Class of '17 SAC Members Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 1, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Eight student-athletes who will be juniors at their schools during the 2015-16 academic year have been selected to serve two-year terms on the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Student Advisory Council.
The Student Advisory Council is a 16-member group which provides feedback on issues impacting educational athletics from a student’s perspective, and also is involved in the operation of Association championship events and other programming. Members of the Student Advisory Council serve for two years, beginning as juniors. Eight new members are selected annually to serve on the SAC, with nominations made by MHSAA member schools. The incoming juniors will join the group of eight seniors-to-be appointed a year ago.
Selected to begin serving on the Student Advisory Council in 2015-16 are: Alex Janosi, Dexter; Lindsay Duca, East Grand Rapids; Meghan Boyd, Kent City; Marrissa Immel, Munising; Jordan Walker, Muskegon Mona Shores; Jack Donnelly, Ottawa Lake Whiteford; Van Nguyen, Plymouth; and Cade Smeznik, Yale.
The first Student Advisory Council was formed for the 2006-07 school year. With the addition of this class beginning this summer, members will have represented 79 schools from 42 leagues plus independent schools that do not play in a league. Combined, the new appointees have participated in 11 MHSAA sports, and all eight will be the first SAC members from their respective schools.
The Student Advisory Council meets seven times each school year, and once more for a 24-hour leadership camp. In addition to assisting in the promotion of the educational value of interscholastic athletics, the council discusses issues dealing with the 4 S’s of educational athletics: scholarship, sportsmanship, safety (including health and nutrition) and the sensible scope of athletic programs. There also is a fifth S discussed by the group – student leadership.
This school year, the Council judged the fourth “Battle of the Fans” after creating the contest during 2011-12 as a way to promote positive sportsmanship. The Council also began updating the “Captains 101” leadership guide that was published in 2009 and has been distributed throughout Michigan and also, by request, to other states and internationally.
The new additions to the SAC will join the Class of 2016 members who were selected a year ago: Tucker Gross, Beal City; Katie Hartzler, Bridgman; Benjamin Kowalske, Livonia Stevenson; Jordan Michalak, Birmingham Seaholm; Bekah Myler, Gaylord St Mary; Jared Pittman, Muskegon; Trevor Trierweiler, Portland; and Greta Wilker, Belding.
It's Time: Bring on Battle of the Fans IV
December 10, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Our games have moved inside, and student fan sections have followed. Gyms are jammed, cheers fill the air, and all is merry and bright.
It's that Battle of the Fans time of year, and the MHSAA's Student Advisory Council is again preparing to reward the top high school student cheering section in Michigan.
Battle of the Fans was started during the 2011-12 school year to promote the opportunity for a fun, positive cheering experience for fans supporting their teams.
Beaverton was named last year’s champion and presented with a banner during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center. Sections from Bridgman, Buchanan, Frankfort and Traverse City West also were finalists last winter.
Schools are invited to submit a short video, via YouTube, of their cheering sections in action. Video submissions should be between 90 seconds and three minutes long and explain how that section meets the following contest criteria: positive sportsmanship, student body participation, school spirit, originality of cheers, organization of the group, student section leadership and fun.
The deadline for student-submitted video applications is noon Jan. 10. Five finalists including at least one Class C or D school then will be chosen and visited on a home game night by MHSAA staff and Advisory Council representatives. The MHSAA will produce a video of that finalist after each visit, with the champion being selected by the Student Advisory Council based in part on activity on the MHSAA’s social media sites.
This year’s winner will be announced Feb. 20 and recognized March 27 at the Breslin Center.
Rules, directions for submitting videos, plus links to coverage of finalists from the first three years of the contest can be found on the MHSAA Website. As in the past, this year’s finalist videos plus the announcement of the 2014-15 winner will be published on Second Half.
Make sure to mark all of your social media postings regarding Battle of the Fans III with the hashtag #BOTF – and keep an eye out for more information on the MHSAA's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites. Click the links below to see the stories and videos from visits to our first three champions:
Frankenmuth (2012) - Buchanan (2013) - Beaverton (2014)
The Student Advisory Council is made up of eight seniors and eight juniors, who each serve two-year terms. The Council acts as the voice of Michigan's student-athletes; it serves as a student sounding board for the MHSAA's Representative Council, assists in planning Sportsmanship Summits, Captains Clinics and other student leadership events; participates in a yearly focus group about the state of high school sports for Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and assists with medal ceremonies at MHSAA championship events.