Bulletin News

11/04/2009 

Approximately 175 students from 15 area high schools who are interested in learning more about leadership skills will attend the 14th annual High School Leadership Day Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The conference sold out in October.

Sponsored by the Center for Educational Exchange (CEE), the event will take place from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in Corey Union.

The conference is designed for students in grades 9-12, school counselors, club advisors and coaches. Attendees will participate in a variety of interactive workshops, meet students and advisors from other schools and be inspired by leaders from a variety of career backgrounds.

The theme for this year's conference is "Leaders Wear Many Hats." A variety of activity-based workshops will challenge students to think about the many hats worn by or roles of successful leaders. There is also a workshop to address the interests of high school advisors.

New this year is a keynote address titled "Student Leaders Need to Model Responsible Driving Habits," by SUNY Cortland Senior Lindsay Rowley, a communication disorders and sciences major from Cooperstown, N.Y. Rowley lost three high school classmates in driving accidents and became an advocate for driver education programs. Her presentation poignantly illustrates how her friends and too many other young lives are cut short in tragic driving accidents most often due to inexperience and/or distracted driving. Rowley was recently interviewed by Girls' Life magazine and USA Today.

Rowley also will co-present three leadership workshops with Van Flanigan, vice president/general manager at Virtual Driver Interactive from Atlanta, Ga. Students will have the opportunity to test drive a desktop multimedia driver trainer simulator that can evaluate 80 critical driving skills.

Local public school educators who will present workshops are: Port Byron (N.Y.) High School representatives, including principal Shawn Bissetta, teacher Angie Hargreaves and several Apex high school student leaders; and Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES Youth Development Student Assistance Services representatives including Specialists Jennifer Astles and Meredith DePol and Director Amanda Verba.

Also presenting are Pam Strausser, president of Cosmos Hill Associates and senior human resource consultant at the Department of Organizational Development at Cornell University, and LEAD! students from Cortland's junior and senior high schools and Homer High School.

SUNY Cortland's Mary Kate Boland, campus activities, and Louis Larson, career services, also will present along with several SUNY Cortland students.

For more information, contact CEE at (607) 753-4704 or visit the CEE Web site and select the Programs for High School Students link.