Pennsylvania Student Council for Exceptional Children

Our Mission:

1. To Promote the education of all exceptional children and youth.
2. To serve as a resource for pre-service special educators and students.
3. To serve as a vehicle for the advancement of special education careers among students.
4. To support the goals of the Council for Exceptional Children and its members.

Officers for 2008-2009:

WELCOME TO THE NEW PASCEC BOARD

At the convention, students were invited to meet and greet the current board at the annual student delegate assembly. During the assembly, the students voted on a new set of board members to represent student interests. The new board is comprised of all new members with the exception of the President for the upcoming term. Each student board position lines up with that of someone on the PACEC board and the students will be working closely with this person. Congratulations on being elected as members of the student board.

• Stephanie Kline was voted in as President Elect in this year’s special board election. Usually this is a two-year position detailing one year as president elect and one year as president. For this “special election” however, Stephanie was asked to step into the position immediately and take over as president when the new terms begin this summer. Stephanie has been a member of the state board for two years and is currently as Junior at Slippery Rock University.
• Katie Lauterback was voted onto the board as President Elect with a term beginning in the summer when the new electees officially step into position. After a year serving as president elect, Katie will step up as the new board President in the summer of 2009. Katie comes to PASCEC as a sophomore at Bloomsburg University.
• Jessica Charles was elected onto the board as the new Secretary/Treasurer. The secretary/treasurer is in charge of handling the funds of the student board as well as recording the minutes from meetings of the students that are held throughout the year. Jessica is currently a junior at Clarion University.
• Elizabeth Andreski joins the board this summer as the new Membership Chair. The position of membership Chair is one that keeps in contact with college and university CEC chapters to keep them updated on what is happening with PACEC. Elizabeth is a junior attending Alvernia.
• Kerry Perks was elected onto the state board as the new Convention/Liaison to exhibits chair. This position details working with the main board convention chair to plan the convention and exhibit hall for the upcoming year. Kerry is a junior attending Clarion University.
• Pam Kresge will be joining the board as the new Newsletter Editor. The newsletter editor writes articles to be placed in the newsletter detailing what is happening that is new and exciting with the students. Pam is currently a sophomore at East Stroudsburg University.
• Emily Sanders was elected onto the student board this year as the new Representative Chair. This position is one that promotes knowledge of PACEC and the new things happening here to CEC. Emily is a junior studying at Bloomsburg University.
• Erin Micklo joins the board as the new Multicultural Chair. The Multicultural Chair is a position that is in place to promote multiculturalism. This person attends seminars, conferences, etc and reports back with what was been learned to PASCEC. Erin is a junior attending East Stroudsburg University.
• Jessica Cottrill was elected onto the student board as the new Can Coordinator. The Can Coordinator promotes learning as applied to the new and upcoming laws and government mandates in Special Education. Jessica is currently a sophomore studying at East Stroudsburg University.

BENEFITS OF BEING A STUDENT MEMBER:

• Discounted Registration rate for the convention!
• Discounted hotel room rates available: Contact Mark Kandel!
• You may apply for member group grants!
• You receive CEC publications such as "TEACHING Exceptional Children", "Exceptional Children" and "CEC Today"!
• You can join Professional Divisions that provide you with more information about a particular area of interest you have!
• You become part of CEC’s advocacy or children and youth with exceptionalities!

“THANK YOU” STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS!

On behalf of the entire PASCEC executive board, I would like to say thank you to all those who attended and participated in the 2007 PACEC Convention. The convention was another success! I want to thank all of the individuals who presented as part of the student strand. The students loved it and all of the information presented was valued!

The student breakfast was a hit! Thank you to all of the individuals who came and supported the student board breakfast fundraiser. All of the profits made will go into making next year’s student breakfast and merchandise table even better!

The student merchandise table was also a big hit! Thank you to those who stopped by to check out the merchandise. We still have a few t-shirts ($10), sweatshirts ($15), blankets ($18), pens ($1), magnets ($1) and bracelets ($1) left. If you are interested in any of these items, please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

We have elected our 2008-2009 PASCEC board! Congratulations to all of those individuals who were elected!

“Thank You” again to everyone who helped the PASCEC board make the student strand such a success. Just some of these individuals include: Sharon Reed, Cheryl McCarthy, Laura Receveur, Darlene Perner, the staff at the Hershey-Harrisburg Holiday Inn, as well as the entire current PASCEC board. Again, thank you to everyone!

Caitlan Siggins
PASCEC President, Bloomsburg University

ATTENTION STUDENTS!

Our annual conference is coming up and we would like to inform you, the students, what you get out of coming to this conference. Many of the activities and seminars are student focused, meaning they offer you what you need to know! You will also get a voice in the changing laws in special education that will be affecting YOU! Many ideas are tossed around between the different student groups and great information will be given on how to reach out to your community and students in your area. There will be plenty of information offered on different ways of volunteering. There is also a chance for a great leadership opportunity. Becoming involved in the student board was one of the best things I ever committed myself to. It kept me more informed in the changing special education laws and provided me opportunities to really make a difference. Only a few benefits for students have been mentioned in this article, so please come see for yourself what a great opportunity it is to be involved in our annual conference!

STUDENTS AT THE CONVENTION

For the convention, the student board helps to set up a student track that is made of a group of informative presentations. These presentations include things such as resume building and first year teachers. Students can attend and ask questions about the things that will directly affect their futures. The student track is an annual part of the convention. This year, all of the current members of the student board who were at the convention presented as a part of the student track.

A major part of the student track is the Student Delegate Assembly where students gather to discuss issues relating to student CEC members. Every year during the student delegate assembly, a new board is voted in to represent the student’s interests in the organization. Every year during the student delegate assembly each school gets one collective vote to elect students into the positions on the student board. All positions are up for reelection every year excluding that of president. President is a two-year position beginning as president elect who then shadows the president for a year before filling that position. This year all of the positions, except for the current president elect, are new members to the state board.

The current student board remains in their position until the summer when the new members come into position. With this, the new members have a chance to learn from the old members about the position and their duties as members of the student board. The new board is beginning plans for the upcoming 2008 PACEC convention.

PASCEC (STUDENT) DELEGATE ASSEMBLY

SPECIAL STUDENT ROOM RATES

A limited number of discounted hotel rooms are available for student members for Thursday night only. Contact Mark Kandel to request discounted rooms. Provide your student group member name, contact person information (name, day phone number, complete mailing address and email address) and number of rooms desired.

• The discounted student room rate is $70, which is less than the regular Convention rate.
• Room requests will be collected until (announced at a later time), when available reduced rooms will be fairly distributed among the student organizations.
• Room reservations must be made using the discount card provided. Only one room is provided per card.
• The discount rate is for Thursday evening stay only. Other nights will be charged at the regular Convention rate of $95.
• Up to four students can share each room.
• If your student group is awarded a discounted room but will not be using it, please notify the hotel as soon as possible so that another student group may use it.

ATTENTION STUDENT MEMBERS AND ALL UNIVERSITIES/COLLEGES:

Are you a recognized member group? Not sure? Ask! Becoming a member group is a very simple yet extremely beneficial process! Go to the membership page of the webpage, fill out the form and send to Dreamalee Brotz. This will enable us to keep in contact with you and send out information on the Georgia O’Neill Scholarship AND your group can apply for grants! That’s right, if your group is in need of financial assistance to host a program and IF YOU ARE ALREADY RECOGNIZED, your group can apply for a grant! Please remember to fill out the annual report so we know that you are still active. If you have any questions about these forms, you can contact your regional director, or Dreamalee Brotz.

Here is a list of Member Groups recognized by PACEC as of November 1, 2007, if you do not see your Member Group on here and you would like to be - click here.

• Clarion University
• Lebanon Valley College
• Bloomsburg University
• Penn State University
• Millersville University
• Mansfield University
• Shippensburg University
• East Stroudsburg University
• Lehigh Carbon Community College Southwestern PA
• Marywood University
• Duquesne University
• St. Joseph's University
• Slippery Rock University
• Edinboro University
• Mercyhurst College
• Gannon University
• Alvernia College

The Student Constitution and By-Laws are being revised. The revisions are available by clicking on the links below. The revisions will be voted on by the student board in September.

• Revision of Constitution
• Revision of By-Laws

STUDENT STORE

• 13 Blue sweatshirts ($20) which say: “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best”
• 2 Green short sleeved shirts ($7) which say: “Special Educators do it Exceptionally”
• Pens and magnets with the PACEC logo (2 for $1)

Email Caitlian Siggins to purchase or more information. Please note that shipping and handling is extra.

CHAPTER NEWS

• 2008 Convention Student President's Message
• You can view the PA-SCEC Constitution online. Just click here to get the full text version.
• It’s never too early to think about applying for next years George O’Neill Memorial Scholarship.
• PASCEC has donated materials to universities honoring our past presidents. At this point, seven past presidents have been honored. Please check your libraries or special education departments for new materials. This project will be continued in the years. Students also need to begin thinking about next year's PACEC convention. All students are encouraged to present sessions. PASCEC plans to purchase shirts, to sell as a fund-raiser.