(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Shannel Swiader, a senior at Highlands Ranch High School, is the president of CHSAA’s student leadership state representatives. We caught up with her this week to get her thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic from a student leadership perspective.

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Question: We hope you are staying safe during this public health emergency. How are you doing?

Shannel Swiader: I’m doing well. I am missing school and interacting with my peers, but enjoying this time with my family and my pets, especially before heading off to college.

Q: What do you miss the most about the “normal” day-to-day of the school week?

Swiader: I miss seeing all of my fellow Falcons. Connecting with people, whether that’s peers, teachers, or administration, on a day-to-day basis was always really fulfilling. I’m glad we live in an age where technology allows us some connection, but it’s just not the same.

Q: How are you staying connected to your school community?

Swiader: My student council and I have been doing weekly Zoom calls and been talking a lot over our group message on GroupMe. We are planning a virtual spirit week to unite our student body and give somewhat a feeling of normalcy.

Social media has been an awesome tool when it came to communicating out information about free meals for those needing them, and technology distributions at the beginning of online learning. Using things like Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter has been efficient.

Q: What are you seeing from schools and students across the state to help their communities?

Swiader: I’ve seen a lot of virtual spirit weeks. These include days like “Bring Your Pet to School” or “Fancy Day.” Typically student councils have had their students take pictures of themselves dressed up, and then repost their pictures.

Douglas County High School awarded free food delivery for the student with the best picture or outfit each day.

Rangeview High School did a mental health week. They encouraged students to take care of themselves by participating in activities like painting, cooking something they’ve never made, or enjoying the outdoors (safely, of course).

Mountain Vista High School ordered signs for all of their seniors with the hashtag #we’reallinthistogether for them to post in their yard. They also ordered a bunch of yard signs for students of all grades to grab to help unite their community.

Many schools are making sure their student body is staying connected and doing okay in their own ways.

Q: If you could share one message with your fellow seniors, what would it be?

Swiader: I would tell the other seniors that this situation isn’t all bad. Many of us are going off to college, starting a full-time job, or going into the armed forces in a few months. We have been given some extra time to slow down our crazy lives and spend time with our families and pets before we have to leave.

Also, this online learning format is very similar to what many of us will experience in college. We will have this kind of independence, and this experience lets us establish that work ethic early so we are ready to go in the fall.

I’ve been applying for tons of last-minute scholarships with my extra time as well and I’d encourage others to do the same. Get as much as you can so you won’t have to pay it off later!

Don’t get me wrong, it stinks we don’t get our senior proms and our graduations will look a little different, but high school isn’t all about the last quarter.

I encourage them to reflect on their last four years, take time to thank those who have helped them get to where they are, and stay grateful for the amazing times we did get to have.

Q: If you could share a message with other student leaders, what would it be?

Swiader: I would tell other student leaders to bear down right now. This is a weird time, but it’s a time to thrive. Your communities need you right now more than ever. It is important to stay connected, be creative, and check on your classmates and teachers.

It’s easy to be a leader when everything is laid out for you, but you can shine when times are uncertain. Take advantage of this opportunity.

Q: What are you looking forward to doing most when we start to get back to some level of normalcy?

Swiader: I can’t wait to connect with my friends. I’ve been doing a lot of Zoom calls and Netflix parties, but it’s just not the same as in-person contact. I’m glad I do get to see their faces, though, even if it’s just through a screen.

Q: What have you learned most about leadership in the last couple of months?

Swiader: I’ve learned it’s really important to stay positive in difficult situations. When you have a good attitude, people around you and people you talk to are more likely to shift their perspective on things. A positive attitude helps in every situation. It’s also a lot easier to get things done when you and those you’re working with have good attitudes. No matter what is happening, there is always something to be positive about.

Early this semester, I had the opportunity to witness student leadership at its finest.

The Highlands Ranch High School Student Senate was hosting their first ever “Relay for Life.” If you aren’t familiar with this event, let me give you some background. Each year the American Cancer Society helps groups across the country raise money through this event. It is a 12-hour event, usually held outside, that allows participants to gather donations in support of the number of laps they may walk for in support of someone who is suffering from, or has survived, cancer.

The event also includes other activities that help make the night even more fun for the participants. Activities may include team games, yoga, and even dance classes. Overall, it is meant to be a fun time for individuals to gather for a cause they all believe in, raise money, and bring about awareness.

What made this event at Highlands Ranch High School so special was that, from start to finish, this event was run by students (with the help of the Student Senate adviser, Mr. Brad Odice). All aspects of this event were student driven- creating the schedule, ordering food and prizes, enrolling chaperones and guest speakers, in addition to setting and cleaning up. These students had a cause that they believed in and from there it was just a matter of bringing the adults on board to help make their vision a reality.

As Mr. Odice shared, “Tonight is going to be great because the kids have been working so hard on this and finally, it all comes to fruition. Lindsay Engelbert ( a current senior at HRHS and the planning chairperson for this event) had the passion, the energy, and the desire to make this happen and here we are. Without her energy this wouldn’t be happening.”

The energy of Engelbert was one thing that was visible in all parts of the night. From the opening, given by Stephen DeCoste, where he asked the crowd to thank Lindsay, to her own hustling about throughout the night to make sure that everything was in place. She ensured her committee chairs were prepared for their role in the event, and even shed a few tears shoulders of her adviser when it all got started; it was evident that the success of this event was very personal.

The event started promptly at 7pm, beginning with a short introduction and an introduction of a cancer survivor who truly moved the attendees as she talked about her journey and the importance of what these students had put together. Upon the completion of the introductory activities, to include housekeeping notes and “shout outs,” the event began with its first lap around the building.

As attendees walked throughout the building, they were treated to multiple tables providing information, individual challenges, and products provided by community members, local organizations, and HRHS student organizations. The night was setup to raise money for a great cause, but also to entertain and educate all participants, I would say that the objective went above and beyond in both categories.

When Engelbert was asked to share her “why,” she replied with the following, “The event focuses on all cancers, and I believe that we are all connected through this disease, whether it be someone we know by blood or name. When I first started participating in the event, all ages were there empathizing for the same cause. Through the years it has lost momentum among young students, and I wanted to bring this back to a school setting.”

And bring it back she did! We look forward to this event continuing to be part of the HRHS Student Senate agenda for years to come. Mostly because it supports a great cause and brings together community, but also because it has galvanized this group of students to come together and worker hard for a cause that they truly believe in.

While this is a story about what kids can do when they find a cause that they believe in, it is as much a story about how to be an adviser who learns and grows alongside their student leaders. Brad Odice is a relatively new adviser, who, in only his 3rd year has already inspired his students to reach higher, demand more of themselves, and to be a true support for the Highlands Ranch school community.

When asked to talk about where he gets his energy, Odice said, “As an adviser, I find myself emotionally involved in the initiatives students are passionate about. This not only opens my heart and mind to their cause, but also reminds me of their desire to do good for others.”

As advisers, we all know that there are many ways to approach this work. We work with our students to build our campus events, then overall climate of the campus, and to help our leadership students achieve leadership excellence in all that they do and who they want to become.

Having witnessed the culmination of one activity put on by this organization, I am able to, without hesitation, here to tell you that what we do matters. The words spoken by both Engelbert and Odice are words that we should all keep in mind as we gather our leadership students to start any project. Ask them, “Who are we working for?” and “How does this grow our council, our school, and/or our community?” In the answer, your group will, hopefully, find their own “why.”

If you would like more information on this activity or other activities that this group is involved in, reach out to Mr. Odice at: bsodice@dcsdk12.org. If you have an activity you would love to have us join you for, contact Rashaan Davis at: RDavis37@cherrycreekschools.org.

By Mackenna Yount

MANITOU SPRINGS — 500 students, 100 advisors, 69 schools, one conference to bring Student Council groups from across the state together. The Fall Conference (FallCo), hosted by the Manitou Springs High School (MSHS) Student Council (StuCo), was a huge success.

FallCo’s theme for the 2019 conference was “The 14,000 ft View, Your WHY is Worth the Climb” and included workshops, leadership building activities, guest speakers, assemblies, and celebrations. 

MSHS’s student council has been hard at work planning for this big event. Last year, StuCo began planning the basic logistics for the conference and they were constantly working to pull together the two-day event.

Seniors Coco Stevens and Melissa MacDonald were chairs of the FallCo committee, and by working with Mrs. Stoneback, they were able to find guest speakers, build rosters for groups, put together instructions for workshops, and help to put together training for leadership workshops.

On Aug. 5 at the StuCo retreat, the MSHS student council worked with CHSAA State Representatives (State Reps) to build and run through the FallCo curriculum. The prep work that took nearly two years paid off, and MSHS StuCo was able to put together “the best FallCo” that some of the council members had ever been to.

To kick-off the activities of FallCo following check-in, Student Councils from across the state filled the bleachers of the new gym and were welcomed by MSHS StuCo and the cheer team. Music blasted, pyrotechnics sparked, and the crowd was full of energy for the guest speaker to follow.

The MSHS StuCo chose the co-founder of Character Strong, Houston Kraft, to be the Keynote Speaker for this year’s conference. Kraft spoke about the differences between being nice and being kind: nice is convenient but kindness takes lots of work. He stressed the importance of showing compassion for others and to break down the barriers that prevent kindness — incompetence, inconvenience and insecurity.

Kraft led the students through exercises to connect everyone in the room and have them look at kindness in a different way. Each student had to nonverbally express one of four emotions — sad, mad, glad or afraid — and find a partner who was expressing the same emotion.

Together, they learned how to give meaningful compliments to each other, talk about their emotions, and form bonds that connected all the students in a really special way.

Assisting MSHS StuCo with the planning and execution of FallCo were the CHSAA State Reps.  Students from all over the state who went through an application process, make up the roster of State Reps.

Manitou’s own Caden Salladay applied his sophomore year and was chosen by the CHSAA Student Leadership Committee. It was Salladay’s job to coordinate 20 other state representatives during the conference.

“The trust people put in me was the toughest part and meeting their expectations was a lot of responsibility,” said Salladay about his coordination job. “But I couldn’t ask for anything else. Being a State Rep was amazing.” 

During both days at FallCo, MSHS StuCo members and the state representatives led groups of students through a total of six “Family Group” sessions, all named after notable 14,000-foot mountains in Colorado.

The leadership skills-oriented curriculum was developed over the summer when Council Members and State Reps met at the StuCo retreat, where they could work out the kinks and practice the lessons. In the sessions, students talked about how they related to and applied the theme “Your WHY is Worth the Climb.”

The Family Groups were very meaningful to many of the StuCo members.

“I don’t think I’ll lose touch with anyone in my family group, even the seniors. We all share a little part of us that is similar and we’re all connected in a special way”, said Elena Reavis.

MSHS council members are still in touch with the State Reps they were paired with at FallCo through social media.

On top of students going to Family Group sessions, they also went to workshops throughout day one of FallCo. There were a total of 28 workshops taught by a mix of students, teachers, and advisers. Students taught 17 of those workshops, including two of Manitou’s own StuCo members Ben Schwartz and Caden Salladay.

Schwartz’s workshop was titled “The Importance of Body Language” and had participants look at how body posture is important in everyday life and the psychological aspect of body language. 

After workshops concluded, attendees flooded the big gym for a ThinkFast Interactive assembly focusing on Drive Smart, presented by the Colorado Department of Transportation. ThinkFast Interactive has trivia competitions as a form of learning focused on driver safety. Students let their competitive side run wild while still focusing on teamwork.

Participants were instructed to form teams of five and each team captain was tasked with manning a small device for the game. The game consisted of questions about driver safety as well as pop culture. Teams were also given the opportunity to earn a spot in the finals from a dance competition and a simulation to try and get someone to wear a seatbelt in the car.

The final round is played game-show style and whoever answered the most questions correctly won. The energy was high during ThinkFast Interactive, even though it was a long day. 

After a break for Student Council groups to get dinner, students and advisers were welcomed back to MSHS with the Event Showcase. The showcase offered activities such as a glow in the dark dodgeball tournament, games, a movie and a dance presented by Roxbox Entertainment.

Dodgeball was a popular event that many students attended and participated in. The dance was even more popular and Roxbox provided the music and light show that was perfect for FallCo attendees to let loose.

These events gave students even more of an opportunity to bond with their peers and build unforgettable relationships. 

The weekend concluded with Geographic and Homeschool Meetings on Saturday, followed by a Closing Ceremony.  Overall the event was a tremendous success and put Manitou Springs High School and CHSAA Student Leadership as a whole in a positive light.

Up next on the agenda for Student Leadership is 2020 State Rep applications (due January 31st) and selection and Advisor U, which will take place April 5-6 at the Park Meadows Marriott in Lone Tree.

Mackenna Yount is a senior at Manitou Springs High School.

(Justin Saylor/CHSAANow.com)

More than 400 student leaders and advisers gathered at CSU-Fort Collins for the 55th Annual CHSAA Student Leadership Summer Camp last week.

The camp is four days of leadership training and development that helps student leaders return to their individual campuses prepared to plan activities, work with other groups to promote campus events, and to work with their building staff as they continue to build a positive school climate.

Students arrive at camp by school, but are immediately put into council groups, a random selection of 20-25 student leaders. The councils learn and grow together, sharing best-practices learned from their own school experiences. This provides for a level of learning that give students an up-close look at a variety of school activities and leadership programming offered across Colorado.

This camp also allows for the 70+ schools that were represented to share in what makes their schools so amazing.

Over the four days students are at camp they participate in activities that enrich their learning, but there are also plenty of fun activities for them to participate in, including a large group activity (think “Minute to Win it”-style games), hearing a message from a nationally-known motivational speaker, a dance, and the end-of camp Achievement Night and Candle Lighting Ceremony.

Achievement Night is a great opportunity for Councils to share a culminating camp message.

This year, Councils were asked to create a PSA that brings awareness, shares a message, or shines a light on something all leaders need to know. The responses, by Council, ranged from how to be a friend, to sharing mental health resources, to putting your phone away in order to connect with people outside of social media.

On this night we also recognize the Colorado Student Leadership “Adviser of the Year” with the Warren E. Shull Award and our NatStuCo (natstuco.us) “Council of Excellence” Award recipients.

While the camp is mostly about students, there is also a learning track for advisers.

CSU offers graduate level credits for those advisers who complete the camp course requirements. Alice Stoneback, Student Council adviser from Manitou Springs High School is the facilitator for the Adult Council (known as Council X) and does an amazing job of sharing resources, teaching adviser basics, and engaging the group in conversations that allow them to share “best practices.”

To say that our adults are getting just as much from this camp as our student leaders would be an understatement. This camp is about filling the leadership buckets of all who attend.

As we head into the school year, look forward to more information about Student Leadership events, including the Student Leadership Fall Conference, Adviser University, and next summer’s student leadership event.

(File Photo)

The 55th annual CHSAA Student Leadership Camp is underway in Fort Collins this week, on the campus of Colorado State University.

The camp, which features more than 400 attendees, seeks to equip students and advisers with leadership skills they can take back to their schools.

The camp seeks to give its attendees skills they can use throughout the school year, and touches on topics like diversity, self-evaluation, team-building, technology and how to build leadership programs. The campers also share ideas and best practices on things like school dances, pep rallies, school spirit, and more.

This week, the CHSAA administrative staff will visit the camp and meet with the student representatives who have been elected by their peers to provide leadership across the state. These representatives will serve on a variety of CHSAA committees, and volunteer at state championship events, among other duties.

CHSAA assistant commissioner Justin Saylor is the camp’s coordinator and director, and Rashaan Davis, the adviser at Eaglecrest High School, is the curriculum director.

This year’s Fall Conference for student leadership will be held at Manitou Springs High School.

(Courtesy of Kendle Davis)

Eaglecrest has been selected as the host of the National Student Council Conference in 2020, Raptors adviser Rashaan Davis announced last week.

https://twitter.com/RashaanDavis/status/1143950473721974784

The conference, which is the 83rd annual, will be June 22-24, 2020. This will be the fourth time Colorado has hosted, doing so twice at Smoky Hill in the 1980s, and most recently at Highlands Ranch in 2009, when Davis was the adviser there.

The three-day event will feature high-energy, engaging speakers, and informative workshops. It sends students and advisers home with the knowledge and enthusiasm to improve your council and realize your leadership potential.

“This conference will also give us an opportunity for student leaders across our state to take part in this national event,” Davis said.

Further information on the 2020 conference will be available on NatStucoConference.org in August.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

FORT COLLINS — More than 400 students are in attendance at the annual CHSAA Student Leadership Camp this week, which seeks to equip them with leadership skills they can take back to their schools.

This year’s camp, held on campus at Colorado State University, is the 54th in the history of the Association, and it officially marks the start of the 2018-19 school year for CHSAA activities.

The camp seeks to give its attendees skills they can use throughout the school year, and touches on topics like diversity, self-evaluation, team-building, technology and how to build leadership programs. The campers also share ideas and best practices on things like school dances, pep rallies, school spirit, and more.

On Tuesday, the CHSAA administrative staff visited the camp and met the the 18 student representatives who have been elected by their peers to provide leadership across the state. These representatives will serve on a variety of CHSAA committees, and volunteer at state championship events, among other duties.

CHSAA assistant commissioner Ernie Derrera is the camp’s coordinator and director, and Rashaan Davis, the advisor at Eaglecrest High School, is the curriculum director.

This year’s Fall Conference for student leadership will be held at Arvada West High School from Oct. 12-13.

(Courtesy of Kendle Davis)

Registration for the annual fall student leadership conference, set to be hosted by Grand Junction Central, is now open.

The conference runs Oct. 27-28 in Grand Junction. Former NCAA basketball player Melvin Adams, who also played for the Harlem Globetrotters, is this year’s keynote speaker.

A packet of complete information about the conference is available here.

Student leadership advisors have been sent an email with a link to the registration. To have it sent again, email Theresa Muniz (tmuniz@chsaa.org).

(Courtesy of Kendle Davis)

FORT COLLINS — The Annual Student Leadership Camp gives students an opportunity to grow not only themselves, but their schools as a whole.

Students like Rangeview’s Josh Wall.

“We’ve been focusing on the things which we struggle with and how to overcome them better as a counsel,” Wall said. “Trying to figure out attendance issues in our school, fight racial tendencies, etc. Figure out how we can make our schools better.”

Rashaan Davis, the curriculum director asked student to do three things every day: Learn, grow and play.

“Kids understand what the expectation is — especially leaders. It has to be a balance,” Davis said. “We want them to be able to learn. Those are the things we want you to take back to your school. Second, we want them to grow individually as a leader. But, then we also want to play and remind kids how to have a good time.”

He asked students to simply be in the moment.

“In this moment, if you can shut down all the other things that are going on and you can hear the message, that’s probably more important than anything else,” Davis said. “Just be here now. If kids can get to that point, that’s where real learning starts to happen.”

The camp’s theme is ‘GRIT.’

Davis spoke on what grit means to him.

“To me, it’s absolutely about follow-through. It’s about understanding how to persevere,” Davis said. “Sometimes, it’s the littlest things that we have to persevere. It’s hearing no sometimes, and I appreciate that because when kids hear no, they either fall apart or they grow. Fail forward, if you will.

“Grit says, I’m going to take a step back and assess what’s going on around me, and then we’re going to move forward in a positive way.”

The students were grouped into counsels, then grouped by classification to work on brainstorming ideas for service projects, fundraising and events.

Kim Karr, the guest speaker for the day, touched on the #ICANHELP initiative.

According to the #ICANHELP website, they believe that “One person has the power to make a difference and delete negativity online in his or her own life. More people can effect even more change.”

Karr talked about creating a positive school culture by transforming these student leaders into digital leaders that create positive change online.

“I think she’s talking on their level because it’s all about technology,” Davis said. “That little device can mean a whole lot in a positive way and it can mean a whole lot in a very negative way. As kids leave here, they should understand that the little things they do affect them personally. But, the big picture of how they can make someone else feel, I think is important.

“That’s a message that they can take back and share with other students and with their feeder schools — middle school kids need that probably more than high school kids.”

(Courtesy of Kendle Davis)

CHSAA’s Student Leadership program gives students opportunities to work directly with CHSAA members to address important issues.

The CHSAA state reps had a meeting with the CHSAA staff after Karr spoke.

“I think it’s great being able to work with all the CHSAA members and the adults to see their mindset,” Wall said. “There are all these rules that you aren’t used to, but now you get to see the backside of that and understand why they have that. Nevertheless, it’s great to have these adults and college people around because you get to see what you can do in leadership and how much further you can go.”

Wall and the rest of the students get just that — an idea of how far you can go with a program like this. Real change can happen when students and CHSAA members work together.

“Whenever you meet great people, you get a lot of ideas,” Wall said. “All the ideas which I’m getting from the people in my counsel really help me be able to have these new ideas so I’m kind of refreshed in things that I’ve been doing for the last three years. I come back with a new sense of grit where I’ve got to fight and do everything I need to in order to have a better last year.”

And, when students from schools around the state get together to collaborate and discuss which ideas work best.

“I’ve heard of a lot of great ideas from other schools. Other ways of fundraising, I definitely feel could work where I’m going,” Wall said. “A lot of the 1A, 2A or 3A schools, they don’t have many people. When you have a lot of people, it’s easier to get people to go to events. So, you get to hear how they get people to go to events and you can follow their methods.”

Just two days into the camp, the theme is being bought into full force.

“Everybody needs grit to get better,” Wall said. “I feel like the theme is really helpful because one of the biggest issues with leadership is giving up after a while or getting tired at the end of the year. It’s always great to have a theme like that because it proves that everything you are doing is worth it. You always have to keep on fighting.”

State Reps and the CHSAA staff met on Tuesday. (Troy Rivera/CHSAANow.com)

FORT COLLINS — Students will have direct voice on select CHSAA committees beginning this school year.

That was the result of a meeting between CHSAA staff and the State Representatives during the annual Student Leadership summer camp at Colorado State University on Tuesday.

The student committee members will be selected by the Student Leadership State Representatives with the help of liaison Troy Rivera, the advisor at University High School. The students will be appointed to serve on various CHSAA committees, including certain sports and activities committees, as well as things like the Classification and League Organizing Committee.

“This is something we’ve wanted to work toward,” said CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. “We really believe that a student’s voice will carry a lot of weight in that setting, and add a needed perspective to our committees.”

The State Reps are broken into geographic regions, meaning each student will serve as the voice of a given area during the 2016-17 school year.

The meeting between the State Reps and the CHSAA staff also worked toward further collaboration between the Association and students, including things like social media, and a contest which is taking shape.