Three Ways to Help Student Leaders Learn From Failure
Failure is an essential part of life, and its impact on personal growth and development cannot be overstated. However, many student leaders who are accustomed to success and achievement perceive failure as a devastating blow to their self-esteem and academic futures. While they are typically willing to take risks as leaders, they are not always...
Student Leadership
NatStuCo Update: Winter 2022
Raising Student Voice & Participation (RSVP) is NatStuCo’s signature program to help activate student voice in schools. Through a series of trainings and summits, student leaders can take the lead to engage their entire school, as well as faculty and staff, to improve school culture. Why RSVP? Promoting and nurturing a culture of authentic schoolwide...
Advise, Advise: Volume 50 (2021-2022)
Opening the Door of Opportunity
Rashaan Davis likes to think back to what he was like as a 15-year-old. It’s not that he’s especially nostalgic because, let’s face it, that’s often a tough age for kids. Davis likes to reminisce because it helps him remember what it was like to be starting high school, and what could have made him...
Advise, Advise: Volume 50 (2021-2022)
Collaboration Space: Fall 2021
Treat Yo Shelves After learning a local homeless shelter was in desperate need of children’s books, NHS members at Riverbend Academy in Ormond Beach, FL, organized a charitable drive to help those in need. Members promoted the children’s book drive on Riverbend Academy’s social media platforms. They also created and distributed hard-copy flyers for younger...
Advise, Advise: Volume 49 (2020-2021)
Speaking Out About Mental Health: Spring 2021
I ended my first week of finals my sophomore year on the side of the highway in my car, completely alone, and having a panic attack. I’ll never forget how it felt as my vision constricted, and I realized I definitely wasn’t “OK.” I had to muster all the energy I could to pull over,...
Advise, Advise: Volume 49 (2020-2021)
Empowering Student Voice and Advocacy
An engaged, well-spoken, informed student leader is all it takes to motivate the masses into civic action. Traditionally, our school sees the most student activism when a passionate upperclassman leads the charge. While educators can educate and then ask, influence, or motivate students into participation, it really is those age-alike peers who model civic engagement...
Advise, Advise: Volume 48 (2019-2020)
Take 10: Spring 2020
Empower Student Voice Julie Kasper, assistant principal at Century High School in Hillsboro, OR, and former student activities director, encourages her students to rise up and be heard by: Running nonpartisan social media accounts to inform classmates of events at which they can use their voices and share their opinions, such as town halls Encouraging...
Advise, Advise: Volume 48 (2019-2020)
NatStuCo Update: October/November 2018
A student body can greatly improve its school and community when it unites for positive change, but the trouble is finding a way to make sure every student’s voice is heard. That is where the Raising Student Voice & Participation (RSVP) program comes in. This summit-based framework uses the leadership of your student council to...
Advise, Advise: Volume 47 (2018-2019)
A Conversation With… Jahnavi Rao
Jahnavi Rao is a recent graduate from Conestoga High School in Berwyn, PA. But she’s not your average student. In addition to being a productive member of the National Honor Society (NHS) and being accepted into Harvard University, Rao formed a nonpartisan, high school-run organization called 2018 New Voters. New Voters has now been registered...
Advise, Advise: Volume 47 (2018-2019)
NatStuCo Update: June 2018
Student voice truly grabbed the spotlight this school year, given walkouts, protests, and other actions students staged to express concerns, especially over school safety. As an adviser, you have a voice, too—one that must be delicately balanced against the backdrop of allowing students their space and place while following appropriate school and district protocols. Discovering...
Advise, Advise: Volume 46 (2017-2018)