Student Corner

2010 State Convention

2010-04-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

This year's StuCo state convention, held in Arlington, Tx, was a great success. Hosted by South Lake Carroll Highschool, and emceed by state officers: William Hayes, Kolby Flowers, Taylor Vestal, and Alexandria Vandiver, along with conference coordinator Amanda Presmyk, 941 schools in TASC enjoyed the biggest congregation of student councils in the entire world. The theme for TASC this year "The Time is Now. Our World. Our Responsibility. Period." was represented throughout the conference and general sessions with representation of support for TASC endorsed charitable organizations and project ideas brought forth by student councils across the state, and by several inspirational speakers. Key note speaker Stephen Hawkins got over 4400 students and sponsors to not only laugh, but think about the future and what it is to own one's own time. Craig Ceilberger ended the last general Session with an inspiring presentation educating all the students about the program he began to develop as a twelve-year-old called "Free The Children." Friday night the entire convention had the thrilling opportunity to attend six flags. "AAAAAAA!" Also, an unexpected guest, Jason Castro, performed Thursday afternoon supporting the Malaria No More Foundation as candidates displayed their platforms and campaigned. After weeks of planning and days of advertising, the results for the new TASC 2010 executive board was announced Saturday morning. Ore City High School was elected Parliamentarian, Northwest High School was elected Secretary, Klein Forest was elected Vice President, and Texas High was elected president. Congratulations for all schools, and good luck for this upcoming year!

Elena Urbina, Stacie O'Shea, and Leah Villarreal
AMCHS committee heads

State Conference

2010-04-06T11:33:00.001-07:00

Attending the Student Council State Convention last year was definitely the highlight of my junior year. Although I belonged to the small number of non-exec Stuco members going on the trip and was initially very hesitant to spend half the week with people I didn’t know that well, it only took a few hours to feel accepted into Consol’s StuCo family. Since our council decided to run for State office on the C.A.R.E. week platform, our StuCo State experience started long before the convention itself. With daily workdays cutting ribbons, organizing bracelets, and practicing our skit, we were bonded and ready for State. The convention itself was a unique and wonderful experience. Consol campaigned for State Secretary among 4500 Student Council members from around the State. The other students were so energetic and respectful and willing to listen to what we had to say. We spent the most time with our own council, but everyone had made several acquaintances. Our school had an awesome poster presentation and a very influential skit to present to TASC and I just felt so proud to be a part of AMC StuCo. The most amazing part of the whole experience was our last large assembly where we won the State Secretary position. We did it!

For the 2010 State Conference, here is a brief overview of the schedule of events:

Thursday, April 8: Registration and Opening General Session

Friday, April 9: Meeting Candidates, General Session, Campaigning, Voting, SIX FLAGS!

Saturday, April 10: Closing General Session

You can go to http://www.tasconline.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=3#Schedule for a more detailed conference schedule.

Hope everyone is excited for this year’s TASC State Conference in Arlington, Texas!

– Catherine Koola, AMCHS Parliamentarian

Conference Countdown!!

2010-04-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

It's almost here.... GET EXCITED!

Who's Running for Office

2010-04-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

The following schools are running for office this year! We have a large number of candidates, so be ready for some fierce competition :)I can't wait to be amazed by some awesome platforms!

President:
Allen
Keller
North Shore Sr.
Texas

Vice President:
Alief Elsik
Bruceville-Eddy
Klein Forest

Secretary:
Brazoswood
Eagle Pass
Northwest

Parlimentarian:
Kingwood Park
Ore City

TASC Endorsed Programs

2010-03-22T11:09:00.001-07:00

Is your student council looking for some new projects to get involved with? Well, TASC has some endorsed programs that are perfect for your school. You can read these short summaries of each program and find out more about them online.

Project V.O.T.E. (Voters of Tomorrow through Education)

This is a non-partisan program that politically informs students so that they are prepared and able to vote to better their futures. The project includes a comprehensive curriculum adaptable to all students.

Pennies For Patients

The Pennies for Patients program is a simple, yet effective, nation-wide fundraiser in which student council members collect spare change to raise vital funds for cancer research and patient aid services through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Check out http://www.schoolandyouth.org/school/Controller?action=loadContent&itemid=309135 to find out some more awesome information!

Project Example: A&M Consolidated High School distributes the Pennies for Patients boxes (given by the organization after contact) to all student council members and gives them two weeks to collect as much change as possible. Our student council works off of a point system and for every five dollars they raise in donations, they receive one point.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation

This is an organization which has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. A network of nearly 25,000 volunteers enables the Make-A-Wish Foundation to serve these children. Volunteers serve as wish granters, fundraisers, special events assistants, and in numerous other capacities. This foundation strives to increase hope, joy, and strength of children struggling with their health. TASC encourages schools to get involved with the foundation.

Project Example: A&M Consolidated High School decided to write letters to Santa Clause during the Christmas season to give to Macy's. For every letter received, Macy's donated a dollar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. With over 2000 letters, the school was able to directly donate over $2000 to the foundation. By donation money, more wishes can be granted and the children can be happier despite their current struggle.

There are more to be blogged on at a later date.... to be continued:)

Travel Safety Tips

2010-03-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

-To avoid becoming a target, do not dress as though an affluent tourist.
-Try to travel as light as possible to promote quickness.
-Carry minimum amounts of valuables, credit cards, cash, and passports.
-Use traveler's checks instead of cash.
-Leave a copy of your itinerary with family and friends in case of an emergency.
-Stay in larger hotels between floors 2 and 7 (high enough to avoid crime, but low enough for fire equipment).
-Never discuss travel plans or other personal matters with people you don't know.
-Only take taxis clearly identified with official markings.
-If and whenever possible, travel with others.

Construction Notice!

2010-03-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

The Student Corner will be under construction for a week, so please forgive any changes and late responses! Be ready for awesome new changes!

PICTURES!!

2010-02-18T11:44:00.001-08:00

Hey TASC! Check out the picassa photostream to see the newest pictures from Lakeview and MO!

How Student Council Changed My Life...

2010-02-18T11:40:00.001-08:00

I got to attend both Lakeview and Mo Ranch this year and got to be a JC at both camps. I honestly have to say it was the single most significant learning experience of my life. What people might not know about me is that I am incredibly shy and do not like being on stage and center of attention. Being a state officer has forced me to become a better person in more ways than I expected. When I decided I wanted to run for State Office it was solely based on pure excitement from my first state conference. But as time went on I realized that as a state officer, I would have an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity to simply better my self in many ways. But what I have learned is that I cannot do this alone. If it wasnt for the amazing members of TASC, none of this would even be imaginable. The people i have met over my 7 years in student council are the reason why I am the way i am today. Student Council opened up and accepted me as i was and has transformed me.

Ive never been the "popular type" kid. Or at least i dont consider myself that type. My mother often reminds me of my years in elementary when i came home crying because i didnt have any friends. It wasnt until the 6th grade when i joined student council. That was when my life turned around.

Now that I am a senior, I am starting to look back on my 13 years of being in school and how ill be remembered. How i see the role of being Student Body President is apparently different than anyone who came before me at LCM High School. I used my office to listen to students and their issues, teachers and their issues, and I have created and implemented solutions for those problems. Students are using their voices at school now. Standing up for what they believe in. Something i always dreamed happening.

Starting off as a freshmen i did not even want to be in student council. I was tired of it. But something pulled me back in. Im glad. Ive gone from a little kid with no friends, to being the first person at LCM High School to be elected homecoming king and not be a football player. I believe students voted for me because of who I am. I beat some really popular people. My student council sponsor told me i was the only one on the ballot who didnt have something bad written in by their name.

That was a special night for me and my family. We were all surprised that first of all I was nominated and I didnt believe I had won. My parents didnt expect me to win. They were just glad that i got nominated.

"The 2009 LCM Homecoming King is.... Kolby Flowers"

I remember just standing there. Waiting for someone to walk up and get their crown. I started looking around when no one was moving. I looked at my mom and stepdad who were sitting on the front row. My mother was crying. Christine Sicktich, my escort, pushed me forward and said "kolby..... go!"

I couldnt believe it. I still dont believe it.

That night i took a picture with my mom and my dad. That is the only picture i have of me and my parents together. The only picture.

To most i sound like a loser talking about student council. But to me, it is my life. I was no body before student council. Now 7 years later, I am Kolby Flowers, School Board Candidate, Student Body President, District President, and Vice President of the Largest Student Leadership Organization in the world. My local paper says i am "What looks to make this an election to watch" referring to my bid for school board.

But as one life ends another begins.

On February 8th I officially filed for the office of LCM CISD Board of Trustees. In hopes that I can help give back to the school that gave me so many opportunities. That believed in me every step i took. If elected, I will become the youngest school board member ever elected. But that doesn't matter to me. Ive learned that its not about the titles. But what you do with your title.
Many people have asked me if i want to pursue a career in politics. I dont know the answer to that anymore. Im in a school board election of all things and that is exhausting enough and its one of the smallest things you can run for. But i say its worth it, even if i change one life for the better. I know, that where ever life takes me, i want to continue to serve people. That is what I am best at.

Many people believe I am too young to run for school board. To those people i say: you are simply mistaken.

I will not sit around and wait for change. There just isnt enough time in the world for that to happen. You must not wait for someone else to change the world but instead be the change in the world. You must take control of your life. The Time is Now. Our World. Our Responsibility. Period.

-- Kolby Flowers
TASC Vice President

School Traditions...

2010-02-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend is Consol's Sadie Hawkins dance. The boys get to rest as the girls ask them out, get them a bucket of goodies, and coordinate matching tshirts for this wild west dance.

I have had the pleasure of participating in this dance for four years and was wondering if your school had any traditions that have made your high school experience great?

Comment me and I'll post the awesome traditions your school has!

R.S.V.P.

2010-01-28T15:31:00.001-08:00

Last weekend, 24 members from the A&M Consolidated student council attended the Raising Student Voice and Participation seminar. The RSVP programs serves as a training for students to become more engaged in school policies and events, in hope to implement positive change. Through various activities, we acquired the skills necessary to properly propose ides of school improvement and also communicate successfully with adults. Our instructor, Terry Hamm, showed us the importance of every individuals voice and participation, and suggested a specific procedure of summits that could produce the most effective results for school reform. Not only did we expand our knowledge of leadership skills, but more importantly we discovered a way in which we could include each and every member of our student body to personalize our school experience. This program is endorsed by the National Association of Student Councils and all schools are encouraged to participate.
If you would like to learn more about his training program, please visit the following national RSVP website: http://www.nasc.us/RaisingStudentVoiceandParticipation

Officer Bios!!

2010-01-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

So I figure TASC needs to get to know the state officers a little better, so I'm in the process of getting them all to answer some funny questions...

Alexandria Vandiver
If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
Frozen yogurt! I'm obsessed.
What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer?
Go to the beach. I love the ocean.
Are you a morning or night person?
Morning.
What are your pet peeves or interesting things about you that you dislike?
I've never liked peanut butter. I don't like the way it tastes, smells, and feels.
If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?
Comedy. I'm always doing/saying embarrassing things and have a huge tendency to be clumsy.

Taylor Vestal
When you were little, who was your favorite super hero and why?
The pink power ranger! I definitely was the little sister who idolized her brother and he was red, so I was pink:)
If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be and why?
Vanilla- it's simple, sweet, and oh so scrumptious
Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
I am obsessed with to-do lists.
If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be…
Strong, passionate, joyous
If you could go on a vacation today, where would you go?
HAWAII!!

Advanced @ Lakeview

2010-01-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

So I know all of you are waiting for the pictures and story of the most significant learning experience of our lives, burt I don't want ot ruin the suprise for all those going to Mo.... so this blog is to be continued:)

State Officers at 2009 Middle Level Conference

2009-11-16T14:39:00.001-08:00

All you high school students out there... did you know that the middle school also has a state conference? It's true! Each year a middle school student council coordinates the event in conjunction to the state project for the year. It is held at the Doubletree hotel in Austin, TX and includes speakers, swap shop sessions, and a social. While the high school annual conference had over 4,000 students in attendence last year, the middle school conference had a few hundred and was a more intimate experience for all. The state officers were fortunate enough to be able to emcee at the event and meet many awesome middle school students.

I know when I was in middle school student council, I didn't know TASC even existed, so I think all the student councils who came deserve a lot of credit. These students show a lot of enthusiasm for TASC and are ready to do great things for their state and community.

If you would like to get involved at the middle school state next year, check out more information on the TASC website.

TASC Districts

2009-11-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

Have you always wondered exactly what district you are in?
The numbers above correspond to the various districts throughout Texas. At our state conference, you will hear all the districts announced --- now you will know which one you are in. Your district also has a president who resides over it. Be sure to check out the TASC website and find out who is in charge of your district!

The top ten projects of 2009

2009-11-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

Do you need some awesome project ideas for this year?
Well here are the top ten projects for 2009....

1. Got Your Back... Pack
Backpacks are filled with non-perishable individually wrapped food items for homeless students so they can have food available to them on the weekends. The backpacks are made of canvas and not see through or mesh in order to protect the privacy of the students. The backpacks also contain instructions to return empty backpacks on Monday for reuse and prepare for redistribution the following Friday.

2. Independence Weekend: A Tribute to Severely Injured Soldiers
The purpose of this weekend is to honor soldiers who have been severely injured in the current wars. Multiple events were conducted to honor veterans and to raise donations for the Independence Fund, a non-profit organization that provides veterans with tools, therapies and guidance. More than $36,000 was raised.

3. Cooper High School for A.L.L. – A Chance to Believe
This 2A high school student council worked to raise awareness in their community of childhood cancer and to raise money to support a local child diagnosed with leukemia.

4. Cy-Fair High School in Cypress for Jerry Brown Appreciation Day
The Cy- Fair student council created a day to honor an exceptional custodian on their campus. This was a surprise event that the student council worked for weeks to organize. The party included gifts, a birthday cake, a scrapbook and letters.

5. Denton High School for Homecoming Carnival
To promote school pride Denton High Schools’ student council organizes an homecoming carnival that engages students in games and activities.

6. Irvin High School in El Paso for Rockets, Rods & Rides Car Show
The Irvin HS student council organized a car show in order to kick-off the school’s 50th anniversary celebration and engage students and administrators involved in car clubs. They also worked with Teens in the Drivers Seat to raise awareness around teen driving issues.

7. Klein Collins High School for Support Zambia
The Klein Collins student council organized this project to support an orphanage being built in Zambia. Fundraisers were organized and monies and supplies were collected and sent to Zambia.

8. McKinney Boyd High School for Jayden’s Journey
The purpose of the project was to relive the financial burden on one of school’s the assistant principals created by the premature birth of his daughter, Jayden. Multiple fundraisers and events were held. In all, more this $13,000 was raised in support of this family.

9. Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio for Tommy’s Tree
This project was created to reach out to elementary students and the community in order to promote conservation and environmental awareness. The student council created kits that were sent to schools around the state country and world, with a picture of a character and cameras for students to document environmental projects with Tommy the Tree.

10. South Grand Prairie High School for Meredith’s’ Run for Bikes
This student council joined with a program that collected bikes to give to needy families in honor of Meredith Hatch, who was killed by a drunk driver while riding her bike. 63 bikes were collected for this program due to the student council efforts.

Middle Level State Annual Conference Coming soon!!

2009-11-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

TIME IS NOW
Our World. Our Responsibility. Period.
2009 Middle Level State Annual Conference
November 13-14, 2009
Austin Doubletree & Crowne Plaza Hotels

Stu Co Camp 2009

2009-08-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

UTSA 2009

Wow… Camp this year was AMAZING!

I had the privilege of being a JC and having my hometown council at my camp. I was able to be both a camper and JC and it was something I will never forget. If you have never been to camp, I insist that you must go. Student Council Camp, whether it is at Trinity, UTSA, Texas State, or anywhere else, is the perfect way to bring your council together and jumpstart your year. During my three years at camp, I found that this was the time when my council came up with new ideas and found their inspiration for the upcoming year. It is always the people at camp who find a passion for student council that can not be found any other place than camp.

If you ever considered being a JC- totally do it! It was such a great experience.

Top reasons you should be a JC:
- You get to act like a fool for a week and it’s totally normal
- You can fully appreciate all the work that goes into camp
- Making up skits, songs, and other projects with twenty minutes notice and rocking it!
- Long chats with your other JC’s until the wee hours of the morning
- The delirious state you get into after not sleeping for a week.
- You get to watch your councils grow and become a family throughout the week.
- You get to dress up like a superhero/Hawaiian and confuse all the students on campus
- You can change a person’s life, just by setting an example.
- You get to wear a toga during the Olympics
- You get to ignite and inspire leadership in othersJ
- You make so many friends in one week that you can’t remember half of their names
- Serving others for a week gives you huge rewards in the end

If you are interested in becoming a JC all you need to do is go onto the TASC website and find the JC application. There are no words to explain how much fun you will have during this week. I encourage you to find the application and get ready for the one of the best weeks of your life.

There are a whole bunch of pictures from my camp experience… You can share yours too if you want!

Project of the Month...

2009-07-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

Each month different student councils (as in you) can submit project ideas. You can send pictures, videos, or just word documents that show all of TASC how awesome your project is. You can comment this blog to send your info or you can email me at amcstudentcouncil@gmail.com. If you have pictures or video, then I suggest email.

If you do get the project of the month award, then you will receive a special prize and will have bragging rights the whole month. Plus, you can possibly impact the whole state of Texas, which is a little better than a prize:)

Since no one is in school yet, this month’s project of the month is a combo of all the state officer platforms during campaigning.

C.A.R.E. Week
Secretary- A&M Consolidated
Summary of our Week

At Consol we involved not only our high school, but in total seven schools from our district. 6,366 students actively participated in dress up days, a hat day and buying CARE week shirts. Each day student’s were encouraged to wear colors representing different types of cancer. Students were informed of these cancers each day through videos in advocate. Students also received candy with facts, bracelets, and ribbons to raise cancer awareness. We raised over $750 by hosting a “hats off to cancer survivor’s day” in which students paid to wear a hat in honor of teachers who battled cancer. Teacher’s who had were cancer survivors were given gifts on this day. Students were also encouraged to honor friends or family members who have been directly affected by cancer by placing their names on the wall of remembrance and honor. This colorful display totaled over 386 names. Another event was a Locks of Love donation, four girls from the high school cut off ten or more inches of hair for children who have lost their hair due to medical illness. These donations were made with love and caring heartsJ Our largest fundraiser was the selling of CARE week shirts. The profits from all shirt sales went directly to families in our school who are dealing with cancer. By purchasing a shirt, students could give a little of themselves to a great cause of CAREing. We raised $5,315 and on Friday schools all over our district were filled with students wearing CARE shirts, proud of honoring those who had battled this challenging disease.

If you are interested in having your own C.A.R.E. week, please email amcstudentcouncil@gmail.com and we will send you a “How to have a CARE Week” guide.

Thinking Outside of the Box: International Aide

President - Denton

Thinking outside of the box is one way to consider people other than oneself in our student councils. We want students to help others that do not go to their high schools or that don’t live in their town, state or country. We want to raise international awareness. We want to promote a higher standard of caring and working for others. The wonderful aspect of this program is that councils can design their project any way they want to match the goals of their school. When thinking of ways to work outside of the box, Denton High wants schools to consider their own international students, teachers and staff. We want schools to include every person in their student body in selecting their project. Thinking outside of the box could include collecting bags, blankets and bears for orphans in the U.S. or as simple as raising money for an organization outside of the country. We want people to work outside of their normal parameters and think outside of the box.

MDA
Vice-President
Little Cypress Mauriceville

Every spring, LCM participates in MDA's (muscular dystrophy association) shamrock sale. Student council sales green and gold shamrocks valued at $1 and $5 during all lunches to raise money to send a kid with muscular dystrophy to summer camp. It only takes $800 to send a kid to camp. With the power of TASC and it's 1300 member schools, we can easily change the lives of those affected by muscular dystrophy.

TASC 2009 Leadership Retreat/ Board Orientation

2009-07-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday June 17, 2009 state officers and district presidents traveled to the beautiful T Bar M Camp in New Braunfels, Texas for our first leadership retreat. Some officers traveled only a few minutes, some took planes. There was a unique mixture of presidents from schools of only a few hundred, more particularly a girl with a class of 18, and of schools with 4,000 students. I always knew Texas was big, but I didn’t expect the wide variety of differences at our officer retreat. It’s truly amazing to get to collaborate when all of us come from so many diverse backgrounds.
Some really great work came out of this retreat. We had many group discussions on different qualities of leadership, parliamentary procedure, and business etiquette. We all learned new group activities and icebreakers and got a greater understanding of how TASC works. After all these informative sessions, the students and advisors broke into two sections. The advisors continued discussing state and district policy, but the students began “strategic planning.” We were given the task to create our top areas of concern which TASC should focus in the upcoming year and to give a professional presentation to the advisors on our plan of action to solve these problems. The officers were split up into small groups and asked to brainstorm problem areas in our schools. After making a huge web of all our concerns, these were the main areas we focused on:

-Involvement
-Energy and Environment
-Drugs and Alcohol
-Cultural Awareness/Respect
-Global Issues
-Internet safety
-Academics
-TASC

I bet these topics are also problems at your school. If you have any more which you think should be added to the list please let me know!

We came up with our topics list and then moved on to trying to pick one main concern area. After voting, Global Issues was chosen as the top category which students wanted to improve. The Global issues category contains many other issues, such as E&E, Health Awareness and education, so this was a way to connect many of the top categories. Once Global Issues was selected, the students analyzed which specific global issue should be addressed. Poverty was chosen as the specified type of global issue that the students would like to focus on because poverty connected involvement, health, and cultural awareness. This whole process inspired us to focus on Global Issues in the upcoming year and pursue this through our state project and theme; however, these projects and themes are not finalized.

The officers also emphasized improving the connectivity throughout TASC. They felt that TASC needs to improve connections between each district to continue and enact statewide goals. The students found that connectivity could be increased through improvements to the TASC website and the creating connections throughout the state.

TASC is in the process of making a new webpage. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. You’re the one using it – so we would love your input.

All officers presented this information to the advisors and they were supportive of our ideas. Because of the strategic planning, this blog now exists. Through our New Braunfels meeting your state officers are working toward establishing a state project, a state theme, a better website, and speakers, so you can have the best year in stu co possible.

All of these ideas are not final. These ideas are just the first session of brainstorming about this upcoming year. Things may change, but ultimately you need to know what your officers are thinking.

NASC Denver

2009-07-15T09:16:00.001-07:00

Well, they say everything is bigger in Texas…and I must say, TASC is the biggest and best student council organization in all 50 states, Guam, Canada, and Puerto Rico. As the Texas delegation arrived in Denver, Colorado most of us were exhausted. Many schools had early flights, so we had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning (personally, I was up at three in the morning). But, upon arrival we all gained a new burst of energy in the cool Rockies. The theme for the week was "Leadership with an Altitude" and throughout the week we worked our way from base camp to the summit.

The entire week was just spectacular. If you have ever attended our state conference in Arlington, it was very similar, except on a smaller scale. This conference had an attendance of 1,500 people, whereas TASC state has 4,500 people. This made the whole experience more intimate, and we were able to really bond with people from other states. To meet stu co's from other states we traded pins and tshirts throughout the week. All of our name tags were completely covered with pins of all the different people we met. We also wore Texas shirts each day and our Talkin' Texas shirt was a huge favorite with other states.

Base Camp
Our first day at the conference was a ton of fun - we all gathered at the Highlands Ranch High School (which was totally gorgeous btw) and were welcomed by a cheersquad and our two state guides. We were assigned two students from Colorado, who are basically our tour guides and experts on everything we do at the conference. Our state guides were really awesome and by the end of the week, they were officially Texans! We also had a state room, which was decked out in Texas decor. This was our home base the entire week. Our next door neighbors, and great friends, were the New York delegates. They were definitely partying people and were very friendly neighbors. Who would've thought Texas and New York would become BFF's:) But back to the conference, the first day was filled with exciting events including outdoor games, bands, and lots of dancing. At opening session we heard from keynote speaker Cleo Parker Robinson. Cleo is the founder, executive artistic director, and choreographer of the 38-year-old artistic institution, Cleo Parker Roinson Dance, based in Denver. She is a great example of what characteristics a leader must have in order to be successful: we must always love what we do, feel what we do, and have ashay! We also got a "taste of Colorado" at an activities night filled with 'bounce' games and great food. That evening we watched a "Welcome to Base" video and then crashed after a long day.

Climb Day
Our climb started with an inspirational keynote address from Alvin Law. His presentation was called students to look past what they do not have and move toward what they can accomplish. Alvin was born without arms, yet all of NASC watched him play the drums and the piano with his feet. Even though Alvin had a disability, he chose not to focus on his loss, but to continue living to the best of his ability. Now, his hands are his feet. It was truly great to see how one can overcome obstacles; we were all inspired to go out and do amazing things with what we have. After this general session, we continued on to student small group workshops. This was much like our states' table talk where we share ideas. The Texas delegation split up and went to different programs with other states to discuss how individual events, like homecoming, are done differently. Just a fun fact, Canada doesn't have a homecoming or any really big dances, and I also found out that Texas is the only state that calls their freshman fish. After the swapshop, we spent the evening at Elitch Gardens, which is just like Six Flags (except they have smaller rides- everything is bigger in Texas).

Timberline Day
We spent this day at the University of Colorado at Boulder (that's a picture of it). The morning began with a keynote adress from Lloyd Lewan, who dared us to be leaders. His life of leadership inspired us all. The entire day was filled with activities including motivational speakers, the Recycling Xgames, and a panel of CU students. The campus was gorgeous and the whole experience a great way to get ideas for the future. That evening we all gathered at the football stadium for the Candle lighting program. NASC filled the stands and we were sad that the week was coming to and end. After a brief sing-a-long all of us were awed by a speech from Marquita Thomas. She spoke of the affect leaders have on others. She recognized that leaders Echo throughout their communities and leave footprints wherever they go. Marquita told us of a boy named Davy who had left footprints on her heart. This boy was a high school student just like us, who was class president, valedictorian, and struggling with cancer. He lost his battle with cancer, but he impacted their entire community. Now, his high school has a Davy Walk in honor of his great life. You could hear sobs throughout the stadium as we all lit our glowsticks in a wave. We all came together that last night, swaying from side to side, feeling the power of leadership, and a love for student council. On the hour bus ride back to Denver, the entire Texas delegation was so fired up that we sang, we danced, we cheered, and we laughed all the way home:)

Summit Day
Our final morning in Denver was pretty perfect. The closing general session was a beautiful orchestration of lights, songs, pictures, and even snow! Highlands Ranch did a fabulous job with the entire conference, and the last session was the cherry on top! At this session, Jonathan Sprinkles inspired us all to aim high and reject excuses. His life story really hit home with many of us and we could relate to his experiences. He taught us all "how the be a change maker." After our last session, we all headed our different ways to get to our hometowns. Some had flights directly after it ended, some had to wait a few hours, but we all left with a week at NASC which we will never forget!

There is a Picasa Picture Album of NASC.. check it out!

The First Blog...

2009-07-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hey TASC!

As the new officers got together throughout the summer, we felt that we needed a better way to communicate to you.. the students of TASC. So, we came up with this great idea-- a blog, by students, for students. Through this blog, you will be able to keep up with all the ongoing events which are taking place in TASC. This is just in the process of being made, so we haven't worked out all the kinks; however, once it's finished, we hope to have a great way to connect all of Texas.