Illinois Association of Junior High Student Councils

IAJHSC

Welcome new
member schools:

Mideast District
J.W. Eater JHS

North District
Bryan Middle School

Click here to download the Membership Brochure & Application (PDF, 244KB)

Dear Student Council Advisor and Members of Student Council,

You are invited to join the Illinois Association of Junior High Student Councils!

The IAJHSC is a non-profit, member-run organization with over 140 member schools, both public and private, from throughout the state.

The IAJHSC's goal is to assist the Student Councils of Illinois' junior high and middle schools in carrying out a well-rounded program of activities that are of benefit to the school and the community, and that help develop the leadership abilities of the students involved.

The IAJHSC is governed by an elected Executive Director and an Executive Board of eight students and eight Student Council advisors, each elected from their respective districts at our annual state convention. Other association officers who are appointed non-voting members include our Executive Vice-President, Executive Treasurer, the Director of Publications, our Summer Leadership Camp Director and our Workshop Coordinator and Convention Co-coordinator.

We have a lot to offer Student Councils! Just see for yourself:

Publications

Contact is the official IAJHSC newsletter. It is published four times during the school year. It keeps Student Councils informed about Association activities. Each issue of Contact features a Student Council in the state recognized as outstanding in organization and in its program of projects and activities.

Our elected District Representatives write articles on a variety of important topics for each issue of Contact as well. There is also a column by our Executive Director, Bruce A. Small, to keep you current on what is going on within the organization.

The Winter issue focuses on coverage of the State Service Project as well as ideas from the District Reps on other service project ideas.

The March Issue deals with State Convention reminders, Leadership Camp information and Workshop reports from our District Representatives.

The Spring/Summer issue focuses on coverage of the State Convention.

The Fall issue highlights the events and activities of our Leadership Camp.

We have added an Advisor Forum where advisors can respond to important issues in leading a middle level student council. Advisors earn an honor point for submitting their ideas to this column. Contact was published on the website for a while, but we took it off as some schools were having trouble downloading it from the site. We are now sending a copy to each member school via snail mail. You are welcome to copy it for your own council if you wish.

We have a Members Only section which provides a forum for advisors to discuss ideas and leave questions for other advisors to help by making suggestions. We will also be posting the Contact in this section if you chose to make color copies or if you would like to copy any of the pictures from the Contact to share with your students.

Your suggestions are always welcome. Please consider answering the questions posted in the Contact and on the website to earn an additional honor council point.

Website

Students can earn a required honor point by submitting articles about special events or projects for the News from the Schools section of the IAJHSC website. Other schools can make use of the details about a specific council project or event with a picture for the section makes it a super resource for other schools to use.

The IAJHSC Advisor's Resource File

The IAJHSC Advisor's Resource File is a resource book containing valuable information on Student Council organization, group dynamics, and leadership training. Everything in the resource book has been specifically tailored for successful use at the junior high/middle school level. It is sent to members free of charge when they join the IAJHSC.

The IAJHSC Summer Leadership Camp

Summer Leadership Camp is held for a week in late June at Allerton Park, Monticello, IL. This outstanding program gives students experience in developing skills of leadership, cooperation, and problem-solving. They also receive specific job training skills for the roles they will hold in their school in the Fall, including a working knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure. Students who attend camp return to school the following year full of enthusiasm, ideas, and the skills to carry their Student Councils through a successful year. The camp is run by a camp director who is an advisor in one of our member schools along with a staff of other Student Council advisors. They are assisted by high school Student Council members who attended camp when they were in junior high school.

The IAJHSC Annual State Convention

State Convention is held annually in the Spring. It is an exciting event that brings together from 500 - 1,000 student leaders and their advisors from all over Illinois for a Friday evening and Saturday of sharing, learning, fun and business. It is a tremendous experience for students to interact with so many other young people who share their interest in and enthusiasm for leadership and service. The Hall of Ideas in which scrapbooks and "best project" posters brought by schools are on display gives delegates the opportunity to get new project ideas. During district meetings at convention, Student Representatives are elected to serve on the Executive Board for the coming year.

The Honor Council Award Program

This program encourages Student Councils to undertake a variety of projects and activities to produce a balanced, exemplary program of student leadership and service. Student Councils that strive to achieve this award must earn a required number of points for participation in IAJHSC programs and must sponsor activities is each of the following areas: Citizenship/Scholarship Recognition and School Service, Community Service and Human Relations, and School Spirit and Student Involvement.

The State Service Project

The State Service Project is a shared enterprise among our member schools. A charity or non-profit service group that serves the needs of children in some special way throughout the state of Illinois is chosen each year by the Executive Board and funds are raised by the member Student Councils to contribute to the cause.

The Honor Roll of Outstanding Student Council Members

The award gives each member school the chance to give official recognition from the IAJHSC to one of its members who has worked particularly hard to help achieve Student Council's goals.

Principal's Day

The Association encourages member schools to recognize the members of their administration for their support of Student Council by designating a day as Principal's Day. The Association provides schools with a list of suggested activities and certificates expressing the Association's appreciation.

Advisor Longevity Award

The Advisor Longevity Award recognizes advisors for their years of service with pins and certificates for 5, 10, 15 and 20 years of dedication as a Student Council advisor.

Download the Membership Brochure & Application (PDF, 252KB)