An important step in leadership is experience, and that is the focus of our Regional Conferences, held around the state! With students at the helm, these unique, high-energy conferences come full of ideas and best practices right from the students who know the insides and outs.
Our one-day Regional Conferences (9:00 AM - 1:30 PM) are held at local facilities and schools around Michigan. Member schools host the conferences, putting their own individual spin on general sessions and themes. You can learn more about hosting in our Regional Host Handbook, and you can apply to host a conference directly through our online process.
ON THIS PAGE:
- Who Should Attend?
- Benefits and Content
- Information on Student Presentations
- Sample Agenda
- Current School Year Locations & Dates
- Registration Information: Fees, Payments, Online Registration
- Maps / Directions / Addresses to Various Conference Sites
Know which conference you want to register for? Here's a quick link to the online registration form, which can also be found further down this page in the Registration Information section.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Our Regional Conferences are open to all students and advisers that are working in leadership groups within their school - middle and/or high school. Since these conferences are more idea-based, rather than training-based, students of any age/grade will benefit from the ideas they hear at these events. We invite both member and non-member schools to bring students - from 1 student to your whole group, there are so many ideas to gather that the more you bring to the conference, the more you take away from the conference!
BENEFITS & CONTENT
The primary focus of our Regional Conferences is idea-generating. With students leading the presentations and sharing what they do and what they know, attendees gain valuable resources and information on what's happening in schools around Michigan. Students and advisers attend two to three small group sessions, or education sessions, and one swap shop session. The small group sessions / education sessions are always unique and interesting! Students choose something that they do well at their school - an event, service project, meeting management technique, anything - and present it thoroughly and in deep detail. Advisers are invited to sit in on those sessions and at some Regional Conferences, there may be education sessions specifically developed for advisers. At the end of the day, students have a more informal opportunity to swap ideas on a variety of topics in a moderated swap shop / idea exchange.
Attendees will gain new ideas, motivation, best practices and more - all to take back to their school. These new concepts will help your school step forward and step up. What you bring back will assist you in creating a stronger leadership group, school and community.
INFORMATION ON STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
We encourage each school to prepare a student-led presentation! While this is not required, it makes the conference more worthwhile to hear ideas from all the various schools in attendance. Student presentation groups can be made up of anywhere from one (1) student to a maximum of four (4). The students should select a topic/idea/event/theory related to leadership in their school or community and develop a thorough and engaging presentation. Presentations must be 35 minutes in length and should be prepared and presented only by the students - advisers are not allowed to be part of the presentation team.
Students must submit their presentation AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE the conference they wish to present at. When submitting a presentation, students should have the following information ready: first and last names for all presenters, an email address for at least one presenter (preferably all though), school name and city, adviser's full name and email address, the conference date and location they wish to present at, who the presentation is best for (high school, middle school, student council, honor society, leadership class, etc...), a title and a description of their presentation (these two items will be used in programs possibly and should be clear, concise and catchy!), as well as a document outlining their presentation (such as an outline in Word or some other text editor). The submission form does ask what, if any, AV equipment will be used (computer, screen, LCD, TV/VCR), however, MASC/MAHS and the conference facilities DO NOT PROVIDE THIS. We just want to have an idea of what you are using in the room assigned to you.
At least ONE WEEK before the conference you want to present at, you must send a follow-up email to todd@mymassp.com providing any/all documents/presentations for your presentation. Again, TWO WEEKS before you must submit your entry form, then ONE WEEK before you must send your final presentation materials/handouts. We do not copy or provide this back to you, we use it for archiving and may need it for the State Conference if you are chosen to present.
Presenters should keep the following in mind as they prepare their presentations... Each presentation is evaluated by students within the session, an adviser, a board member, a host school student and a state conference host school student. Along with those evaluations, a voting system will assist in determining which presentations are invited to the State Conference. After students at a given conference attend all the education sessions, they will take their session tickets and deposit them into voting boxes. Students can vote presentations into any of these categories: Most Interactive Presentation, Most Engaging Presenters, Most Unique Idea, Most Useful Idea, Best Overall Presentation. Students can also vote presentations into a box labeled "Not Recommended". Any other tickets will be deposited into a box labeled "Leftover Tickets". This voting system will allow us to better select which presentations are worthy enough to be invited to the State Conference!
Click here to submit a presentation application
SAMPLE AGENDA
While each host school will put their own spin on the Regional Conference they are hosting, this schedule is fairly solid. The start and end times will always remain the same unless an email is sent to registered attendees stating otherwise.
8:30 - 9:00 AM, Registration/School Check-In & Morning Snack (included in registration fee)
9:00 - 9:35 AM, Opening General Session
9:40 - 10:15 AM, Education Session 1 (led by students from attending schools)
10:20 - 10:55 AM, Education Session 2 (led by students from attending schools)
11:00 - 11:35 AM, Education Session 3 (led by students from attending schools)
11:40 - 12:15 PM, Lunch (included in registration fee)
12:20 - 12:55 PM, Swap Shop / Idea Exchange
1:00 - 1:30 PM, Closing General Session
CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR DATES & LOCATIONS
Schools may attend any conference that meets their availability and travel situation.
Dates and Venues for 2010:
Monday, 2/22--Lansing Community College West (Hosted by Pinckney High School)
Tuesday, 2/23--Davenport University, Grand Rapids (Host still needed- todd@mymassp.com)
Wednesday, 2/24--Oakland University (Hosted by Brandon High School)
Friday, 2/26--Treetops Resort, Gaylord (Hosted by Cheboygan High School)
Monday, 3/1--MISD Building, Clinton Twp. (Hosted by Warren Mott High School)
Tuesday, 3/2--Bavarian Inn, Frankenmuth (Hosted by Midland High School)
Friday, 3/5--Schoolcraft College, Garden City (Hosted by Southfield-Lathrup High School)
We prefer that Middle Level students attend the Middle Level convention, so that content will be more appropriate to their settings. If you have questions about this feel free to ask!
REGISTRATION: FEES, PAYMENTS, ONLINE REGISTRATION
Conference Rate: $40 per person (student and/or adult)
REDUCED MEMBER RATE: $30 per person (student and/or adult)
We recommend registering at least one month before a conference. Registrations received within two weeks of the conference will only be accepted if space allows. Register early to reserve your space and be aware of the Cancellation Policy, below.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations/decreases in your registration number will ONLY be refunded if the request is made at least ONE WEEK prior to the conference you registered for. Cancellations/decreases after that point will NOT be refunded and will be invoiced for. Any increases will be taken only if space is available at that conference.
PAYMENT METHODS
Payments may be made by check and/or credit/debit card.
Please make checks payable to MASSP Student Leadership and mail to:
MASSP, 1001 Centennial Way, Suite 100, Lansing, MI 48917. Please reference the adviser's name and conference date & location somewhere on the check or in an enclosed document. Checks can also be hand-delivered to the Regional you are attending.
To make a credit/debit card payment over the phone, call 517.327.5315.
As soon as your registration is entered into our system, you will be invoiced every month.
MAPS / DIRECTIONS
Location/Facility addresses and maps, as well as links to their websites and their phone numbers can be viewed on our Maps/Directions page. Please know which facility you are looking for, as the page has ALL the locations/facilities we use throughout the year.
