September is well underway which can only mean one thing: that’s right, school is back in session (stop making that sad face).

Oh yes, the time of year where you pull your dusty backpack out of your closet, buy some new clothes to look fresh on your first day, and hope that you have an easier schedule than last year. PLUS, you can’t forget to complain every couple of hours and make sure to reflect on how much better summer was compared to your coming school year. Sound about right?

If you’ve never read this blog before or have just forgot the usual contents after a summer hiatus (which is definitely my fault, so I apologize), you know what’s coming. Ready? Let’s do this.

Could you decide to think that way? Sure, if you want to have a mediocre year. Want to switch things up and completely ROCK OUT in your school for the next 9 months? If you do, I would love to help make it happen. =]

I get it. You probably got to sleep in this summer. Maybe you spent some time out in the sun with friends. If you went on a family trip or two, that’s fantastic! I would love for you to drop me a line and tell me how it went.

Here’s something you DIDN’T have this summer though: the chance to be surrounded by hundreds of your peers every day. What’s more? You have the chance to help those students before next summer. With that being said, here are a few things to help you completely crush it this school year:

1. Bring it back to May—Remember what you had to say this spring as finals were wrapping up? Things like “next year is going to be different.” “Next year I’ll finally be able to _______.” “Next fall will be amazing!” Start thinking of the few things that you specifically wanted to accomplish this year. Whether it’s getting better grades, making that sports team you’ve been training for, or raising your level of self esteem and confidence, bring your focus back on the few big goals you set for yourself. By refocusing that drive on what is most important to you, you can make this school year truly memorable.

2. Like what you dislike- We all have things in our schools which we are unsatisfied with. Whether it’s our level of school spirit, a lack of caring for standardized testing, or another issue, there are always things that can be improved on. Find one thing within your school that you are generally unsatisfied with. How can you work to fix this issue? Are there others who feel the same way? If so, begin thinking of ways to collaborate and improve these aspects of your campus.

3. Be inclusive- know that there are younger students that are JUST getting used to the ins and outs of your campus. Regardless of how you choose to serve your fellow students this year, try to think of ways to include everyone. Also, gaining insight from younger students brings a fresh dynamic to any group.

4. Ask for help- Teachers at your school aren’t just there to help you with your homework. As a matter of fact, there are plenty of staff members that would love to help you with your project. Have something huge in mind? Reach out to those around you. Activities directors, English teachers, even those in the administration office are there to serve you. By working with everyone on your campus, you can create something HUGE that everyone can benefit from.

Going back to school can be a downer for anyone if you decide to think negatively. Instead, let’s plan on starting this year with a drive and enthusiasm to make things better.

***Have questions about your project! Drop me a line at Scott@ScottBackovich.com and let me know how I can help! ***

If you’ve recently been on my website, Facebook fan page, or have just listened to the new CADA leadership podcast (which can be found on iTunes), you know that I’ve had a massive cyber crush on Formspring as of late. Seeing as I’ve been busy on the road this month speaking at schools and conferences, I’ve had a lot of layover breaks at airports to sit down and answer a lot of your questions about leadership, school, and life in general. You’ve taken the time to think of quality questions, so I’ve set some time aside to answer.

Overall, the response has been GREAT! We’ve covered topics like as how to approach a guy or girl, how to be a standout leader while still having an awesome social life, and how to deal with defeat.  At the same time, there has been some epic back and forth on everything from my favorite Sesame Street character (Elmo, of course) to the pros and cons of almighty Justin Beiber (I’m anti hair flip). Regardless of how serious or goofy the questions, I hope that you have been able to get some great information from my online resources. Furthermore, I hope that you will continue to utilize the site to answer any other questions you may have. As I’ve repeatedly said, I’m here to help!

Like with any online resource that I use, I want to be able to make it applicable for activities directors and teachers to utilize in their classrooms. Like I mentioned above, I recently appeared as a featured guest on the CADA leadership podcast. Whether you listened to it or have yet to press the download button (by the way, it’s totally free for you), here are a few of the points that I touched on.

What is this site good for?

-Formspring allows you to answer questions that A LOT of your students have and post it to public forums such as Facebook, Twitter, or even WordPress. These can be questions regarding scheduled events, student activities, community service projects, etc.

• On a side note, BE CREATIVE! As activities directors and teachers, you get questions on the most random topics known to mankind. The real task when utilizing new technology becomes figuring out how it can be used to best aid your student population.

-This online tool allows your group to enhance their presence on already popular sites is a POSITIVE MANNER.

• Let’s face it…Teens are ALL OVER these websites. As a leadership group, you have the opportunity to provide a positive place for students to go while not tending to their crops on Farmville. Most importantly, linking your Formspring with a Facebook page makes it SUPER EASY for students to access valuable information. You are literally a click away!

- Anonymous Asking

• Your students DO NOT need an account to ask you any questions. Also, the site allows for students to ask questions without providing ANY personal information (such as their name). As an administrator, YOU then have the power to choose which questions you find suitable for answering. Yay for ease of use!

I hope that these brief points give you a good overview of how this site can be used within your leadership group or organization. As always, I would love to answer any questions you may have! Feel free to go to MY Formspring (www.Formspring.me/ScottBackovich) or email me at Scott@ScottBackovich.com

Oh, and students, don’t worry! I will back within days to post a blog JUST for you! In the meantime, you know the drill…Ask away!  www.formspring.me/scottbackovich

***www.ScottBackovich.com ***

One of the cool things about my “job” is not only speaking to teens at schools and conferences, but also hanging out with students afterwards for leadership training and awesome conversation. Usually, we’re able to strike up epic discussions about the important things in life: the new season of Glee, the horrible changes that Facebook has made to their homepage (a recurring topic), and when Eclipse is hitting theatres (fellas, Eclipse is the new TWILIGHT movie–take your lady friend to see it).

Recently, I spoke to a group of middle school students at a leadership retreat in Idyllwild, California. After I got off the stage, the advisors invited me to a barbeque dinner with the students before we got started with in-depth workshops. I never turn down free food (let alone barbequed deliciousness), so I was completely game to pig out with the students for an hour or so. The coolest part about the night’s dinner was that the leadership students, not the advisors, would be preparing the food for us. Yum!

As group breakout time came to a close, the students sprang to work cutting lettuce, preparing buns, frying French fries, and most importantly, grilling burgers. After about 45 minutes of intense cooking time, I walked into the kitchen to view the students’ progress. Though about 12 leadership members had been cooking for nearly an hour, no cooked food could be found in the kitchen (sadness).

Instead of simply throwing the food on the grill, the groups’ 12 chef burger mafia had gotten together in the kitchen to prepare some special food for the nights meal. In their words, they were preparing “In-N-Out…but BETTER.” This consisted of a bun with the usual toppings (including “special spread”), and what was to be called a ‘deluxe burger’ (that’s right; this was no ordinary beef patty).

After talking to a few of the chefs, I found that the students had begun slicing beef patties in various ways in order to insert cheese in the middle of the burger. Also, the students began finding new and creative ways to include various vegetables into the burger itself.

An hour of preparation later, I was handed a “deluxe burger” with all the proper condiments. Within a second of my first bite, one thing became clear: it was DEFINITELY better than In-N-Out! We’re talking melt in your mouth delicious (ok, now I’m hungry again). As I looked around the room, everyone else shared the same satisfied expression on their faces. Finally, the night was topped off with applause as the 12 year old chefs made their appearance into the eating area. Needless to say, it was a cool site to see.

It’s interesting how a concept as simple as making a burger can bring so much joy and enthusiasm to a group of creative students. Rather than viewing the task of making dinner as a chore or a job, the students saw the night’s meal as an opportunity to be innovative (and have some fun while doing so).

I think that this is an approach that we as leaders need to strive to make within our groups and organizations. Instead of doing the same things year after year and viewing them as chores, we need to look at our action items as chances to innovate, experiment, and create.

Spring can easily become a time of year where we attempt to get back up to speed with everything on our plates. Whether its planning last minute trips for the summer, writing next to a million emails to those we need to contact, or cramming together homework and studying just in time for finals, we are all guilty of doing satisfactory “catch up” work at one time or another.

During these next few weeks, I encourage you to take some time and see where you can implement some creative changes into your yearly routine. Form a new study pattern with friends, think of a different way to go about writing your emails, or simply find new ways to free up a couple minutes to yourself. By constantly innovating the way we do things, we can help to make something far better than the average meal. =]

I hope you take the time to do so. I definitely will (but first, I’m off to eat).