Greetings to all from Olds High! 

I hope you all had the right mix of sunshine, summer fun, relaxation and rest so that you are once again ready to tackle another year of teaching and student activities.  Either one would be easier without the other, but what’s the point? Student Council advisors know they belong together and are what makes the difference between an okay school experience and a memorable one!  I am very fortunate to have such a keen group of young leaders who are eager to try new things and work hard to ensure that our school is a caring, spirited place for all.  We have already met twice to make sure we’re ready to go when the rest of the student body arrives. 

Our goal this year is to execute one very well-planned major event each month and throw in some little fun and charitable activities when we can.  The trick is to use the right combination of what’s worked in the past and what’s cool, exciting and new for the present.  We will work together with our new option class, Leadership 9 and the Leadership 20/30 class to divide and conquer.  I teach the senior leadership class at noon, before or after school so that I don’t have to worry about it fitting into tight schedules for busy kids.  All leadership students are expected to attend Student Council meetings Wednesdays at noon so that we can communicate, work together and support each other.  Together, we can accomplish so much!  (This is what seems to work at our school but every situation is different so find out what’s going to work best for you and run with it!  If you haven’t yet done so, please convince the powers to be that a Leadership class will have a very positive impact at your school.  Leadership is a huge movement these days in every workplace and community!) 

We are ready to bust out the moves here at OHS; Stardust is going to pound out the tunes for our Welcome Back to the Zoo dance in September.  (Going with the “You’re trapped for another year – might as well have fun idea!)  We have some wild, plush animal ideas for decorating and photo ops.  We always like to welcome the Grade 8’s as well as any other “newcomers” to Olds High by providing a free luncheon in the courtyard on the first Friday of school. We’ll try a few new mixers so they can get to know who we are and have some fun at the same time.  We believe in bonding and so will try to establish positive vibes as soon as possible.  We have yet to decide on a staff suck-up, or I mean “appreciation” idea.  We know that we need their support, especially the custodians for all the crazy stuff we like to do throughout the year. 

Not everyone is convinced that what we do is as important as reading, writing and ‘rithmetic.  However, you know it and I know it so it’s our job to get the rest on side!  The more the merrier when it comes to supervising dances or organizing conferences!  Speaking of which, we have much to look forward to in the upcoming year.  Hopefully, many of you will be accompanying students to the Canadian Student Leadership Conference in London, Ontario in September.  This is always the boost that carries me through at least until the next student/advisor event.  In this case, it will be the Junior Student Leadership Conference in Kinuso. 

This small community is eager to demonstrate its hospitality which I know will be appreciated by all those in attendance. Roberta and Nicole and their leadership team have worked very hard to prepare an eventful, motivating two-day northern experience entitled Eat, Sleep & Lead!   Then it won’t be long after our Christmas break that we’ll be motoring to Red Deer to Rev It Up for 2008!  This is the chance for us to “head out on the highway”, without our student leaders and go “lookin’ for adventure” and ideas. (As much as I still love Steppenwolf, I promise not to attempt them public ally at a karaoke function!)   Phyl Boyte will definitely be worth the gas to get there and then some!  And for those of us “born to be wild”, we can try to keep up with the “Hill’s Angels”, Michele, Karyn and Diane!  (Good luck!)  We’ll have a few months to recover before we “turn back time” and head to Morinville for a very motivating, medieval mission that will be anything but impossible and knowing Tara, totally thrilling!  A sincere thank you to all the past and upcoming conference hosts.  For those of you who haven’t done so yet, please consider hosting a conference in your school and community.  Believe me, despite the work involved, you and your team will learn and benefit so much from the experience and you will not regret it! 

In conclusion, it is exciting to note that thanks to your enthusiasm and continual support, the AASCA organization continues to go.  With each event, we grow stronger and more committed to go back and “rock on” at our schools.  Admittedly, I know that my life would be much less hectic if I chose another path.  However, the easy way isn’t the way that’s going to help me grow personally or make a difference in our schools.  And although intrinsic rewards sometimes don’t make up for the added stress and the fatigue we will all experience at some point this year, at the end of the day, or in this case, the school year, we must always remember that our efforts to empower student leaders and to create positive feelings and memories will help kids more than we’ll ever know!  Thank you for what you do!  Your school needs you to help them be better than ever.  I wish you all a happy, eventful school year and look forward to seeing you personally very soon. 

Sincerely, Sandra Dorowicz

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being. 
                                                                                                                               Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe