Thanks for coming!!

Thanks for coming to my Surround Yourself With Greatness workshop. I'm
on the train to San Diego right now, but this weekend I will upload
the powerpoint notes from today's workshop. Have a great school year!

Sent from my iPhone

Area E and F New Advisors Conference

I'm so excited to be presenting at the Area E and F New Advisors Conference in La Mirada! If you just joined me today, thanks for coming, and I hope you find this site useful. Have a great school year!

Cheers,
Ron

Stuff for Advisors

Hey Advisors!

So glad you made it out to CADA Leadership Camp for Middle School. Some of you were asking for Advisor Academy stuff (tips for first-year advisors). To get the download, CLICK HERE.

Others were asking about the layouts for the Spirit Olympics. To get that, CLICK HERE.

Have a great rest-of-summer, and a productive and positive school year! E-mail me at rippolito@gmail.com if you have any questions!

Cheers,
Ron

Middle School ASB Presidents SWAP Session

Hey ASB Presidents! Thanks for coming to my SWAP session. I hope you got some great tips and inspiration to begin your school year. Please feel free to leave comments on this blog entry if you need help from me or anyone else who attended the session. Have a great school year and remember that you are not alone!

To get the great notes that Kylie took for us, CLICK HERE.

Cheers,
Ron

Bye Bye CADA Camp! - July 19-22, 2008

Hey CADA Campers! Thanks for making Camp III a great experience! Make sure to scroll down to read all the great ideas YOU generated in our School Climate rotation. Make this year at your school the best ever!

Cheers,
Ron

School Climate Rotation notes - July 19-22, 2008

Hey CADA Campers from CADA Leadership Camp who attended Santa Barbara III - July 19-22, 2008. Check out the group photos from your School Climate Rotation, and (more importantly) check out the notes that YOU took from the session. Take these great ideas and make it a great year!

Cheers,
Ron

Councils 9, 10, 11, and 12 - CLICK HERE

Councils 7, 8, and 13 - CLICK HERE

Councils 4, 5, 6, and 15 - CLICK HERE

Councils 1, 2, 3, and 14 - CLICK HERE

I Saw You at CADA Camp - July 14-17, 2008

Hey CADA Campers! Thanks again for attending my School Climate rotation. Sorry it took me a couple days to post our final photo (I misplaced my memory card!). Hope you have a great school year this year!

Cheers,
Ron

School Climate Rotation - CADA Leadership Camp

Hey CADA Campers from CADA Leadership Camp who attended Santa Barbara II - July 14-17, 2008. Check out the group photos from your School Climate Rotation, and (more importantly) check out the notes that YOU took from the session. Take these great ideas and make it a great year!

Cheers,
Ron

Councils 10, 11, and 12 - CLICK HERE

Councils 7, 8, and 9 - CLICK HERE

Councils 4, 5, 6, and 14 - CLICK HERE

Councils 1, 2, 3, and 13 - CLICK HERE

SoundTech Workshop Interest Session

Hey! Thanks for coming to SoundTech. You can download the two forms I talked about in my session here:

Song Request List - CLICK HERE
Rally Template - CLICK HERE

Feel free to e-mail me at rippolito@gmail.com if you have any further questions. Good luck with your next event!

Cheers,
Ron

School Climate Rotation - CADA Leadership Camp

Hey CADA Camper! You can now download the notes from your session. Just find your Rotation and click on "CLICK HERE"! You can also click on the photo to check out all the smiling faces from your session! Hope you had a great time and learned lots! --Ron

Councils 10, 11, and 12 - CLICK HERE

Councils 7, 8, and 9 - CLICK HERE

Councils 4, 5, 6, and 14 - CLICK HERE

Councils 1, 2, 3, and 13 - CLICK HERE

Bye-Bye, CADA Camp!

Thanks for a great CADA Camp! Check back on Sunday evening, July 13, for all the great ideas we shared in our School Climate rotations. You guys are "legit"! (did I use that word right?)

Cheers,
Ron

CADA Leadership Camps

Anacapa Hall, UC Santa Barbara

It's the first day of CADA Leadership Camps here at UC Santa Barbara. Check back soon for materials and downloads from your School Climate rotation.

Any more questions? Bring 'em on!

OK, all the other questions I got had e-mail addresses on them, which means I will respond to those questions privately.

If you have other questions, please feel free to post a comment to this blog, or e-mail me at rvi@hartdistrict.org.

Even better, come to CADA Leadership Camp this summer at UC Santa Barbara and hang out with us in our dorm overlooking the Pacific Ocean! You'll get lots of new ideas, hear from amazing motivational speakers, and you'll get to network with ASB Directors from up and down the state of California. I'll be there, too. :-)

RVI

Do you think a GPA of 2.5 is low for qualifying for ASB?

Yes, I do, but there's a fine line. If you raise it up too high, you are shutting out a population of your students that need to be represented in student government. If it's too low, though, then it's tougher to kick out those kids who really should be focusing on their academics first.

When I started doing ASB at the middle school, I actually bumped it up from 2.5 to 3.0. I did get hassled by teachers (not parents or kids surprisingly) that I was being too exclusive. I argued back that kids are coming late to class or missing whole classes sometimes because of ASB, and I need to know that ASB is not going to interfere with their academic success. After all, our first priority here at school is academics.

A variation on the GPA requirement would be to say "minimum 2.5 GPA, PLUS no D's or F's" or something like that. Additionally, you could include something about citizenship comments (you can't get any "N's" or "U's" for your conduct codes on your report card).

Ultimately, it's all about balance. You have the find a system that you can feel good about, but that your administrators can get behind should you ever get challenged.

RVI

I love the letter to students saying they were suggested for ASB. However, what about those kids that don't get their names suggested by teachers?

Do you get complaints?"

You care an awful lot about kids' feelings. Are you a middle school teacher? :-)

That definitely is a valid concern, and if you're worried about the kids already in your ASB program, then I would explain what you're doing and put it in the right context for them. "If you don't get a letter, it could simply mean that your teachers already know you're in ASB, and therefore you don't need to be recruited again."

Overall, I think the benefits of those kids getting the letters outweigh the possibility of other kids getting their feelings hurt. I always delivered the letters during class time, but if you were concerned about kids opening letters in front of their friends, you could address them and send them to the students at home. That would make the letter even more special, I think. Kids hardly ever get letters in US mail, so that would certainly be a treat.

Hope that helps. Give me a holler if I didn't fully answer your question.

RVI

Who sets the goal if it is from recruitment forward?

In my case, I do. Some years it's been very specific (we are going to get 100% student involvement this year), and some years it's been more general (we exist as ASB to help kids connect to our school).

If I had it to do over again, I would get my kids involved in developing our goal(s) for the upcoming school year. The saying goes, "People tend to support that which they help to create."

The whole purpose behind the over-arching goal is simply to set the tone that what we do is not simply for its own sake. We're not putting on a dance just so we can have a party. We're doing it because we want OTHERS to enjoy their experience at our school, and we are the HOSTS of that party.

When we are hosts, we have fun when others are having fun. When you frame it that way, it gives things like picking up a leaking trash bag and taking it out to the dumpsters a higher purpose. That's what the host of the party does sometimes to keep the good times rolling.

So, the real payoff for us as ASB is the following Monday when we hear things like, "That was the best Homecoming dance ever!" When others have enjoyed their experience beyond the classroom, we've done our job.

I kind of rambled, but I hope you get the idea. Show kids the "big picture" when you set your goals for the year. Our goals shouldn't stop at "let's make great balloon arches" or "let's come up with a cool new way to announce the Prom queen." Those are all the vehicles to get us to the larger goal of creating an activities program that connects kids to their school and creates a positive campus culture.

RVI

How many hours do you require for service hours? Do you have a daily ASB class?

I require 20 service hours per quarter, so 80 over the course of the whole year. I tinkered with that number before settling on 20. Some kids get WAY over 20, and some struggle just to squeak in at 14 or 15. If a quarter is 8 weeks long instead of ten, I might drop the requirement down to 18 hours just for that quarter. Of course, based on your situation, you can decide up or down what's reasonable for your students.

As far as an ASB class, YES, I have been extremely fortunate to have an ASB class both as a high school and middle school adviser. Additionally at the middle school, I had my ASB students as my homeroom as well, which was another 22 minutes each day. There's so much more you can get done, both in leadership curriculum and in planning activities, when you can all sit down together as a class.

If your district (or school) doesn't give you an actual class for ASB, bring an administrator to the CADA Convention or to one of the CADA Leadership Camps sometime. You could start with simply showing them our CADA Standards Manual. We are in a constant struggle for defending our academic legitimacy. Some administrators get it, and some don't. In tough financial times like these, we have to fight even harder.

RVI

With your "leadership" score, is it possible for your ASB President to not get a "4"?

I suppose if the president were not performing his/her duties of conducting the meeting, then yes. This score of "4," though, is strictly for performing the task of running the meeting each day. I have had GREAT ASB Presidents, and I have had some stinkers. Those who are not good leaders may get that score of "4," for facilitating daily meetings, but will come up short in other areas. I would expect an ASB President to be taking the lead on a number of different tasks, big and small. In the real world, though, we don't always get those dynamic, outstanding leaders at the top of the heap. That's why I like this grading system--because it keeps everyone, including the ASB President, honest.

RVI

Do you do make-up hours?

I'm not sure exactly what that question means, but I'll give it a shot. Kids have the flexibility to do their hours whenever they wish over the course of the grading period. For those that can't do much after school (because of transportation, sports, or other issues) they can do all their hours at break and lunch, if they're creative with their scheduling.

Kids understand coming into ASB (because they and their parents signed off on the application saying so) that there is an OUTSIDE component to ASB, and that they won't be able to get a good grade unless they make the time for service beyond the classroom.

If I didn't answer your question, please post a comment to my blog, or e-mail me at rvi@hartdistrict.org.

RVI

What was the last story?

I never got to my last story, in either of my two presentations. Sadly, I cannot share my "Hollywood retreat" story on the blog. It's a GREAT story for ASB Directors, though. I just need to tell you in person. Come to CADA Camp this summer and I will happily share the story with you, as I plan to work all the camps this summer. Either that, or you'll have to ask me at next year's convention.

:-)
RVI

On the rubric for the leadership score, can someone earn a "5" for completing his/her assigned responsibility? Does she or he earn hours even if it's

part of her or his assigned responsibility?

Yes. In my system, kids get points for everything they do, whether it's in their job description or not.

Here's the PowerPoint!

Here are the PowerPoint slides from my presentation. I'll be answering questions over the next few days, so please stay tuned as I continue to respond to your notecard questions!

DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT SLIDES HERE

Thanks to ScrappyDee for the reminder, and I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation! :-)

RVI

If a kid gets detention or Saturday school, should they be removed from ASB? Can I put that in the application?

Hmmm. I certainly think that ASB students should be role models and examples of good behavior. I do have conduct rules in all my applications that kids (and parents) sign off on and agree to follow. The ONE student I had to kick out of ASB because of conduct was much easier to remove because I was able to cite specific portions of the agreement in his "ejection letter."

The applications and the dismissal letter are all available for download on this blog.

I should tell you that I did not remove the student right away. You gotta remember they're still kids, and as I teacher I feel it is our obligation to teach them to learn from their mistakes. Some of these kids have hard habits to break that have been instilled within them from home. Before that "ejection letter," the student and I had had several discussions about his conduct, and about how much I wanted him to be able to stay in ASB and contribute to the group. It finally got to the point, however, where I had to let him go (after he snuck into the Winter Formal without paying).

There would, of course, be SEVERE infractions for which I would immediately remove an ASB student. Weapons possession, drug or alcohol possession on campus, these would be automatic.

Hope that helps. Give me a holler if you have more questions. Also check out the conduct agreements and the "Letter Removing an ASB officer from office."

RVI

Is there still a leadership/learning aspect as demonstrated in a written paper or papers?

What I didn't clarify in the presentation (and thank you for reminding me of this) is that the grading packet is MOST of the grade. I would say it constitutes 80-90% of the final grade.

I do have leadership assignments throughout the quarter. I also give them a grade for their notebook, which is basically a log of everything that happens during the business meeting. This helps them because they're keeping track of what's going on, and it also keeps them on task during the business meeting.

MOST of the grade, though, is the grading packet. Great question. Thank you!

Hope that helps. If not, give me a holler.

RVI

Do you have to rely on the kids' honesty for the rubrics? How do you make sure they don't over-inflate their grades?

I don't just take the student's word for it. I carefully review each grading packet, especially at the beginning of the school year. I try to make the language very clear in the rubric, so there's not a lot of room for interpretation. In the beginning of the year, I work carefully with each student, and review their grade packets VERY carefully. Those kids who over-inflate their grades, I speak with them and we go over their scores. We basically take 10-15 minutes with me telling them, "You're not as good as you think you are." In a nice way, of course. Eventually, they learn to have a more honest assessment of themselves, and if they are NOT happy with the numbers that come out in the end, rather than fudging numbers, they just need to work that much harder during the next grading period.

Hope that helps. If not, give me a holler.

RVI

CADA Convention Day 3 - February 29, 2008

I'm in the General Session right now, sitting at the A/V booth waiting to finish my voice-over duties for the day. I'm enjoying our keynote speaker's enthusiasm.

I'm also taking this opportunity to read the comments and questions from those people who attended my session. Keep checking this blog! I will answer them all as soon as I can over today and tomorrow.

If you think of a question later, OR if you don't see your question here, I'm not ignoring you. I may simply have misplaced your question. Please e-mail me at rvi@hartdistrict.org and I will respond to you ASAP.

Thanks again to everyone who attended my workshop this morning. I hope you found something you can take back to your school.

RVI

CADA Convention Day 2 - February 28, 2008

Today was a full day at the CADA Convention. The highlight of the day for me was definitely this morning's keynote speaker, Chad Hymas.

Chad talked about how we have a responsibility as adults to do the right thing, and guide the young people in our care down the right path, just like his father did. Being a father myself, Chad's talk especially resonated with me. The best message was this: "The greatest gift you can give to the young people in your life is the gift of time." Chad's story made me think of how fortunate I am to have all that I have, and I made sure to give my wife and daughter an extra hug and a kiss when I saw them later this morning.

Tomorrow morning I will be giving my very first full-length presentation at the CADA Convention, and I am both excited and nervous. I hope to give valuable tools to those who attend my session tomorrow, and inspiration that "it really does get easier after the first year!"

CADA Convention Day 1 - February 27, 2008

Wow! What a great first day of the CADA Convention! I got to see lots of my old CADA friends, I got to catch up with some of my favorite speakers (the Original Mike Smith, Tyler Durman, Russ Peak, and Patrick Maurer), and show off my 13-month-old baby to everyone!

That artist we saw at the first General Session, David Garibaldi, was amazing! I enjoyed his message about using your "platform" to lead and inspire your students, and his skills with paint and canvas were unbelievable. He was a super nice guy to boot! My daughter seems to be saying, "Can you believe this guy? He's awesome!"

In two days, I will present "Elect Them, Select Them, and Hold Them Accountable: Surrounding Yourself with Great Student Leaders." My goal is to help new activities directors to see that the key to a great leadership program is to attract students to your program who are in it for the right reasons: to serve the students of their school. When you establish a culture of humility and service, you draw more students to your program who want to put others--and not themselves--on a pedestal.

RVI