Opening Issue 2013-2014 You can subscribe instantly at www.mascmahs.org/leadershipbeat

The Leadership Beat Student Leadership News Page One

ToddTalk: FOMO. A Student Leader EpidemicLast month, the masterminds behind the vocabulary of the world added the term "FOMO" to the English language dictionary, a shock to many people who were born prior to the release of Titanic. Simultaneously adults across the nation rushed to their web browsers seeking the de!nition of this acronym-turned-vernacular (this adult included). Within seconds of the discovery of this acronym as the "Fear of Missing Out" illustrated an epidemic that has plagued students involved in activities since the butter churning club started in a one-room schoolhouse hundreds of years ago.

Most of you have a funny feeling in your stomach !lled with the contents of your latest Starbuck's run, since even the mention of this term hits a little too close to home. FOMO as an acronym could be used as an adjective that describes the majority of the students that activities include, the students who run those activities, and the students who care about the outcome of what happens in the place that you spend upwards of 35 hours a week. You have had the wandering wonder of what happened at the basketball game that you missed because you went to your little sister's birthday party instead. You've had the scathing scrutiny of your decision that you made when you had to choose between your part time job and the "oat party. You've persevered, yet are always left with a feeling of "what if?" that plagues even the most actualized of student leaders.

It's only natural for people like you who live leadership as a lifestyle to have the most severe outbreaks of FOMO, conveniently striking at the most inconvenient of times. However, as a former student leader who has been living a productive and ful!lled life with FOMO since most of you could even mutter the word "homecoming" I can assure you, with the right mindset and a healthy dose of assurance, your FOMO-!lled lifestyle will be one that you are proud of day in and day out. The only cure for the symptoms that FOMO heaps upon student leaders (conditions such as insomnia, checking for tweets or texts hundreds of times per day, and in the most severe cases: unplanned afternoon naps that lead to further FOMO-related anxious thoughts) is a dose of assurance, a commitment to positivity, and an understanding that even if you don't DO IT ALL, you can lead a lucrative leadership laden life.

Many of you have recognized this about yourself, and already put your FOMO-coping into place. Initial actions should include maintaining a current calendar, and making sure that your agendas and to-do lists include time for yourself to recuperate, disconnect, and even relax. A student leader who's immune system has collapsed is almost certainly destined for a dose of strep throat, accompanied by time off school, friends, and activities (and eventually a FOMO "are). Prioritize these lists from FREAK! (meaning the things that must be done for your academic or personal continuity) to meek (the things that can wait for a day, or until the next time you get a snow day). Know yourself, know what you enjoy, know what you don't. Don't fall into the trap of doing the fun stuff !rst, you'll just dread the tasks that consistently plummet to the part of your list right above getting a root canal, or watching a Nickelback video on YouTube).

A healthy way to combat FOMO is to take time to talk to the people that love you. Obviously, MASC/MAHS is !lled with like-minded students from across the mitten of our nation. But where aren't you looking to !nd someone to help you with what you want to do? Your friends may be like you and involved in things outside of the classroom. They might not be.

See FOMO on page two for more.

Do YOU feel FOMO?

FOMO cont’d.Instead of trying to get someone to understand WHY you eat your lunch standing up (umm…DUH, who else is going to sell dance tickets?) or the fact that you don't have the opportunity to catch vintage Spongebob episodes after school (tutoring isn't going to run itself!) use your friends from outside your involvement to learn about how to relax! Once upon a high school this young lad himself had to learn that there is great joy in not sweating the small stuff, and that I could spend a Saturday evening listening to Open House Party on the radio while playing Tecmo football on the original Nintendo found in a dumpster. The lessons you learn from the most unexpected places are the ones remembered the longest.

To wrap this edition of ToddTalk, I'm hoping that each of you have the opportunity to take a much needed look at where and how you spend your time and energy. Just look at Hannah Montana, she wanted the best of both worlds, and now she looks like she looks like a gummy bear gone astray. Whether you live in the outskirts of Ontanagon or the traffic of Troy, it's not easy to be a teen in 2013. You can be reached by almost anyone at anytime, and your changing crazy beings are craving the time they need to grow and learn. By resolving to live life in leadership, and therefore on your own terms, you're not only going to be successful as a student, but these lessons will stick with you longer than you can fathom at this point of your life.

ToddTalk is the official musings of MASC/MAHS Director, Todd Burlingham. Follow all of these zany thoughts on Twitter: @Todd_Talk!

The Leadership Beat Student Leadership News Page Two

Inspiration Station: Things We Forget

Connect with MASC/MAHS anytime online...

www.thingsweforget.blogspot.com

Student leaders are always looking for inspiration. The Leadership Beat aims to !nd inspiration for student leaders and those that love them. One of the places that many of our staff members and volunteers frequent is an online blog entitled “Things We Forget.”

Written by anonymous man, the mission is to draw simple illustrations on sticky notes, and put them in public places for people to !nd, think about, and hopefully adapt into their everyday life. Online since 2009, hundreds of messages have been spread by the author who simply goes by the phrase “To Do.”

The blog is set up so that you can not only see a high-quality image of the illustration that was made, but “To Do” also snaps a photo of where it was put in public. City parks, public busses and subways, stores, and sidewalks have all been used as a platform to spread simple pieces of reminding one another that as humans, we have many things that can get in the way of how we think clearly.

Such a simple task is something that many student leaders could learn from. Not only are we in need of constant reminders in how to be better today and in the future, but it also illustrates how the smallest of tasks can make an impact.

We encourage you to show the “Things We Forget” blog to your student groups, and even possibly dedicate time at your next meeting to choosing your favorites. What could YOUR group do if you took the lead made by “To Do”? With a simple approach and a full heart, you could change or enhance the morale in your school, community, and world.

Share a story on the MASC/MAHS Facebook Page.

Use #leadtags or tag @mascmahs

on Twitter!

See videos of events on our

YouTube Channel.

Find activity ideas and more on MASC/MAHS’ Pinterest page.

TLB’s Top Ten

The Leadership Beat Student Leadership News Page Three

Leadership CAN be chicken and go-karts!

Most students can remember their !rst experience with after-school activities. It may have been a sport or a practice, it may have been the !rst middle-school dance that you helped decorate for. Some of you can barely remember a time when you WEREN’T trying to stack as many things on your plate as possible before having to sleep for the night.

At MASC/MAHS we believe that there is a spot in student leadership activities for everyone. It may not be the obvious spot as an executive board member, but knowing that you are reaching the ENTIRE school is a part of being a true student leader.

To help with students who have taken the leap into involvement with leadership activities, MASC/MAHS offers a round of conferences in the late fall each year called Fall Training Institutes. These one-day events have curriculum that is written BY student leaders on our Board of Delegates, and are presented in a dynamic and action-packed day.

The Fall Training Institute skill sessions will focus on topics that are especially important for students who are in their !rst or second year of activities, at both the middle and the high school levels. The skill sessions will not be lecture-style, each topic will bring its own activity and issue processing that students can then bring back to your organization or group. No matter what activity you are in, we can assure you that this will be an excellent time for all involved.

As a bonus, MASC/MAHS strives to make the sites that we hold Fall Training Institutes interactive and enjoyable, many have their own special entertainment that is included in the registration price. With twelve sites and dates to choose from, the hope is that all schools get a chance to participate in these special days to truly welcome the new student leaders in your school. We can guarantee it will be a day that they remember and appreciate.

Learn more and register at www.mascmahs.org/falltraining

Frankenmuth Bavarian InnNovember 4

Kalamazoo Air Zoo

November 6

Grosse Pointe War Memorial

November 8

Frankenmuth Bavarian InnNovember 11

Frankenmuth Bavarian InnNovember 12

St. Ignace Little Bear Arena

November 13

Marquette Northern Mich.

UniversityNovember 14

Lansing Spare Time

EntertainmentNovember 18

Utica Zap Zone

November 19

Frankenmuth Bavarian InnNovember 20

Farmington Zap Zone

November 21

The Top Ten Tweets of what #SpiritIS

Thank you to everyone who shared what they thought their de!nition of

school spirit IS on Twitter! Here are some of the excellent answers:

The Leadership Beat Student Leadership News Page Four

Activity Spotlight: “A road, YOU’ve traveled”At MASC/MAHS, our job is to spotlight excellent students, groups, events, and activities that you can use in

your own group to meet your goals or missions. In this issue, we have provided a resource that can be utilized if your group needs to get to know one another for the !rst time, or if you’re looking for a morale

boost to get to know another even more. We hope you enjoy!

Objective: Encourage team members to utilize past experiences and future goals to make the most of all of the resources that are available within the group. Allow group norms to be established while working in a high-impact setting.

Materials and Preparation: Each group member will need a large (at least 3’x3’) sheet of white paper. Easel pads work wonderfully for this activity! Group members should also have some markers available to them (either to share or 1-2 colors per person).

An adviser or student group leader should talk to the group beforehand about acceptable group behavior. This activity has the potential to have emotional results, and the group should be unwavering in their support.

Instructions for Activity: This activity is all about drawing a map. It’s not of a land that has ever been charted by a mapmaker before. This map will be about your OWN life in leadership. Each of us has a story of where we have come from, and each of us are writing our own story for the future. Knowing that it is important to remember both of these aspects, we will take some time to hear about each others’ journey, so that we can be supportive of the future. There is NO shame in not being artistic or witty. Your map will match your walk, it’s truly all about YOU!

Each person’s map should include the following aspects: -A name. Name your land! Get creative. Call it “yourland.” Whatever makes you comfortable.

-Streets. The mainstay of any map are the streets that we walk, bike, and drive on. In this map, you will name the streets based on the era and activities of your life. You should have at least THREE streets, but challenge yourself to make more based on what was relevant in your life. An example: My cousin was in!uential in my start in student council, therefore the beginning of my map will be on Joe St. The more creative, the better!

-A stop sign. Things get in the way of our successes and plans. This is where we learn and grow as student leaders. Mark a stop sign on your roadmap where you have overcome one of these things that got in the way. If you have more than one, feel free to add them!

-A one way. Recognize a person or event that guided you in the correct direction by placing a “one way” sign in the place where they !t on your map. Just like the stop sign, you should have one, but can feel free to add more if you wish.

-A yield sign. A yield sign shows when we are looking carefully before you make your next move. Place a yield triangle at the point of your map where you are looking to the future.

Processing: Set a timeframe for map creation. Making this a personal activity and re"ection will only encourage group growth. Once you have !nished, divide your time into 1-2 minutes of map sharing time for each person in front of the large group. The creativity of the thoughts that people put behind the naming of each of their items will make the time go quickly! Be sure to create an environment that people feel comfortable to share, and do not tolerate disrespectful behavior.