Dear Advisors and Student Leaders,

Each year OASC hosts the Council Recognition program as a way to award councils and schools for their hard work as they spend their year serving, learning, investing, and growing alongside their school communities.

We are so proud of the work that Oregon youth leaders have been doing, inside their school and within their communities at large. OASC finds itself lucky to have the opportunity to recognize some of the amazing programs in Oregon with our council recognition program. It is our desire that our member schools take advantage of this tool to grow and continue their impactful work.

The intentions of the OASC Council Awards are 3-fold:

1. To be a goal setting and planning tool for advisers and student leaders as they outline their programming and curriculum for the year;

2. To be used as an evaluation tool throughout the year to help you see what you’ve accomplished and stay focused on what you are striving for, and;

3. A method whereby OASC can recognize member schools within the state.

Please encourage your students to apply for a Council Award this year. Many schools make this a student directed project for their ASB or Senior Class officers or an early spring reflective group activity.

Councils will be awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze level status, and will be honored at the OASC Spring Conference in Seaside. They will receive specially designed certificates designating their recognition. OASC will also prepare a media press release for your local news outlets and recognized councils will be featured on our OASC website and social media sites.

The application with attached evidence must be submitted via this Jotform no later than Friday, April 4th 2025.

This program runs spring to spring, so materials and evidence must be from April 1st 2024 through March 31st 2025.

Late applications will lose an award level immediately. Exceptions might be made if there is communication prior to the April 4th deadline.

To support you as you gather application materials and evidence, we have created form for you to use a checklist for all needed items and specific evidence requested as well as the assigned point levels. This form is strictly for your records and is to be used as a checklist of items, crossing off and notating key information as you collect it or add it to the submission form via Jotform, as well as utilizing it to track your self scoring. You can find that form linked here.

We are happy to support you and your student councils any way that we can. We look forward to reviewing your application! If you have any questions, please contact Cameron Broome by phone at (503) 480-7206 or by email at cameron@oasc.org. Thank you.

- Cameron Broome, OASC Interim Executive Director and the OASC Baord

Please rate your school on a scale from 0 (N/A or you don't have that item) to the maximum number listed (full possible points) on the following items.

Items that require an upload means you must provide additional evidence (photos, links, screen shots, etc). Examples should be explicit in showing why your council deserves full points. Some language is included to provide further description of what a gold level school will provide in terms of proof or representation of having successfully fulfilled the requirements to receive full points in the section.

Please rate your school on a scale from 0 (N/A or you don't have that item) to the maximum number listed (full possible points) on the following items.

Items that require an upload means you must provide additional evidence (photos, links, screen shots, etc). Examples should be explicit in showing why your council deserves full points. Some language is included to provide further description of what a gold level school will provide in terms of proof or representation of having successfully fulfilled the requirements to receive full points in the section.

Provide 1 unique example of an activity for each of the following categories in the evidence section of your portfolio. All examples should include a written description (between 100-500 words) and either a photo, screenshot, or other visual component. The written description should include a description of each event / activity, purpose, date / time / place, and % of attendance if applicable.

School spirit activities are a powerful way to foster community, boost morale, and create a positive school environment. This can include, but is not limited to, activities like spirit dress up weeks, pep rallies/assemblies, spirit point/class competitions, spirit shop, etc.

Community service refers to voluntary work undertaken by individuals or groups to benefit and improve their local community or society at large. This can include, but is not limited to, activities like food/clothing drives, change drives, volunteering at local shelters/retirement centers, adopt-a-families, etc.

Recognizing and celebrating the achievements of both students and staff is a powerful way to foster a positive school culture, motivate continued effort, and build school pride. These are any activities that celebrate both students and staff for accolades, work, for being oneself, or more. This can include, but is not limited to, activities like student/staff of the week, award ceremonies, peer-to-peer recognition, etc.

Appreciation refers to the recognition of the hard work, dedication, and positive contributions of both school staff and students. It involves expressing gratitude and acknowledging their efforts. This can include, but is not limited to, activities like personalized notes/cards, thank you breakfast/lunches, locker acknowledgements, in-class shout outs, etc.

School unity refers to initiatives designed to foster collaboration, inclusivity, and a strong sense of community among students, staff, and families. Unity is best defined as the ways your school uses culture and climate to bring all of its students together to feel connected to the greater school community while still recognizing and celebrating differences. This can include, but is not limited to, activities like unity weeks, buddy programs, promoting student art/performance displays, field days, kindness campaigns, etc.

Different from unity, DEI is about how you have specifically sought to support, celebrate, and elevate members of your school community who are underserved and underrepresented. Such as students who are BIPOC, LGBTQ2SIA+, disabled, or navigating poverty. Your evidence should be representative and informed. This can include, but is not limited to, hosting guest speakers from diverse backgrounds, facilitating open conversations about cultural sensitivity, organizing cultural awareness events, promoting inclusive language, creating student-led diversity clubs, ensuring equitable access to extracurricular activities for all students, etc.

Please rate your school on a scale from 0 (N/A or you don't have that item) to the maximum number listed (full possible points) on the following items.

Items that require an upload means you must provide additional evidence (photos, links, screen shots, etc). Examples should be explicit in showing why your council deserves full points. Some language is included to provide further description of what a gold level school will provide in terms of proof or representation of having successfully fulfilled the requirements to receive full points in the section.