About the MASC/MAHS Student of the Year

The 2011-2012 Board of Delegates voted in January to RETIRE the Torchbearer and Patricia C. Boss Awards, and move the student recognition towards the shape of MASC/MAHS. In 2012 ONE Student of the Year will be selected from a member school involved in student council/government, class council, leadership class, or honor society. This student will be selected from applications received and will be chosen by the 
MASC/MAHS Board of Delegates. Recognition of the winner will take place at the MASC/MAHS Student State Conference in March. Up to twelve finalists in the process will be recognized at the banquet Sunday evening.

Policies and Procedures

This award is only open to graduating seniors. Students on the MASC/MAHS Board of Delegates (current or former) are not eligible to receive this award. The candidate must be enrolled in a high school that is a current member of MASC/MAHS (If you are unsure about whether your school is a member of MASC/MAHS contact 517/327-5315 or head to www.mascmahs.org/membership). There may be only one applicant per member high school.

The Application Process

The following documents must be included in the application packet, in the following order. See page two for complete descriptions on how to submit this information. PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK your responses for completion and accuracy, as this continues to be a major factor in awards grading/selection.

• Cover Page
• Applicant Resume
• Recommendation from a member of the nominating group's Executive Board
• Recommendation from the student’s group adviser
• Statement from candidate

Part One: Cover Page
For consistency in selection, we ask that you use the PROVIDED cover page filled in completion attached to the front of the application. Original signatures must be used to prove that the information contained is accurate and truthful. Applications without the provided cover page may not be considered.

Part Two: Candidate Resume
Application sheets must be filled out accurately and completely. If this award is being submitted without the candidate's knowledge, make every attempt to include all information as detailed as possible. Missing or incomplete Application Resume's will cause an application to be disqualified. The following line items must be addressed in LIST FORMAT. This entire section must not exceed TWO pages of information.

• Positions the candidate has held in the school's student activities
• Other leadership positions the candidate has held within the school
• Community (non-school) service and events the candidate has participated in during high school
• Additional school, and co-curricular activities the candidate has participated in that are not listed above
• MASC/MAHS conferences/events the candidate has attended
• TO BE COMPLETED BY THE INDIVIDUAL NOMINATING THE CANDIDATE: Please describe briefly at least three ways in which you feel the candidate exemplifies student leadership.

Part Three: Student Recommendation
The student council, honor society, or leadership activity adviser of the candidate must submit a recommendation that touches on why this candidate is worthy of receiving the MASC/MAHS Student of the Year Award. The committee will be looking for specific examples of how they portray leadership. There is no need to reiterate the candidate's resume items. Focus on the impact the candidate has had on the organization, the school as a whole and the surrounding community. The letter is limited to TWO pages, typed, double-spaced. The adviser must sign the recommendation letter.

Part Four: Adviser Recommendation
A member of the student’s group executive board must submit a recommendation that touches on why this candidate is worthy of receiving the MASC/MAHS Student of the Year Award. The committee will be looking for specific examples of how this candidate moves the school and their peers forward. There is no need to reiterate the candidate's resume items. Focus on the impact the candidate has had on their peers, student leadership activities, the school as a whole and the surrounding community. The letter is limited to TWO pages, typed, double-spaced. The board member must sign the recommendation letter.

Part Five: Candidate Response
In order to allow this award to be submitted as a surprise to the candidate, we have created a prompt that you may disguise that the candidate needs to write a response to. The nominee must reply to the following statement: “Why should students be involved in student leadership activities?” This statement is limited to TWO pages, typed, double-spaced. The candidate must sign the statement.

Click here to download cover page and printable instructions..

Questions or Comments?

Questions on all award programs should be directed to Todd Burlingham, MASC/MAHS Coordinator at todd@mascmahs.org for fastest response. Call volumes at the office are very heavy at this time of year. Email
regarding awards will be the fastest way for clarification. Award winners will be announced at the 2012 MASC/MAHS Student State Conference (although encouraged, you do not need to be present to accept your award).