Texas student council
Texas is one of the most popular states in the United States of America. The state is also popular for its ace educational institutions and students from all over the globe fancy trotting Texas to get a (better) life! The Student Council Association safeguards the interests of the students. The association of student council is basically a non profit organization that looks after the high school and middle level student councils of Texas. The Texas student council is sponsored by Texas
Association of Secondary School Principals. Texas Association of Student council is also an affiliate of the National Association of Student Council. Texas Student Council came into existence in the year 1937. The most remarkable fact about the Texas Association of Student Council is that it serves around 1300 member schools in Texas. To become the member of this council the school has to pay an annual fee. All the schools whether junior or higher senior secondary can become a member of this council.
The Board of Directors of Texas student council Association is the decision making body and consists of an Executive director of the student council at the top, an advisor and a student officer from the current elected officer schools, an advisor of the immediate past president school, three elected senior high advisors, two advisors elected from junior or high school and three members from the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals. It is to be noted that the advisor and student of the current host school are also a member of the advising committee. There are four officer posts given to the students. These posts in the order of the prestige are President, Vice President, Secretary and Parliamentarian. To select the student for these posts first a school is selected in the State annual Conference. Everyone does not have the power to vote. Only the official student delegates have this power. After one of the schools gets selected then it is the responsibility of the school to elect the student officers.
The Election for various posts of the Student council is held every year. Students are quite enthusiastic about the same. But all the schools are not eligible for participating in the election. Firstly the school should be a member of the Texas Student Council Association and secondly the membership period should be more than one year. Texas Student Council has made certain rules
so that it can offer chance to most of the school participating in the election to hold the office. One of the rules is that a school can at a time only hold one office. If a school has held an office then it can only hold another office after two years period. In other words a school which has held an office can only do so again after complete two years has elapsed.
If a student wishes to be part of the student council directors then he or she must file a nomination before sixty days of the state conference. To file a nomination the student requires sending a letter of intent with the Executive Director signed by the principal. The students can do the campaigns for the election but there are certain rules and regulations made by Texas student council Association which they have to strictly follow.
The Texas Student Council Association does lots of activities at both state and national level. The various activities at the state level are: holding annual conference every year in the month of April, holds a thirteen week long summer Leadership workshop for the training of officers and members in the month of June and July, also holds two advanced workshops in the month of January and February every year, acts as a sponsor for Middle Level School State Annual Conference in the month of November, holds a state level workshop for the advisors in the month of September every year, provides a Leadership workshop manual to all the students participating in that workshop.
Some of the other activities in which Student council participates actively are: promoting statewide projects in which each local student council may participate, publishing five newsletter in a year and developing training materials on student leadership for use on individual school campuses which also includes a curriculum guide for leadership course.
The workshops and conferences held by Texas Student Council association are a treat to watch. The various activities includes group discussion, conference for middle level students, dance etc. There is also an activity in which students have to speak on various topics. The youth speakers are simply outstanding. In the Advanced Leadership Workshop various student leaders having ample of experience with them meet in an effort to improve their leadership skills by taking cue from each other. In the Annual Conference Student Council leaders come together to celebrate their accomplishments. The Texas Student Council Association also divides the Texas into 19 smaller geographical districts so that they can manage the whole thing easily and efficiently. This also helps in promoting services and activities at a local level.
The students who remain active in a Texas Student Council Association District can also help them on the larger scale. They may even be appointed as organizers of activities held at a large scale. Texas Student Council Association also holds a Fall and a Spring conference. However many districts also hold an overnight mid-winter retreat and provide training and activities for sponsors.
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