Advisors' Update - November 2016

Now that a very successful Fall Conference (thank you for joining us!!!) is behind us, it's time to look forward to our next major event...

JOIN US AT THE 2017 WINTER CONVENTION!
We invite you and your student leaders to kick off the new year by joining us at our 91st annual NJASC Winter Convention on Wednesday January 11, 2017 at The College of New Jersey! At this signature event, over 1500 student leaders and advisors will be part of the following:

Campaigning for 2017 State Office
Award Presentations - Honor School, Top Ten Projects, ML & HS Student Leaders of the Year
Advisor Years of Service Recognition
Keynote Speaker - Kyle Scheele (see below)
2017 State Office Candidate Speeches & Election
Student Workshop Sessions (see below)
Advisors Luncheon
Much, much, more!

OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Kyle Scheele

When he’s not on flying a plane or speaking on a stage, Kyle is at home in Springfield, Missouri where he lives with his beautiful wife Lindsay, their rambunctious son Wesley, and their adorable daughters, Lucy and Wendy. Our 2016 State Officers saw Kyle last June at the NASC National Conference in Oregon, and just had to bring him to New Jersey so he can speak to YOU!

In fact, it’s funny that Kyle became a youth speaker because he wasn’t a big fan of the speakers that he saw in school. They’d come in and say “Don’t do drugs! Don’t drink! Don’t smoke! Don’t do this! Don’t do that!” However, Kyle was a pretty good kid so he thought, “Okay, great! I’m already not doing any of those things! But what SHOULD I do?”

When Kyle became a speaker he took the opposite approach. Instead of telling students what NOT to do, he shows them that their lives will be defined by the things they DO - the actions they take, the people they help, and the lives that they change. He’s not going to stand up and lecture students about “avoiding destructive decisions”. He’s not going to try to “scare them straight” with horror stories of lives gone wrong.

Instead, he’s going to talk to them about living better stories, making a difference, and making the world a better place. About making their communities, schools, and classrooms better. He’s going to talk to them about the steps they can take TODAY to pave the way for a better tomorrow.

SHARE GREAT IDEAS - Have your students present workshops!
CLICK HERE to access our online workshop presenter form.

After the keynote, it is a tradition for students to present Workshop Sessions to share ideas with their fellow student leaders about the great programs and projects that your schools are doing. We encourage EVERYONE to volunteer and present one or more forty-minute workshop sessions at this year's convention, to share the great ideas that are going on in your schools.

CLICK HERE to view our Workshop Presenter Guidelines, to find out more about student workshops at the Convention and our expectations.

Just like in past years, there will be three workshop sessions following the keynote so that students will be able to attend and/or present workshops while allowing flexibility in terms of when they can eat lunch. We will reconvene for a second general session at 2:10 p.m., to announce your new 2017 State Officers. After the new State Officers are sworn in, the convention will end at 2:30 p.m.

REGISTRATION - It's now open!
CLICK HERE to access our online registration form.

The cost is only $20.00 per student and advisor for member schools (2016-2017 Membership registration submitted and PAID on or before December 23 - see below) or $25.00 per student and advisor for non-member schools. Advisor registration includes lunch, for students all you can eat access to the Eickhoff Hall Food Court is available for only $9.50 per student.

We encourage EVERYONE to take part in this annual event showcasing the great student leadership throughout our state!

WINTER AWARD DEADLINES APPROACHING!
CLICK on the award plaque or program name below to visit our webpage for each award program below, where you can view past winners and download the application form.

For all these award programs, the postmark deadline is Wednesday November 23.

HONOR SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL
This award recognizes accumulated years that schools follow criteria recognized by NJASC as important for developing and maintaining a successful Student Council program. Nominees are carefully reviewed by the NJASC Middle Level Representative and then award winners are decided upon by the State Officers at their December executive meeting.

Certificates are presented to all award winners, along with plaques for each 10 year milestone, at the Winter Convention in January.

TOP TEN PROJECTS
This award recognizes approximately ten schools each year for outstanding projects or activities that they conduct in their schools. Categories include: Educational, Fundraising, Service, School Spirit, Middle Level. Nominees are carefully reviewed by the NJASC Treasurer and then the award winners are decided upon by the State Officers at their December executive meeting.

Plaques are presented to each award winning school at the Winter Convention in January.

STUDENT LEADERS OF THE YEAR
These awards recognize one Middle Level (8th grade) and one High School (senior) student leader who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to their school and community. Nominees are reviewed and award winners decided upon by the State Officers at their December executive meeting. Current and past State Officers are not eligible to win this award.

A plaque is presented both the Middle Level Student Leader of the Year and the High School Student Leader of the Year at the Winter Convention in January.

TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP!
It's time to renew your NJASC membership for the 2016-2017 school year, if you have not done so already! At this time, 2015-2016 memberships are now expired!

Online registration is easy - just CLICK HERE to access our online membership form, click the submit button, and then you'll receive a confirmation e-mail that can be sent with your $85.00 annual dues to our Southern Office.

In order to take advantage of Member School Rates for the Winter Convention, you must REGISTER online and PAY your 2016-2017 Membership dues by DECEMBER 23! Any school that fails to register and pay for their 2016-2017 membership by that date will need to pay the higher ($5.00 more per student and advisor) non-member rate for the upcoming Winter Convention.

You can CLICK HERE to see a list of all schools that have submitted their online membership registration for 2016-2017 and their payment status.

IMPORTANT: Only schools that are registered and PAID 2016-2017 members will be eligible to win NJASC awards, submit a candidate for State Office, and receive discounted registration rates for NJASC conferences!

We thank you for your past support of NJASC and look forward to seeing you and your student leaders at The College of New Jersey on January 11!