As we get back into the school season, it is easy to find ourselves falling into an aimless daily routine. Everything we are involved in may begin to pile up and it can seem that the only thing our life is made up of is homework, practice, studying, work, and not getting enough sleep. We can promote a grateful lifestyle by keeping a hopeful attitude that sees our challenges as opportunities rather than burdens to ignore.

A recent challenge I faced came at the end of my senior year. During one of the first games of the soccer season, I tore my ACL. I was devastated and angry. I…

All too often, the topics that make us yawn prove to contain the nuts and bolts that keep government machinery chugging along.  Changes to federal regulations have caused many administrators to question whether their approaches to school fundraising are in need of refinement.  We are, of course, referring to Statement No. 84 of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, more commonly known as GASB 84.

Historically, school districts categorized many student activity group funds (SAFs), including funds generated via fundraisers, as “Agency Funds.”  Usually, SAFs were kept in a…

My first year as a Student Council Advisor was 1974.  In the forty-five that have followed, I have been fortunate to been involved with national, state and local organizations that promote involvement by students and the training of advisors.  The sharing of the “good stuff” between fellow advisors was a key to my professional growth.

My basement files are overflowing (honestly, ask my wife!) with conference handouts, journals and other publications.  Many of these are from a fifteen year time span from the mid eighties to early two thousands.  This was a golden era for…

Now that the beginning of the school year has rolled around, it is the perfect time to start reflecting on your personal goals. In a leadership setting, you will often hear the term “SMART goal”, a goal intended to focus attention and resources on what is most important so that you can be successful in achieving your priorities. To start a SMART goal you must have a specific task you are hoping to accomplish over a period of time. Let’s get into what SMART stands for…

Specific: What do you want to accomplish?
Measurable: What metrics or milestones are you going to use along…

It is difficult for me to begin to explain just another leadership camp, because it is so much more than that. The Michigan Association of Student Councils and Honor Societies has completely molded my life and I owe all the credit in the world to them in making me the woman I am today. It all starts at summer camp. An environment that is indescribably inclusive, energetic, empowering & for lack of a word better than this, magical.

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