PASC News Volume 37Issue 9

June 2013

continued on page 3

What would you do if you were trapped in a mine? Delegates at the District 6 Conference were able to visualize the experience of being rescued from the Quecreek Mine tunnel.

What Would You Do? District 6 Holds Unique ConferenceAs students and advisors

from the schools of south-central Pennsylvania gathered on Tuesday, May 14 for their annual District 6 Conference, they were challenged by the theme: “What Would You Do?” The students of Shade Jr.-Sr. HS gave each delegate a gold and black t-shirt embla-zoned with the words of their theme and a giant ? surrounded by “Flight 93 9/11/01” and “Quecreek Mine Rescue July 24–28, 2002.”

The conference began with 160 delegates arriving by school buses and vans at the site of the Quecreek Mine Rescue. The site is on a farm just north of Somerset; it has come to symbolize great strength, determination, and heroism on the part of miners, their families and friends, first responders, Navy Seals, and employees of a company 100 miles away near Punxsutawney who all contributed to the safe rescue of nine trapped miners who huddled underground in a tunnel 40 inches in height filled with water up to their necks. Bill and Lori Arnold, the own-ers of the Dormel farm where the rescue occurred, have opened a museum and outdoor

hands-on exhibit area. Bill Arnold spoke to the PASC delegates and challenged them with the question: What would you do?” as he took the delegates through each step of the rescue process from many different perspectives. The museum al-lowed the delegates to visualize that mine rescue and experi-ence (if only briefly) life in the darkened mine.

Delegates boarded their transportation and travelled 20 minutes to the site of the crash of United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001 in the field near Shanksville. This memo-rial site, which is an emerging National Park, includes visual displays and a fenced area that contains the remains of the 40 passengers and crew who perished as they attempted to thwart the terrorists who were attempting to fly the plane into the Capitol in Washington, D.C., only 18 minutes flying time from the crash site. A newly constructed walkway along a black wall on the site leads to 40 large white tablets engraved with the names of

those who perished. Walking along the tablets, visitors are lead down the direct path the plane took as it crashed and attention is focused directly on a large boulder marking the site of the crash after the plane fell at a 40 degree angle at 563 miles an hour, stopping the terror attack.

At the Flight 93 Memorial, PASC delegates met a Na-tional Park ranger who spoke of the events of that day, of the actions of the passengers and crew, of the first responders to that site, and of the investiga-tors who used the evidence found to determine the pur-pose of all four of the terrorist attacks that day. The question was asked again and again…. What would you do?

When the visit concluded, PASC delegates boarded their vans and buses and with new-found respect, travelled 15 minutes to Shade Jr.-Sr. HS for lunch and the concluding general session of the confer-ence. The keynote speaker, Jackie Jaros, student council

InsIde ThIs Issue

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

•District 10 Names Advisor of the Year

•High School Seniors: It’s Time To Join PASC Alumni Partners

Presenters Needed for Workshops at the 2013 State Conference ........................... 2

Plan Now for Horatio Alger Scholarship Opportunities in August .................................... 2

Using Phones to Engage Members .............................. 4

Early Bird Registration for PAL Conferences ............... 4

Open Houses at Summer Workshops .......................... 5

Advanced Gold Workshop Director Position Open ..... 5

PASC at the Ballpark ......... 6

NAWD Executive Director Announcement .................... 7

PASC News • June 2013 • www.pasc.net2

News & NotesDistrict 10 Names Advisor of the YearCongratulations to Amy Davis Nesfeder of the Lehigh Val-

ley Charter High School for the Performing Arts who was named as District 10 High School Advisor of the Year for the schools of the Lehigh Valley. Amy will be recognized along with other previously named middle level and high school ad-visors of the year at the PASC State Conference at Boyertown High School on November 15, 2013.

High School Seniors: It’s Time To Join PASC Alumni PartnersSeniors, congratulations on your graduation and thank you

for all that you have accomplished during the past three or four years for your high school and community. You have also contributed to the success of PASC through your involvement at workshops, conferences, and other programs sponsored by PASC during your high school years and for many of you, during your middle school years as well.

Your involvement in PASC doesn’t need to end with gradua-tion! Continue to stay connected to PASC through the Alum-ni Partners. This dedicated group of PASC grads ranges in age from 18–70 years of age and communicates about state and local PASC programs. Some find time to volunteer at district, regional, and state conferences that are held in their area, some make phone calls back to their own high schools, middle schools, or other area schools promoting PASC Sum-mer Leadership Workshops or other PASC programs and scholarships.

We hope that many PASC Alumni Partners will be able to join us on Saturday, August 17 at PNC Park for the Diamondbacks vs. Pirates baseball game at 4:05 PM or at Citizens Bank Park for the Dodgers vs. Phillies game at 7:05 PM, when PASC sponsors the first “PASC AT THE BALL-PARKS.” Phillies tickets will be $35 and Pirates tickets will be $30. Contact PASC Resource and Development Coordi-nator Chris Seifert (seifertspeaks@gmail.com) for tickets or additional information.

How Do You Join Alumni Partners?

Just go to www.pasc.net. On the Home page type in Alumni Partners under “looking for something.” That will link you easily to the correct page and then just type in the requested information.

Good Luck for a happy, healthy, and

successful future. We hope to hear

from you soon.

Educators and Juniors: Plan Now for Horatio Alger Scholarship Opportunities in August

In 2013, 53 Pennsylvania seniors received a total of $310,000 in Horatio Alger Scholarships. These scholarships provide assis-tance to seniors who have demonstrated integrity, perseverance in overcoming adversity, strength of character, financial need, a good student record, commitment to pursue a college education, and a desire to contribute to society.

Juniors (Class of 2014) and educators are encouraged to visit horatioalger.com/scholarships/programs for details about the Horatio Alger Association and its scholarships. Applications for the 2014 scholarships will be available online from August 1 to October 25, 2013. In addition, the Horatio Alger Association has partnered with the National Association of Student Councils to provide a $20,000 national scholarship to a member of Student Council who meets the qualifications for the Horatio Alger Award and whose school is a member of both NASC and PASC. Information about this scholarship will be available on August 1 at www.nasc.us and on the Horatio Alger website.

Students who wish to pres-ent workshops at Boyertown High School on November 15th at the 2012 PASC state conference should go to www.pasc2013.org to download information. On the website, an application is included along with a copy of the rubric that will be used to evaluate and select workshops that will be presented. Suggestions for cre-ative and excellent workshops for states are also posted at that website and at www.pasc.net, where you can also see an example of a packet of a previ-ously presented workshop.

Please follow the rubric closely and provide detailed informa-tion about the workshop with your application. When ap-plications are received, advisors will receive an email asking him or her to reply with approval of the workshop. Plan with your advisor now so that he or she will be on the lookout for that important email. No workshop

will be accepted without advi-sor approval. All applications will be submitted online.

Workshops are needed for both high school and middle school delegates. Each workshop will be presented two times and will last for 40 minutes each time. Plan now to share an effective project or leadership lesson that you have learned as a “veteran” student leader.

The deadline for submis-sion of applications to present workshops is August 9, 2013.

Workshop presenters will be notified of their acceptance via email by August 19, 2013.

Presenters Needed for Workshops at the 2013 State Conference

PASC News • June 2013 • www.pasc.net 3

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 PresidentDanielle CronerBoyertown High School120 N. Monroe StreetBoyertown, PA 19512

PASC President-ElectCourtney DetwilerAltoona Area High School 1415 6th Street Altoona, PA 16602

PASC News EditorLyn FiscusLeadership Logistics

PASC Email:PASCInfo@aol.com

PASC Website:www.pasc.net

advisor and guidance counselor from Deer Lakes MS in District 3, focused the delegates on the theme, “What would you do?” as it applied to their daily lives and the challenges they face. The gym was surrounded by banners emphasizing the theme: What Would You Do?

• A friend asked you to steal a test?

• You saw a homeless person shoplifting?

* Your school-issued lap-top had questionable material on it?

• A friend of yours thought his girlfriend was pregnant?

• Your friend was in an abusive relationship?

• You were asked to run for Student Council president?

Shade Jr.-Sr. High School has 200 students in grades 7–12, but their active student council under the leadership of advisor Mindy Leonard found a way not only to host a district conference, but to do so in one of the most challenging and reflective ways possible. Thank you, Shade HS!

Note: If you are traveling the Pennsylvania turnpike, you will find the Quecreek Mine Site and Flight 93 Memorial site to be within 10–20 minutes of exit 110 at Somerset. They are well worth the visit.

What Would You Do? (cont’d from page 1)

Lori Arnold stand on top of the rescue shaft to present information to students (left). Students pass through a simiulated tunnel (below).

A park ranger speaks to students and advisors at the Flight 93 National Memorial (left). Keynote speaker Jackie Jaros (above) kept students focused on the question “What would you do?”

PASC News • June 2013 • www.pasc.net4

PASC will sponsor three principal-advisor-student leader (PAL) programs in the fall of 2013. 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.

n Locations: Each site is within 120 miles of all PASC member schools. PAL Conferences are scheduled to be held in September at:• Tuesday, September 24—Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading• Wednesday, September 25—Susquehanna University in Selin-

sgrove• Thursday, September 26—Pluma Conference Center in Irwin

n Schedule:

8:15 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Program with buffet lunch at noon

n Theme: The PAL Conference theme will be Finish Strong. FS will assist your school team in creating a positive school climate, motivate students to get more involved in activities, increase at-tendance rates, and ultimately raise test scores. FS also provides inspiration for staff members and an appreciation for a job well done! FS incorporates a theme at each grade level, and provides ideas for projects, handouts, and examples of “how to” do this at your own school.

n Resources: If you are looking for resources to teach leadership, provide training to mentors, leadership students, staff members, or to have at your fingertips for classroom use—you’ve come to the right place. The PAL Leadership Resource Extravaganza will include books filled with icebreakers, training manuals, leadership guides, inspirational items, and resources for students and/or staff members. A special section will include Resource Kits—each kit contains everything you need to lead a hands-on activity, complete with the directions, processing questions and props.

n Cost: Includes a continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and confer-ence materials. Register early and save $5 per person. • Early Bird postmark deadline (with or without names) is August

1—$45 per person• Regular deadline is September 15—$50 per person

PAL registration forms were mailed with PASC dues statements in April and also can be found on www.pasc.net.

Early Bird Registration for PAL Conferences Is August 9

Using Phones to Engage MembersSmartphones are changing the way teens interact with each

other and the world around them. According to a recent survey sponsored by the Pew Research Center on teens and digital citizenship, some 23% of all those ages 12–17 say they have a smartphone and ownership is highest among older teens: 31% of those ages 14–17 have a smartphone, compared with just 8% of youth ages 12–13. Cell phones in general are owned by 57% of younger teens (12–13) versus 87% of older teens (14–17).

What does this mean for student leaders who want to engage their peers in the activities of their organizations? The old ways of reaching out through posters, announcements, and even emails are just not going to be as effective as reaching students through the medium they use most—their phone. Try some of these ideas for using cell phones and smartphones to engage your members and others.

• Group messages. Send text messages to every member of your group using Remind101.com. Members sign up by sending a text message and phone numbers remain private. You can schedule messages to go out at a future time, which would be useful for things like setting up reminders for meetings or other fixed dates. Or schedule a message to go out at a particular time of day—say right at the end of school to remind members of an after-school event.

• Twitter Fast Follow— A recent study in marketing technol-ogy indicates that 98% of text messages get read completely, as compared to only 19.8% of e-mail messages. In an article at www.differencemakers.com/home/twitter-fast-follow/ California activity director Ron Ippolito details how you can use Twitter to broadcast text messages to anyone who has a cell phone—they don’t even need to set up a Twitter account.

• Text reminders. Forget about relying on sticky notes, random scraps of paper, or the writing on your hand to remember things. Create and send reminders and to-do lists via text mes-sages, email, or instant messages with Rememberthemilk.com.

• Wiggio. A very robust tool for group management is Wiggio.com, which has tools for mass messaging (emails, text messages, voicemails), scheduling, file sharing and editing, polling, confer-ence calling, video conferencing, and project management.

• Polls and surveys. Use Polleverywhere.com to do quick, inexpen-sive surveys of members and even the student body. You simply ask a question, then your audience answers using their phones. Responses are displayed live in Keynote, PowerPoint, or on the web. This would be a great tool to survey students about possible spirit dress-up day themes, music requests at a dance, and more.

For more on tools to use for surveys and polls, check “11 Web-based Polling and Survey Tools” at www.freetech4teach-ers.com/2012/02/11-web-based-polling-and-survey-tools.html#.UOREA7aNtMQ

PASC News • June 2013 • www.pasc.net 5

PASC has a policy that when any leadership position within the organization becomes vacant, the vacancy must be advertised to the member advisors and, in the case of workshops, to the teaching staffs of the PASC workshop program. Kathy Coll and Bill Se-bastian recently announced their plans to retire as co-directors for the Advanced Gold Workshop at the conclusion of this summer’s program. The following process will be used to fill the vacancy of Advanced Gold Director for 2014:

1. A job description for workshop and an application are avail-able by emailing PASCInfo@aol.com

2. The application for Workshop Director can be submitted by an individual, or by two individuals as co-directors, or by two individuals as director and assistant director.

3. A resume from each candidate should be sent by July 1, 2013 to PASC Executive Director Jim Finnemeyer at 224 Oak Park Rd., Hatfield, PA 19440. The application and resume should be mailed together. Any questions about the application process should be directed to Jim at PASCInfo@aol.com or call 215-280-9299.

4. Please do not hesitate to call upon present workshop directors, Kathy Coll or Bill Sebastian if you have any questions specifically about the details of directing the Advanced Gold workshop.

5. The Summer Workshop Committee will conduct interviews of candidates at Halifax HS (Harrisburg area) on Friday, August 2, 2013 during the PASC August Executive Board meeting. Ap-plicants will be provided details regarding the interview process by July 10.

Kathy and Bill will be available to help the new Advanced Gold director(s), as will the other PASC workshop directors, in prepar-ing for the 2014 summer workshop programs.

PASC encourages those adults with workshop experience within or outside of PASC to see this as another opportunity to serve the PASC organization and the students of our member schools. Potential applicants are invited to visit the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown campus during the Advanced Gold Workshop this sum-mer between July 14–20, to see the current program in operation.

Applications Available Now for 2014 Advanced Gold Summer Workshop Director Position

Make a difference in student lives by applying to direct the Advanced Gold Workshop for 2014.

Open Houses at Summer WorkshopsNot sure what PASC Summer Workshop is all about? COME

CHECK US OUT! Have lunch on us and see what our student delegates are doing!

Can’t stay all day? No problem—join us for lunch! For a tentative schedule of a day (9:00 a.m–4:00 p.m), visit pasc.net. Please call or email the director of the workshop that you would like to visit one week in advance so that they can plan to meet with you and provide you directions to find the workshop events on campus.

Advisors are welcome to come any day to the program, but sug-gested days for a workshop visit are Monday through Wednesday for Blue and Monday through Thursday for Gold. Contact infor-mation for Directors:

Grove City Blue

Rose Ann Fulena 724-971-4599 ra_fulena@union.k12.pa.us

Alvernia University Blue

Melissa Dudjak 724-859-3925 pascblue@gmail.com

Grove City Gold

Bryan Shelly 609-915-1326 bshelly24@gmail.com

Susquehanna Gold

Andy Costanzo 610-331-1986 costanab@interborosd.org

Advanced Gold

Kathy Coll 412-445-4193 kcoll1@comcast.net

Bill Sebastian 412-559-1456 wseb@aol.com

ASC AT THE BALL ARK

What: PASC Event and Fundraiser When: Saturday, August 17, 2013 Why: Enjoy a fun night at the ballpark with PASC Alumni,

Current Students, Advisors, Family and Friends from across Pennsylvania and raise funds for PASC scholarships

Where: PNC Park

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 4:05 p.m. Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 7:05 p.m. Cost: Tickets for the Pirates game are $30 each Tickets for the Phillies game are $35 each

A portion of each ticket will benefit PASC Scholarships for students.

Anyone is welcome and encouraged to attend – spread the word to everyone you know! We will show each city just how strong the PASC Fanbase is! For an order form or if you have any questions, please visit the PASC website at www.pasc.net or email Chris Seifert at seifertspeaks@gmail.com.

June 1, 2013

We are extremely pleased to announce the selection of Jim Finnemeyer as the new Executive Director of NAWD, the National Association of Workshop Directors. Jim is well known across the country as a dedicated and talented member of the student activities world. He will assume his new responsibilities in December at the conclusion of this year’s National Conference on Student Activities.

Jimiswellpreparedtofilltohisnewposition.HehasservedasStateExecutiveDirectorofPASC,Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils for thirty-six years and attended all but one NAWD Conference since 1977. He hosted NAWD’s National Conference on Student Activities several times and the NASC Convention in 2006.

Jim’s experience will bring NAWD into a bright future. With close ties to NASC, NASSCED, and the Alliance for Student Activities, Jim will strengthen bonds between the stake holding organiza-tions. NAWD’s National Conference on Student Activities can look forward to wide and varied forms of communication and strong content focusing on the variety of educators who attend the conference.

Withmuchappreciationandrespect,wereflectonthetwenty-fiveyearsthatGenelWokalHodgesservedasExecutiveDirectorofNAWD.Genelhasservedselflessly,carryingonthelegacyofEarlReum, lending solid organization to his vision. Genel will be working with Jim throughout the sum-mer/fall to assure the smooth transition between the two leaders.

To Jim Finnemeyer, thank you for stepping up to the plate. We look forward to your leadership.

Best wishes,

Sandy Hillman (IN), Diane Anderson (VA), and Stu Shaffer (CA)

Selection Committee