Alliance for Student Activities
DifferenceMaker Award

2010 DifferenceMaker Award Winners Announced

After careful evaluation of all the applications for the DifferenceMaker Award, the Alliance for Student Activities is proud to announce the national winners for 2010. The decision was a difficult one because of the high quality of the projects submitted; judges ultimately decided that in addition to the two national winners, they also would award three honorable mentions.  The 2010 NSLW DifferenceMaker Awards go to:

High School National Winner:Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology in Conyers, Georgia, advised by Susan Gary, for its “Food Wars” project, a food drive that enabled the local food bank to keep its doors open in a very lean time. The project involved a creative twist on a familiar class competition idea and pitted each grade level and the teachers against each other to see which group could bring in the most food.  When the student leaders delivered their initial collection to the food pantry and saw the empty shelves that were causing the pantry to close its doors, they went back to school and motivated their peers to more than double the amount originally collected.  Creative organization, strong student leadership, and good publicity fostered the group’s success, and enabled them to get the entire school community involved.

HS Honorable Mentions:

• Governor Mifflin High School in Shillington, Pa., advised by Nancy Brady, for its “Second Annual Mini-THON,” which raised $30,000 for The Four Diamonds Fund.
• Palos Verdes High School in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., advised by Kristen Huber, for its “Hope for Haiti—A Concert for a Cause” project, which raised more than $10,000 for World Concern for Haitian recovery efforts.

Middle Level National Winner: Brooklawn Middle School in Parsippany, N.J., advised by Lou Miller, for its “Serve the Soldiers” project, in which students collected letters, cards, and personal items for the men and women of a United Stated army unit in Afghanistan.  A certificate from the commanding officer of the unit that received the care packages indicated that the Brooklawn student “greatly increased the morale of the soldiers.”

ML Honorable Mention:

• Governor Mifflin Middle School in Shillington, Pa., advised by Nancy Brady, for its “2009 Best Day Keep It Campaign Project,” created blankets, a book, and other items for children in Ivory Park, South Africa.

“We often hear that young people are the leaders of tomorrow. With their demonstrated concern for the people in their community and their willingness to do something to help those less fortunate than them, the student leaders at these award-winning schools have shown that they are leaders in their community today,” says Lyn Fiscus, vice president of the Alliance for Student Activities. “We applaud their efforts and salute them as DifferenceMakers.”

Join us in congratulating these Alliance members for making a difference in their communities. Plan now to submit one of your organization’s service projects for the 2011 DifferenceMaker Award. Applications are due March 31, 2011.

Activity advisors who are affiliated with the Alliance for Student Activities are encouraged to submit their organization’s best service project in consideration for the Alliance’s DifferenceMaker Award, which honors groups whose service to their community has made a difference in their world. One high school member and one middle level member will receive national recognition, a plaque for their school, and a speech by motivational speaker “The Original” Mike Smith at their school during the following year. Plaque and transportation for Mike Smith is provided by Herff Jones, Inc.

Official Rules

• Activity advisors in the United States and Canada who are affiliated with the Alliance are eligible to apply.
  
• Projects must be carried out between April 1, 2010 and March 30, 2011.
  
• A photocopy of the advisor’s membership card or other proof of current membership in the Alliance must accompany the application.
  
• Entries must be submitted on the official form.
  
• Attachments to elaborate on items mentioned in the application are acceptable if they are mounted on 8.5” x 11” sheets. Submit no more than five additional sheets. Additional materials can include photos, newspaper clippings, copies of printed programs, CDs, or DVDs.
  
• Winners will be selected based on their written application forms and accompanying attachments. Judges’ decisions are final.
  
• Winners will be notified individually and will be posted at www.alliance4studentactivities.org in April, 2011.
  
• Entries become the property of the Alliance and will not be returned. By entering, applicants grant the Alliance the right to publish names and quotes from entries in national materials and to the public. The Alliance reserves the rights (1) to not award a prize if none of the entries is deemed worthy and (2) to disqualify entries if they are not submitted according to the above guidelines.

Judging

A panel of judges representing organizations whose missions encompass service and leadership will judge the entries in April and will evaluate them based on:

• Engagement of the student body in the project (i.e., how many students were involved in the project)
• Impact of the project on the school or local community or results achieved
  
• Creativity of the project idea and/or its implementation
  
• Leadership demonstrated by group members in carrying out the project
  
• Written quality and clarity of the application.

Deadline for Entry

For award consideration, applications must be postmarked by March 30, 2011 and sent to DifferenceMaker Award, Alliance for Student Activities, 1129 Ortega Rd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114. (Note: The date stamped by the Post Office supersedes your school postage meter date.) Include a self-addressed, stamped postcard if you would like verification that your entry was received.