Hey MASC!

It is with great pleasure that I introduce our third newsletter of the 2024-2025 MASC Year! We have had quite a busy month and tons worth sharing so I say let’s get straight to it! On October 26th we held our annual MASC OfficerShop Conference! Here student council officers and students from across the state gathered at Worcester Technical High School for a day filled with workshops, team building, and roundtable discussions. I think I speak for many in saying that we made new connections, sharpened our leadership skills, and enjoyed some “on-board” cruise excursions.

Coming out of a strong first two months of our voyage, the MASC board and I have found the symbol most important to November to be the Anchor. Now that we have properly set sail and maybe gotten out of those first-month jitters, I think it’s important that throughout this month we try to ground ourselves, almost like an anchor. As we approach the holiday season and the real meat of our journey it’s imperative that we focus on surrounding ourselves with good people and appreciate the small things in life. I want each and every one of you to really take the time to reflect on how you want to be perceived by the world. Whether it’s a nod, a wink, a compliment, or even a hug; a little bit goes a long way. Furthermore, we understand that this time of year can be especially challenging for many. Whether it’s those pesky midterms sneaking up to even more personal issues, we want you to know that we are always here for you and that people care! We even encourage you to be like an anchor and be that stable placeholder for others. Everyone no matter what they put on the outside deserves kindness, gratitude, and positivity.

In just a week or two we are thrilled to be launching the first meeting of our all-new Project MASC initiative. Project MASC is our new effort to connect leaders across the state on a far more intimate and personal level. While we understand it is difficult to attend all of our big events, we figured offering smaller-scale leadership seminars and summits would provide you the opportunity to get involved and learn! The initiative will work as follows, each meeting of “Project MASC” a small to medium-sized group of students and advisors will gather at the MASC Headquarters to hear from experienced leaders, seasoned advisors, and others who have valuable lessons to share. Our first meeting is on November 16th and we hope to see you there!

Hang in there MASC you’re doing great! Always remember we are here for you and never as far as a DM away (@ma_stuco and @mascpresident)! Thanks so much and as always let’s “cruise the seas of leadership”!

Cheers,

Jack Rubin

MASC President

A quick reminder that you can find us on Instagram and X! Feel free to send in pictures from student council events taking place in your schools! We would love to spread the word on all the fantastic things going on around our state.

Instagram: @mascpresident & @ma_stuco

X: @MA_StuCo

November is the time of year when it is important to reflect on the year we have had and to give thanks for all the wonderful things that have happened for our schools this year. The concept of giving thanks and showing gratitude should be something that is woven into the fabric of what the student council truly represents. As the student leadership group of a school, our student leaders need to show gratitude to their school for the support they have been given throughout the year by the faculty, staff, student body, and community. Conversely, the student council needs to provide ways for the student body to give thanks to each other. Gratitude can be a powerful tool when calibrating the culture and climate of your school community. The opportunity for the school community to give thanks to each other can be an exciting and inspiring experience for all involved.

Please consider the following activities that can be a way of showing gratitude throughout your school community.

1. Create a method to allow student council members to show gratitude to each other. One easy method is a thankful activity. Simply place a sheet of paper with every member's name printed in the middle of the sheet of paper. Place the sheets of paper around the meeting space and give every member something to write with for the activity. Ask students to write why they are thankful for each person on their sheet of paper. The messages of gratitude will be given to each member of the council and to allow every member to leave the meeting knowing they belong.

2. Send a Google form to all students in your school asking them to share a member of the staff whom they are grateful for and why. Try to collect as many responses as you can. Once you have collected your responses, create certificates for the staff members with shared words of gratitude on them and distribute them to staff when they are not expecting them. Instant smiles!

3. One activity I truly love is the Gratitude Chain. The Gratitude Chain is very easy to do and the messages of gratitude can be beyond powerful for your entire school community. Simply cut up strips of construction paper so that every member of the school community can be given a strip of paper. Construction paper is best as it is flexible and durable when you are making it into the links of a chain. Have every member of your school community write their name on their given strip of paper. Ask everyone to write what they are most thankful for within their school community and why. The messages are then collected and your members make a paper chain out of all of the responses. Display the Gratitude Chain around an area of the school that is highly visible and a place where the school community can read the responses from their classmates and colleagues. I am sure the responses will give a wonderful feel to the school and calibrate that your school is really doing ok.

Please know how grateful I am this season for each student who takes the amazing leap to become a part of the Student Council. Their impact on others and their school community can be profound. To the advisers around the state who give their heart to their student council, thank you for your commitment and the impact you are making every day.

I wish you a wonderful season of being grateful.

Paul Branagan

State Executive Director

MASC

November

• Executive Board Nomination Portal Opens - November 4, 2024

December

• Student Election Nominations Due - December 13, 2024

January

• State Workshop Portal Opens - January 6, 2025

• Annual Conference Registration Begins - January 6, 2025

• Commonwealth Awards Nominations Open - January 5, 2025

• Five Star Council Nominations Open - January 5, 2025

• Administrator of the Year - DUE January 17, 2025

• Top Ten Project Applications DUE - January 17, 2025

• Principals Day - January 17, 2025

• Henry Sullivan Award Nominations DUE - January 17, 2025

• Unsung Hero Award Submissions Due - January 17, 2025

• Unified Bocce at Murdock HS- January 24, 2025 (4pm-7pm)

• Unified Bocce at Middleborough HS - January 25, 2025 (9am-1pm)

• Unified Bocce at Marlborough HS- January 26, 2027 (9am-1pm)

• NASC National Conference - Chicago - January 31 - February 2, 2025

Project MASC will be taking place at the MSAA building in Franklin. Some great advisors across the state will be holding workshops to spread their leadership skills to everyone who attends! This program is designed for a team of five from each school (four students and one advisor.) We will be offering a light breakfast upon arrival, followed by the workshop! The first event is Saturday, November 16th at 9AM, focusing on Project Planning. We hope to see you there!

Are you a Junior and looking to expedite your leadership skills even further? Run for a State Executive-Board Position! By filling out this form, you will be able to choose from running for President, Vice President, and Secretary for the whole state of Massachusetts! Be sure to follow the form's instructions carefully, and complete this form by Friday, December 13th, 2024, as it is a hard deadline.

Every year in March, various awards and accolades are given out to deserving candidates who actively show excellence within their schools and councils. If you would like to nominate anyone for these recognitions, please follow the instructions given within the links below! Be sure to get all nominations in by Friday, January 17th, 2025!

MASC Administrator of the Year: Presented to one school administrator as recognition for their support surrounding Student Council events.

MASC Henry Sullivan Advisor of the Year: Presented to one student council advisor in recognition of their commitment to service within their school.

MASC Unsung Hero Award: These awards are presented to one student from each region for their commitment to going above and beyond the call of duty, with little to no recognition.

MASC Top Ten Projects Award: These awards are presented to ten student councils across the state who submit one of the ten most outstanding projects during the year.

The tradition continues! The Council of Excellence awards are designed to yearly showcase the achievements of outstanding student councils across the state, as well as setting guidelines and standards for other councils.

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES

• The MASC Council of Excellence Award will recognize programs that have occurred from February 2, 2024 to February 3, 2025.
• To be considered for judgment, all reports must follow the criteria sheet and must be accompanied by the required letter of endorsement by the Principal.
• To be considered, reports must be submitted so that all materials will be POSTMARKED BY FEBRUARY 3, 2025.
• The MASC Silver Council of Excellence is presented to those councils whose programs are among the very best in our state association. The Silver Council of Excellence is based on achieving between 43-45 points on our scoring rubric as determined by the judging committee.
• The MASC Gold Council of Excellence is presented to those student council programs that are deemed to be the most outstanding in our state association. The Gold Council is based on achieving over 46 points on our scoring rubric as determined by the judging committee.

It is with great excitement to announce that MASC Bocce will be returning for more inclusion and fun this upcoming January! The dates for these days are as follows.

Friday, January 24, 2025 at Murdock High School 4:00-7:00 PM.

Saturday, January 25, 2025, at Middleboro High School 9:00 AM- 1:00 PM

Sunday, January 26, 2025, at Marlborough High School 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

If interested, be sure to fill out the Google Form provided within the newsletter below!

We hope to see you all there for this amazing excursion on our cruise lines!

Stay tuned for more information on the National Association of Student Council's National Conference in Chicago, which will take place from January 31 to February 2, 2025!