Hey Center Eight/Michigan leaders!

I hope you all are learning the ins and outs of the new website! I'm still a rookie myself, but I learn more every time I log on! I'm here to keep you updated about the MASC/MAHS world and inform you of the opportunities for you to excel in StuCo and NHS as well as leadership.

If we haven't met yet, Hello:) My name is Rosemary Jones (Rosie, Ro, or Robot for short). I'm a two-year board member representing center eight (Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Monroe and Lenawee counties) and Vice President of the MASC board of delegates. I come to you from the great town of Saline, MI. Ok, fine, here it is:

 So aside from the board and scanning my hand, I am captain of the crew team, secretary of student council, and link crew (freshmen orientation) leader. Hey, speaking of Link Crew, prepare yourselves for my podcast to air about Saline's freshmen orientation program coming soon to the website! On the side of that, I host birthday parties and do general grunt work at Jungle Java, a kids play-place with an espresso kick for moms and dads and grandmas and babysitters. In my free time I love to knit and read and download the free itunes song of the week. What a thrill! :)

So let's get down to business.

First on the agenda: Regionals! A great time to learn from other schools about their successful events and share ideas with others! If you are interested in presenting, please let Kadi Pojeta know in advance so she can pencil you into the schedule. Make sure that if you are presenting that you follow the guidelines and check out Kadi's tips for presenters, which is posted on this website. We want you to have the best program possible so that you can continue to the state level! If you are looking for a regional to attend, L'Anse Creuse is hosting a conference on March 7th, and I would love to meet you there.

And after regionals comes STATES! States this year is being reinvented by Avondale High School, and from what we've heard on the board, it is going to be one kickin' time! It is never to early to start looking foward to seeing old friends from camp, meeting new friends in mixers, getting tighter with your co-leaders, and growing in leadership in general! States is held at the beautiful Grand Traverse Resort, and will be April 5th-7th. See you there!

Other news:

-Keep fanning the flame for this year's charity of the year: Alternatives in Motion! Don't forget that we're striving for $150,000 of donations to help people obtain the wheelchairs they need to carry out their daily routine. Stuck on ideas? Try hosting a Run/Walk, Dance Marathon, or even something simple like a bottle drive or bake sale. The opportunities are endless! Every dollar counts!

-And don't forget to turn in your Award of Excellence and Star Awards by February 29th! Let's face it; your hard work doesn't usually get the appreciation it deserves, and this is the state's way of honoring you and all your council does for your school! Show off your "skills" by submitting your Award of Excellence, and the board will evaluate your project. You'll find grading guidelines and procedures on this website.

So I have to share with you guys about this organizational technique I discovered earlier this year. As chair of the pep-assembly, I had a ton of papers of ideas, shopping lists, and schedules, and it seemed like none of us on the committee were on the same page (literally and figuratively, haha). So I set us up in GoogleDocs, where I could post all of our updated information online, and my three partners in crime could all read and update the pages. So, when a task was accomplished, it could be hilighted and saved on the Doc so everyone else knew that it was done. Also, it was a great way to communicate with my advisor about changes to the schedule! Check it out! You'll be surprised at how user friendly it is.

Note: I promise I'm not being paid by google:)

Well my time is up here. Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or would just like to say "Howdy" or "Hi" (if you're not a cowboy) you can email me at Rosemarycjones@gmail.com. 

Have a Michigan Day!

In leadership, 

-Rosemary Jones

MASC Vice President/Center 8 Rep. 

Life is change. Growth is Optional. Choose wisely. -Karen Kaiser Clark