AUGUST 2020

[EACH MONTH, LEADLINES FEATURES AN ACTIVITY, RESOURCE GUIDE AND CORRESPONDING CURRICULUM LESSON THAT MATCH THE MONTH'S THEME.]

THIS MONTH'S NEWS AND NOTES

Renew Membership for 2020-21!

Schools and student leaders will need more support, resources and leadership instruction than ever before and MASC/MAHS is here to help you meet the challenge head on! 

Take advantage of the early bird special! School-wide membership, covering all advisers is only $100 for the entire year! Make sure to submit this form before the fiscal year turns over. 

New Adviser? Click here to submit our digital membership form

Renew with one click! Send the words “Yes Please” and we will take care of the rest.

From the Archives – Tom Heethuis, Adviser Liaison

This is my third try at writing a “From the Archives”  for the August Leadlines.  Each time I read our local paper, there would be an article that shifted my thoughts and focus.  The most recent was one that shared the decision of the Lansing Public schools to go completely virtual and to cancel all athletics and extracurricular activities for the fall.  I checked and my archives in the basement were bare when it came to finding anything that directly addresses the current situation.  I did however reflect on how we had to adapt to previous crises in previous years.  It has been said that studying history gives us perspective.  

Virtual Student Mental Health Summit!

Coming your way October 5 and 6! Regardless of what school looks like in the fall, we will be faced with new educational and personal challenges on the horizon, specifically in regards to student mental health. This two-day event seeks to provide a unique opportunity for building principals, counselors, student leadership advisers and student leaders to come together to discuss and seek solutions for student mental health concerns impacting our schools. Learn more about our conference platform, keynote speakers and our breakout sessions by visiting our event page! 

Call for Presenters - SMHS!

There is still time! We are looking for schools with established programming on a side array of student mental health initiatives. This year's breakout presenters have the option to present their session in a live zoom breakout room or pre-record their session at a time that works in their calendar. Either way, we want to hear from you! Help contribute to the success of all Michigan students and submit your breakout session proposal below!

Unable to Hold Spring Elections? Virtual Election Ideas and Discussion

As schools and advisers begin to sort through their “to-do” list on returning to action in the fall, many are looking at creative ways to process items from left from last spring. A common biggie from that list is holding officer elections for your 20-21 team. To aid in this process, Chris Burlingame (Adviser: Waterford Kettering High School) has shared their modified election process for officer candidacy, as well as supporting documentation for students to understand the timeline, submission and evaluation process. 

2020 Fall Program Line-up!

Much like the unknowns your school is currently contemplating with the return to school, MASC/MAHS is in a similar situation. As much as we want to get back to educating our student leaders and providing meaningful, dedicated programming - a 300+ student event with multiple schools in attendance is just not possible (or wise) with the current impact of COVID-19, legislative restrictions and overall safety for our participants. 

We are currently designing multiple models of instruction for our regular fall programming line-up (Student Mental Health Summit, Leadership Training Institutes, Executive Forums, League Workshops) that will focus on creative curricular activities and student networking in the virtual realm. As someone who sits in on WAY too many zoom calls, I 100% agree that any successful student event cannot rely solely on the zoom “sit and get” model that has dominated virtual events in the early parts of 2020. 

Quick-Look: Fall Programming Line-up

• Student Mental Health Summit (virtual program) 
• Multi-State: Officers Training Program (virtual program) 
• Leadership Development Days (virtual program)

Voting 4 Schools 

As an activities director I spent countless hours counting paper ballots for student elections, selling printed tickets to school dances, and submitting morning announcements which always got lost in the shuffle. I realized these traditional activities had grown into an exhausting ritual that failed to speak to modern students. I decided to use technology and combine the power of barcode scanners, mobile apps, and software to update school interactions. This made activities easier to manage and unleashed our students; desire to engage. Twelve years later, our platform supports more than 500 schools across the nation and we’d love the opportunity to share our experience with you and help your life as an activities director to be even better.

Election Season is Right Around the Corner! Engage your Students with DoSomething.org

Using our digital platform, DoSomething members join our volunteer, social change, and civic action campaigns to make a real-world impact on causes they care about. Our current awareness campaign is to engage students in discussion over the importance of registering to vote! Students learn how to get active, get registered and get their voices heard

(RE-RUN from June 2020) Back to School Agend

I know, I know, school has been out for about 2 full days (or this may be the last week of instruction), why in the world would you bring this up!? Honestly, it seems like each week in education there is a new MONSTER hurdle to overcome, think through and begin preparations on as we focus on entering the fall school year. The primary purpose of this document is to help provide context and build a working concept that advisers can use if your summer retreats are put on hold due to COVID-19. This agenda works for both in-person instruction and has been expanded to include concepts for the digital room environments. No need to jump on this now, but it will be here for you if you need it down the road!

21 Social Distance-Friendly and Virtual Icebreakers Students Will Actually Have Fun With

Many kids are entering classrooms more nervous and apprehensive than ever before. The 2020/2021 school year is scary for most of us – students, teachers, and parents alike. Everyone is returning to learning after a traumatic six months of learning to live in a pandemic. There are still so many uncertainties and unknowns. Building a school community is going to be extra important this year. Here are some suggestions for virtual icebreakers and in-person getting to know you activities to help build connections no matter what your classroom looks like this year

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