House of Representa-tives. (See page 7.) The follow-ing proposals were adopted:

n Transition from PSSA to Keystone Exams includ-ing requiring a pass/fail grade on the test, a more flexible curriculum to avoid teaching to the test, adaptations for students who struggle with taking standardized tests, and allowing students to demon-strate alternative ways that they

have adequate skills and abilities in certain subject areas.

n Increase in Bullying Awareness Programs in Schools including increased offerings of clubs and other positive social interactions, increased local funding for anti-bullying education for both teachers and students, and creation of peer monitor-ing programs. At the state level, there should be increased funding for anti-bullying programs, schools should be allowed to intervene in cases of bullying in non-school related

activities, and the State Board of Education should mandate an anti-bullying component in health class curriculum.

n Marcellus Shale drilling should be taxed for the benefit of all Pennsylvania citizens. The corporate tax rate for companies that are drilling should be made lower than the existing rate. There should still be an extraction tax paid by the drilling companies that would fund responses to identified negative environmental impacts

continued on page 4

Student Summit Proposals Sent to Governor Corbett and Speaker Smith

Student delegates to the PASC Student Summit in Har-risburg debated ten proposals on a variety of topics. The four that were adopted have been sent to the Governor and the Speaker of the State House of Representatives.

continued on page 6

In honor of the 75th an-nual PASC state conference, Altoona Area High School has come up with a unique idea for the state charity. Instead of asking student councils to raise funds for one common charity, they are being asked to do ad-ditional service projects within their own schools that go above and beyond the normal

council projects. The idea is to do something that will benefit the community as a whole. It can be anything from a candy sale to a bowl-a-thon to simply volunteering time to the charity of their choice.

Forms designed to record what is done within the school will be available on the confer-ence website, www.pasc75.

org. Start now to keep a good record of what students in YOUR school are doing this year for community service. There will be a desk available at registration for form collection, but it is highly recommended that schools send results in via e-mail or the U.S. mail before the conference.

Schools that participate will

Altoona Puts a Twist on State Charity

InsIde ThIs Issue

News & Notes ..................... 2

Celebrate National Student •Leadership Week in April

CertifiedStudentLeader•Recognition

PASC Members Eligible for •Difference Maker Awards

Principal-Advisor-Leader Conferences Planned for September ...........................2

Mark Your Calendar for

Summer Workshops ........... 3

2011 District & Regional

Conferences ......................... 4

Prudential Spirit of Commu-

nity Awards Announced ..... 5

Plan Now to Attend the

State Conference in

Altoona .................................. 6

Student Summit Proposals

SenttoElectedOfficials .... 7

PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net2

News & NotesCelebrate National Student Leadership Week in AprilEach year during the third week in April, NASC, NHS,

and NJHS invite schools to recognize and celebrate their student leaders during National Student Leadership Week. This theme focuses on “Student Leaders Saving Lives through Leadership and Service.” Plan your activities for April 17–23, 2011.

Check out the wealth of resources on the NASC website (www.nasc.us/NASCConferencesandPrograms/NationalStu-dentLeadershipWeek.aspx) for ideas and materials to plan your activities.

Gaining “Certified Student Leader” Recognition from NASCNASC has created a recognition program that allows

student leaders to use the distinction of “Certified Student Leader” on their transcripts for college and on scholarship applications. This program is a rigorous and challenging national skill and knowledge-based recognition program. To apply, students complete a variety of tasks focused on building leadership knowledge and improving skills, keeping records of their activities and demonstrating they’ve met the award criteria by creating a personal leadership portfolio. For details on how to apply, visit:

www.nasc.us/NASCStudentLeadersProgram.aspx.

PASC Members Eligible for the 2011 DifferenceMaker AwardBecause PASC is a state affiliate of the Alliance for Student

Activities, PASC members are eligible to submit their orga-nization’s best service project in consideration for the Alli-ance’s DifferenceMaker Award, which honors groups whose service to their community has made a difference.

One high school member and one middle level member will receive national recognition, a plaque for their school, and a speech by motivational speaker “The Original” Mike Smith at their school during the following year.

Visit the Alliance website at www.alliance4studentactivi-ties.org for more details and an application form. For award consideration, applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2011.

To access an archive of newsletters on the Alliance website, use our special code 0A47E4 as the sign-in ID, and “advisor” as the password. This code will also get you a $10 discount on full membership.

PASC will again sponsor three principal-advisor-student leader (PAL) programs this fall. The conferences aim to provide an opportunity for principals, advisors, and student leaders to share ideas, to set goals, and to begin a working relationship for the new school year. The program will provide time for participants to interact as school teams as well as separate opportunities for principals, advisors, and students to meet in “birds-of-feather” breakout sessions. These programs will be held in 2011 at:• Tuesday, September 27—Chadwick at Wexford (19 near turn-

pike exit 30 and I-79)• Wednesday, September 28—Pennsylvania College of Technol-

ogy in Williamsport• Thursday, September 29—Harrisburg/Hershey Holiday Inn at

Grantville (on I-81, 8 miles west of I-78)

Our featured presenter and facilitator will be Ann Postelwaite, Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Student Councils, Minnesota National Honor Society, and Minnesota National Junior Honor Society. She was recognized in 2010 with the Dr. Earl Reum Award for her outstanding work in training activity advisors. She has presented numerous programs across the nation for student leaders and educators and serves as Director of Student Leadership for the Minnesota Association of Second-ary School Principals.

Each school is encouraged to bring its principal or assistant prin-cipal, student council advisor(s), and up to four student leaders to the conference. Additional teams from class government orga-nizations or National Honor Society may attend as long as they are also accompanied by an advisor. This fall, join other schools in your area to experience this nationally recognized leadership program.

Who Attends: Your school is invited to bring an administrator, advisor(s), and four student leaders as a team to this one-day PAL conference.Time: 8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Program• Opening Keynote Address by Ann Postelwaite• School Team-Building Activities•“Birds of a Feather” small group sessions for administrators, advi-

sors, students leaders• Luncheon• Development of School and Community Engagement Action

Plans by school teams

Cost: Includes a continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and confer-ence materials. Register early and save $5 per person.

Early Bird deadline is August 1st $45 per personRegular deadline is September 15th $50 per person

A registration packet will be sent to Student Council advisors in mid-April in the envelope with the membership invoice for 2011–2012 dues.

Principal-Advisor-Leaders Conferences Planned for September 2011

PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net 3

The 2011 Summer Leadership Workshop Brochure and Application will be mailed by March 20 to all student council advisors. It will also be posted on the PASC website. The application, Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sheet, sample daily schedule, and curriculum benchmarks can now be found on the PASC website. The Blue and Gold brochures will be posted in the next two weeks.

View Summer Workshop Video OnlinePennridge High School state conference chairs visited the PASC Summer Workshops in July, 2011

and created a video that you can see on You Tube by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A-kX8vGGoU. Please share this video at an upcoming Student Council meeting, or provide it to your student leaders and parents to give them a sense of what our leadership workshops programs offer. This video can also be found on the PASC website by clicking on summer workshops.

Please note the following dates and locations and begin planning now for students to attend in July. Costs & Deadlines: Early Bird Regular (May 13th) ( June 10th)Blue (Grades 7–9) Grove City College July 17–21 $335 $360 Lebanon Valley College July 24–28 $335 $360Gold (Grades 9–12) Grove City College July 10–15 $360 $385 Susquehanna University July 24–29 $360 $385Advanced Gold (Grades 11–12) University of Pittsburgh/Johnstown July 17–23 $445 $470

Multi-Delegate Discount CreatedIn an effort to support schools that send more than three delegates to the Summer Leadership

Programs, PASC has created a multi-delegate discount for 2011. • The discount is $10 per delegate and applies to both early bird and regular registration deadlines.• The four delegates from the same school can combine and attend any of the five PASC Workshop

programs.• Multiple delegates from the same school can come from more than one organization in the school

(ie: Student Council, Class Government, National Honor Society)

Watch for your school’s workshop

brochure!

Register Now!

“I would have never had the confidence or basic skills to go on after high school and achieve so much if I didn’t take advantage of all PASC had to offer. I encourage everyone to go to as many conferences, workshops, and PASC Summer Leadership Workshops (Camps) as possible. The people you meet and the skills you gain are so valuable.”

—Stacy Toy, Western Wayne HS graduate, Elizabeth College B.A. in Mass Communica-tions. Masters degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland, additional studies at Oxford University, England. Employed at WNEP-TV Channel 16.

“PASC has helped me maintain strong person-al and professional leadership skills throughout my education and career. The PASC confer-ences and workshops I attended helped me learn how to network with peers and create lasting connections. I strengthened my public speaking ability by leading student workshops and learned valuable leadership skills I still use everyday in the management of hospital opera-tions.”

—Jonathan Forte, graduate of Pocono Mountain HS, 2003 graduate of the University of Scranton in Biology, Masters in Health Administration, employed as Executive Assistant for Operations at the VA Maryland Health Care Systems, Balti-more, MD.

PASC Alumni Share Their Thoughts on Summer Leadership Workshop

Underclassmen: Mark Your Calendar for a2011 Summer Camp Experience with PASC

PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net4

PASC NEWS is published monthly during

the school year. To submit

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

Executive DirectorJim FinnemeyerNorth Penn HS1340 Valley Forge RoadLansdale, PA 19446215-280-9299215-855-0632 (Fax)Finnemeyer@aol.comPASCInfo@aol.com

Assistant Executive DirectorKathy Ann Coll174 Link AvenuePittsburgh, PA 15237412-366-5744Kcoll1@comcast.net

PASC PresidentMariam Ahmad Altoona Area HS 1400 7th Avenue Altoona, PA 16602

PASC President-ElectSavanna HovisLaurel JSHS2497 Harlansburg RoadNew Castle, PA 16101

PASC News EditorLyn FiscusLeadership Logistics

PASC Email:PASCInfo@aol.com

PASC Website:www.pasc.net

2011 PASC District/Regional ConferencesMark your calendar and plan to attend the district/regional conference in your area.

District/Region Date Location

Districts 1 & 2 April 20 North Clarion JSHS

Theme: HOOPS—Helping Others Overcome Personal Struggles

District 3 April 27 Robert Morris University

Theme: Tying Knots: Let’s Pull Together

www.tyingknots.weebly.com

District 4 April 27 Pluma’s Restaurant and Banquets–Irwin

Theme: Tying Knots: Let’s Pull Together

www.tyingknots2011.weebly.com

Speaker: Andy Costanzo

District 6 March 4 West Branch JSHS

Theme: Discover Yourself

Speaker: Shawn Harper

District 7 March25–26 Cowanesque Valley JSHS

Theme: Through the Decades

Speakers: Al Duncan and Tim Piccirillo

District 8 March 11 Red Lion HS

Theme: DIET: Delegation, Initiative, Enthusiasm, and Teamwork

Speaker: Grant Baldwin

www.diet2011.weeby.com

District 9 April 15 Lackawanna Trial JSHS

Theme: Reach for Your Dreams

Speaker: Ravi Roth, Lackawanna Trail Grad

District 10 Site and date to be determined

Districts 11 & 12 April 14 Garnet Valley MS

Theme: Get Into the Rhythm of Leadership

Speaker: Josh Sunquist

www.garnetvalleyschools.com (Go to Garnet Valley HS and click on Region F Conference)

District 13 April 29 South Mountain YMCA Camp; hosted by Tulpehocken HS—Theme: “One Rain Drop Raises The Sea

be recognized in a number of ways. There will be a large col-or-coded map at the conference that will show all of the student councils that contribute time or money and the totals that they achieve. Also, the school totals will be projected on the big screens during one of the general sessions. In addition, Altoona will post sheets of

paper displaying each school’s results in the windows of the cafeteria. Schools are encouraged to bring in pictures of their projects to post. These can be turned into the state charity desk at registration.

So, it is time to

start brainstorming ways that you can make a difference in

your com-munity so that your school’s accomplish-ments can be shown at the 2011 PASC State Confer-ence!

Altoona Puts a Twist on State Charity (from page 1)

PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net 5

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Announced

Allentown and Mechanicsburg students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions, and a trip to nation’s capital. Honors also bestowed on youth volunteers from Daisytown, Dresher, Guy Mills, Lancaster, Nazareth, Portland, Waymart, and Wexford.

Shoshanna Goldin, Moravian Academy senior, and Holly-wood Ruch, an eighth grader at Mechanicsburg Middle School, were named Pennsylva-nia’s top two youth volunteers for 2011 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. PASC annually promotes this awards program in our September is-sue of PASC NEWS. As state honorees, Shoshanna and Hol-lywood will each receive $1,000 and attend a national awards program in Washington, D.C., in early May.

Shoshanna helped raise mil-lions of dollars as a spokesper-son for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children’s Miracle Network, volunteered as a news broadcaster at a local radio station for the blind, and researched consumption of energy drinks by high school and middle school students. “Four years ago, one brain tumor, 13 hours of surgery, and 10 days in intensive care altered my destiny,” Shoshanna said. Her passion led her to become a spokesperson for the hospital and to reach out to others in need.

Hollywood delivers dozens of speeches a year at school assemblies across the country to change the way young people view bullying, substance abuse, and drunk driving. Hollywood was injured in an alcohol-related car accident when he was five, which knocked out six teeth and made it more difficult for him to tie his shoes, button his shirt, and write legibly.

Kids made fun of Hollywood, which led him to speak out about bullying in an effort to prevent others from suffering the same kind of experience he faced. Each year, he hosts a walk/run in his community and seeks support from busi-nesses to raise money for his national campaign. Hollywood was a keynote speaker at the 30th anniversary Mother’s Against Drunk Driving Con-ference in Washington, D.C.

Distinguished Finalists In addition to these honor-

ees, eight other Pennsylvania students were named as Dis-tinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities.

n Eric Bellis, sixth grader at DeFranco Elementary School-Bangor, raised more than $10,000 to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by participating in the Walk for the Cure. Eric also wrote letters to 300 celebrities and secured 50 autographed items for a silent auction that he sponsored.

n Tara Hedden, Western Wayne HS, raised more than $1,000 to support the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Tara, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, participated in a local walk, sponsored a Mother’s day brunch, sold awareness bracelets, and hosted a dress-down day at her school.

n Breanna Lincoski, Cali-fornia HS, founded “Kid-to Kid Connections” a program where teen volunteers write letters of support and encour-agement to area children who

have loved ones in the Albert Gallatin Hospice program.

n Brian McWilliams, Pine-Richland HS, raised more than $30,000 for the “Team Alex Fund” to help pay for medical costs incurred by the four-year-old son of his former cross country coach by coordinating a charity run that featured more than 800 participants.

n Lauren O’Grady, Man-heim Township HS, founded ECHO (Encore Community Humanitarian Outreach), a youth service organization of fellow dancers. Members of ECHO have taught classes at the local Boys and Girls Club, have cleaned and helped at a day-care center, have raised money for earthquake victims in Haiti, and have raised $5,000 for Down syndrome awareness.

n Kendall Ohrwashel, Nazareth HS, organized and managed a book drive and sale every summer since 2007 as a fundraiser that yielded nearly $15,000 to grant Wishes for two children with life-threatening medical conditions though the Make -A-Wish Foundation. He

donates any leftover books to local charitable organizations.

n Calista Pierce, a fifth grader at Maplewood MS, has raised more than $10,000 to sup-port Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Founda-tion. Inspired by her Special Olympian brother, she created “Calista Cares” and has hosted lemonade stands, bake sales, raffles, and sold homemade craft items.

n Emily Zaumer, Upper Dublin HS, created a website that sells $5 singing email-grams for all occasions to raise money for research into peanut allergies. Her site at www.ezgreetings.org, has raised nearly $4,000 so far.

Not only does PASC recog-nize and honor these outstand-ing community volunteers, but we hope that PASC students and advisors can find inspi-ration in the projects noted above. The 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards applications will be due in late October 2011. Look for details in the September issue of PASC NEWS or contact the Prudential Foundation directly at www.spirit.prudential.com.

PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net6

n Dates: November 10–12, 2011

n Cost: $110 per student and advisor delegate

n Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 1 to August 1 (Guarantees 6 student del-egates)

n Regular Registration Deadline: August 2 to October 14 (4 student delegates)

n Housing: Student delegates in host homes

School option to house delegates in hotels (with advi-sor transportation and some meals)

n Hotels for Advisors: See conference website or see re-view in February PASC NEWS

Correction please note: cost of Ramada Inn (primary hotel) is $105 per night

n Schedule: Detailed sched-ule for students and advisors now on the website

n Speakers: See background information on the website

Mark ScharenbroichMark BrownMike Smith

n Entertainment: • Thursday Night, Beatlemania

Plan Now to Attend the State Conference in Altoona

Everything You Want to Know about the PASC ConferenceIs Now at WWW.PASC75.COM

Concert/Dance• Friday Night, Banquet at the

Blair County Convention Center

• Separate High School and Middle Level Dances

• Advisor Reception at the Ramada Inn

n Seeking Student-Led Workshops: Student delegates

will be able to select three workshops conducted by peers. Applications for workshop presenters now on the website.• Early Bird Deadline: July 14• Final Workshop Deadline:

August 5

n Seeking Advisor Round-table Presenters: Advisor will attend four 10–12 minute roundtable presentations fol-lowing Friday morning’s free advisor breakfast at the Ra-mada Inn. Volunteers needed to share a successful project/ac-tivity or best practice with your fellow advisors. Contact Kathy Coll to volunteer at kcoll1@comcast.net. We need your new ideas!

n Questions: Direct email on the website or call 814-946-8254 or fax 814-505-1505.

in the areas where drilling is occurring. Higher environ-mental standards should also be established.

n School Lunch Nutrition should be required though the following steps: • Schools should be encouraged

to buy fresh local produce• Salad bars should be manda-

tory in school cafeterias• All vending machines should

be required to sell healthy choices such as granola bars, fruit, and milk

• All carbonated beverages should be banned in public schools

• A “sin tax” should be enacted on “unhealthy” foods served in schools such as snack cakes, cookies, potato chips, etc.

• Health and nutrition classes must be implemented at elementary levels.

The proposal also supports the State Board of Education recommendations proposed in Chapter 12.6 based on federal nutrition standards.

Six additional proposals were debated during the afternoon session of the Summit but failed to gain approval of the delegates. Those not gaining

approval were on Safe Driving, Mandatory Physical Educa-tion, AP Testing Requirements, Alternative Energy and Recycling in Schools, Zero Interest Loans for Higher Educa-tion.

Share your thoughts on these issues and student proposals by joining the PASC Facebook Group. For a full

PASC Alumni Partners Paul Biedlingmaier (left), a second term senior at Georgetown University who chaired the Sum-mit when he was in high school, and Joni Klopp (right), a former PASC Summer staff member who is interning with the State House Transportation committee and is at Kutztown University, volunteered to help at this year’s Summit.

StudentSummitProposalsSenttoElectedOfficials(Continued from page 1)

copy of each of the ten Student Summit proposals go to www.pasc.net

PASC News • March 2011 • www.pasc.net 7