MASSP News Center

There are no log cabins, bonfires or morning baths in the lake. Students sleep in dorms, eat in a cafeteria and have community bathrooms. Nonetheless, it’s CAMP! Leadership Camp, that is.

MASSP’s student-oriented organizations, the Michigan Associations of Student Councils & Honor Societies (MASC/MAHS) put on two leadership camps each year – one for middle level students and another for high school students. Students who attend the camp learn a variety of leadership tools and are put through challenges that require them to use those skills and form bonds that can last a lifetime.

Student Council and Honor Society advisers from all over Michigan volunteer their time to help MASC/MAHS provide a valuable growth experience for student delegates. College students who were once part of the program in high school return to help students have just as phenomenal an experience as they had themselves.

Students come from middle schools and high schools throughout the state and most are already a part of their school’s student council, honor society or other student leadership program. Students are assigned to mock “councils” while at camp and work closely with the other 15 students in their group to enhance their leadership skills, work through group challenges, facilitate camp-wide activities and engage in other experiential events throughout the week.

Curriculum at camp varies based on whether students are attending their first, second or third year. Project planning is woven throughout all activities, and students also spend time with managing meetings, communication skills, presentation tips, diversity issues, self-esteem, goal setting and a number of other related topics.

After returning to their schools in the fall, students often display a renewed enthusiasm for leadership and school climate initiatives. They have more initiative and take more ownership in the events and activities that take place at school. Students step up and truly become a pivotal part of their school leadership group, classmates, and the entire school.

For the 2007 Summer Leadership Camp, MASC & MAHS are grateful for the generosity of SET-SEG, MHSAA, MASSP, and the Mr. K Camp Scholarship for providing over $12,000 worth of scholarships to students around Michigan. Schools and students that applied for the scholarships were asked to complete letters detailing their desire to send students as well as the students’ financial needs.

SET-SEG awarded five schools scholarships of various amounts, totaling $5,000: Avondale High School, Auburn Hills; Fitzgerald High School, Warren; Hanover-Horton High School, Horton; Houghton High School, Houghton; Parchment High School, Parchment. Some of the awarded schools send large delegations year after year to the MASC/MAHS Summer Leadership Camp program, while others like Houghton and Hanover-Horton are sending students for the first time!

MHSAA will be awarding scholarships to student athletes who display leadership within their sport team. Scholarships from MHSAA are for $200 and they will award up to 15 students. MASSP has $1,600 in scholarship money that will also be distributed to students in need. The Mr. K Camp Scholarship Fund will be awarding numerous scholarships for the first year, up to a total of approximately $2,000.

To learn more about the MASC/MAHS Summer Leadership Camp, contact Kadi Pojeta, MASSP Coordinator of Student Leadership Services via email, kadip@michiganprincipals.org, or phone: 517-327-5315.