Arizona Association of Junior High Student Councils

Arizona Association of Junior High Student Councils 42nd Annual A.A.J.H.S.C. State Convention

This year’s theme— Destination Leadership Convention Date— May 8, 2008 Convention Site –Phoenix Marriott Mesa Student Councils may choose to enter all categories explained here or only a few when getting ready to attend the A.A.J.H.S.C. State Convention. Your school should begin early in planning what you want to enter since the reports and some projects are due April 5th. If this is your council’s first time attending, you may want to tackle just a few entries or you may want to do them all! Your school is not in competition with any other school. You are being judged against a standard of “EXCELLENCE”. See judging forms for explanation of points and ribbons. Membership dues must be paid before your application can be judged. If you wish to be considered for Honor/Master Council you must complete all of the reports and projects.

Honor Council and Master Council You will find a revised copy of the application for HONOR COUNCIL included in this package. The form must be completed and returned to A.A.J.H.S.C. by April 5, 2008. A MASTER COUNCIL is a council that has received a perfect score on the HONOR COUNCIL application.

Categories for Judging for State Convention

Introduction Due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08 and performed at Convention Introductions have a 60 second time limit. Getting on and off the stage is part of that time. The idea of the Introduction is to introduce your school and could include your school’s activities, mascot, accomplishments, awards, etc. It is not to be used to introduce individual council members. You may use music in your performance. Everyone on stage must have an active part. You must include a written copy of your Introduction, with the judging form attached, to AAJHSC with your entries by April 5, 2008, for your school to be placed on the Convention program. The five Introductions judged best will perform at the convention.

Trading Tokens Sample due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08 and distributed at Convention Trading tokens are traded with other delegates before a General Session at the convention. Tokens should be constructed by the students. They must include your school name and represent or state the convention theme. The total cost per completed token should not exceed 75¢. Each delegate is given about 25 tokens to trade the day of the convention. Many councils make about 500 tokens if they are taking about 25 delegates. Making that many items calls for the whole council to work. Use a brainstorming session to see if your council can come up with a new and exciting token. Remember pencils and pens are nice, but lack creativity. Please bring a bag for each of your delegates to put their collection of trading tokens in as they trade with other councils. Nametags Nametags will no longer be judged. However, they are to be worn at all times during the convention, including the dance. Your name and school name must appear on the nametag.

Written Reports (Required for Honor/Master Council)

School Activity Due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08 The School Activity report should be a chronological list of all school activities (not just Student Council activities) during the school year. They MUST be numbered consecutively, separated by month, and have a one-line description of the activity. DO NOT list your Student Council meeting each month as an activity. Your score depends on the number of activities your school does throughout the school year. You can list activities not yet complete, but planned for the remainder of the school year. Judges are looking for “quality activities.” List your service projects, school improvement, and social activities. A list of 65-75 activities is normal, but a minimum of 75 activities is required for a blue ribbon.

Fund Raising Due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08 The Fund Raising report may include money raised by any organization on your campus that your council was involved in. In this report, list the top 3 fund raising events that took place on your campus. Tell what you did, what percentage of students participated, and if it was a successful effort. At the close of the report include statistics: total profit divided by the number of students in your school equals dollar amount raised per student. EXAMPLE: Your school raised $75,000 and you have 1100 students on campus, you raised $68.18 per student.

School Spirit Due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08 The School Spirit report should concentrate on your council’s top three spirit activities. The report should be written in 5 paragraphs, an introduction, a paragraph describing each of your 3 activities and a concluding paragraph. You will be judged on the format, mechanics, grammar, and spelling.

Community Service Due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08 The community service report should concentrate on your council’s top three service projects. The report should be written in 5 paragraphs, an introduction, a paragraph describing each of your 3 projects and a concluding paragraph. You will be judged on the format, mechanics, grammar, and spelling.

School Improvement Due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08 The school improvement report should concentrate on your council’s top three improvement activities. The report should be written in 5 paragraphs, an introduction, a paragraph describing each of your 3 activities and a concluding paragraph. You will be judged on the format, mechanics, grammar, and spelling.

Flag Ceremony/Honor Guard Name due at AAJHSC by 4/5/08, ceremony at Convention Your council will be sent a form to complete that will ask you for the name of one council member who will do the honor of carrying your school flag. The flag represents your school during the opening ceremony on Thursday at the General Session of the Convention. It needs to be a 3’ x 4’ flag attached to a 6’ pole. It is NOT a BANNER! You can have the flag made professionally or your council can make it. It must have the name of your school on it. Many schools include their school mascot. Your flag may be used year after year, so it is worth investing in a durable flag. The FLAG does not receive a ribbon at the convention, but is required for Honor/Master Council. Please bring a stand for your flag. At the end of the ceremony, the flag will need to stand on its own.

2 Project due at convention judged for ribbons

Collage Due at Convention 5/8/08 A collage is an assortment of pictures taken throughout the school year that showcase the many activities that your council has been involved in. Pictures should be cut to fit whatever format your council has chosen. Rubber cement works well to attach pictures to your background. An added feature is to label various pictures with captions. This allows people in future years looking at your collage to know what you are trying to represent. The captions are not required. Think of your collage as a large puzzle. The pictures should lock together in a neat arrangement. There should not be any background left uncovered. A clear smooth finish must be applied to the top of the pictures. This will protect your pictures and keep them from pealing away from each other. The maximum size for the collage is 3 feet by 4 feet.

Scrapbook Due at Convention 5/8/08 The scrapbook is a record of your activities throughout the year. You can use pictures, notices, anything you have that will make it interesting. You need to organize the pictures in chronological order (months) or categories (sports, dances, community services, school involvement, etc.). Pictures should be glued on the pages. Rubber cement works great! Captions are a MUST. They should be used under every picture to identify the people and the event. Other flat materials may also be attached (napkins, newspaper articles, flyers, programs, etc.). Take your time, neatness counts. Maximum size is 2 feet by 2 feet.

School Banner Due at Convention 5/8/08 The school banner must be designed and constructed by students. Any material may be used (cloth, felt, wood, metal, plastic, etc.). This banner will represent your school so it should include your school name and the current year. It will also include the convention theme. The banner needs to be able to be hung. You could construct a frame so your banner will hang or stand by itself. The maximum size is 5 feet by 7 feet.

Minute Book Due at Convention 5/8/08 The Minute Book is a legal document that contains all business YOUR council has conducted the whole year. The following items must be included in your book: list of officers and members with attendance to all meetings, all agendas, monthly calendars, minutes of all general/executive meetings which include motions made and then voted upon by the council, and any correspondence. Your secretary and advisor must sign all of the minutes. A standard 3-ring binder makes a great minute book.