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 how to walk this line is exactly the kind of discussion that makes the NatStuCo Adviser Online Community such a valuable asset. Have you joined the community? If not, join now at https://community.nassp.org/NatStuCo. The community will be open all summer and, absent the stress of the routine school day, it’s a place to finally focus on some of your most pressing questions as an adviser.

You may want to delve into some of the community discussions from this year:

  • “Does anyone have any unique ideas for raising funds to go to conferences? I’d like to take my student leaders to state, regional, and national conferences, but money often tends to be a barrier because of the travel involved.” 
  • “What role does student council play in your school?”
  • “Can you share a suggestion for councils and advisers who are going to apply for the National Council of Excellence Award for the first time?”
  • During award season: “What kind of recognition do you have for members?”

Explore the community for other valuable gems, too. The Resources section, for example, is your place to find and share documents, links, templates, and other materials that might be useful to your peers.

A council adviser from Hilo High School in Hawaii shared a link to a student voice survey created by students in advance of the arrival of a new superintendent. The survey revealed students wanted more classes geared toward career readiness, especially in STEM; better bathroom facilities; and more parking for students. She reports, “The students took it upon themselves to count how many empty teacher parking stalls there were on campus. Using this data, the students attended [the] School Community Council meeting, presented the facts to our principals, and saw results and changes within the very next day.”

The Adviser Online Community also posts news and events, so you can keep current on NatStuCo programs and activities.

Visit the community over the summer. It will likely be an ideal tool to support your planning for the 2018–19 school year.

Nice Job!

Do you have students who are struggling to carve a career path, especially graduating seniors? Young professionals who have been in their shoes are ready to share their wisdom. The new videos released as part of the Career Exploration Series that debuted this school year provide an ideal opportunity for them to hear straight from the experts. Each video, accessible through the Online Learning section of the Adviser Resource Center, showcases former student leaders detailing their career journey. A wide range of careers are covered, including interviews with a restaurateur, an attorney, a business development analyst in the sports and entertainment industry, and a photographer/entrepreneur.

To access the series, your students will need your log-in credentials for the Adviser Resource Center. Be sure to share it with them to open the door to this informative library. The series can be found at www.NatStuCo.org/career-series.