Happy New Year from the Youth Council!

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had an awesome holiday season! I know I did! It was SO great to have some time off to spend time with family and friends, but now it is time to get back to school!  And because it is the beginning of a New Year, it is also a great time to refocus and set some new goals.  Hopefully you already have some goals in mind, but if you don’t, let me offer some suggestions!

CHALLENGE YOURSELF! This is a great time to make a goal to try something that you’ve never tried before! Of course make it a safe and healthy choice! Maybe it will be trying a sport or activity that you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t had the guts.

HAVE THE GUTS! Trying something new isn’t easy…we all worry about failing, but if you never try, you’ll never know!

REPEAT!  Continue to try new things to make yourself a happy, healthier YOU, and don’t forget to laugh A LOT along the way!

May I also suggest that you encourage others to do the same!  Sometimes it is hard to believe in ourselves, but when we get encouragement from others it is easier to believe that WE CAN be awesome!

Make 2015 count!

Hunter
Youth Council
10^th Grade

My New Year’s resolution is work on my public speaking skills, especially when I am under pressure. Even though this is my second year as a Youth Council member I still get nervous when speaking in front of large groups. My goal is to make drastic improvements before the next Student Ambassador Summit in the summer. Fill out a Student Ambassador Summit application (which is located on the bottom right of your Dashboard) to get a chance to represent your state or the nation at this year’s Summit. Hopefully it will be YOU I’ll be speaking in front of.

Noa
Youth Council
10^th Grade

2015 is bringing bright changes and I have set myself a list of goals for the New Year. Most importantly, I have set the goal “To lead by positive example”. Being a leader means that you have others looking up to you for guidance and support; my aim is to be conscious about my actions and how others perceive them so I can be a great role model. Happy New Year everyone, and good luck for 2015!

Emma
Youth Council
12^th Grade

This year, my resolution is to develop and keep a healthy lifestyle. One of the things that I’m most looking forward to this year is the Student Ambassador Summit, where I hope to see a lot of students from all over the country! Apply to attend because you never know what might happen! I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. Make it a year to remember.

Jaclyn
Youth Council
9^th Grade

The beginning of a New Year can mean a lot of things: fresh starts, new beginnings and positive continuities. As the clock in Times Square ticked down the seconds to the beginning of a New Year, I realized that the New Year has a different meaning to everyone but one thing should be prevalent: constructive progress. So my New Year’s resolution is to be more active (I know, how cliché, but seriously), and to me that means start going to the gym with my brother and work off all those “happy holidays” cookies! And to you that may mean joining a sport at school or playing outside more, but what matters is positive change is being made. I hope to improve my health and maybe even encourage the people around me like friends and family to make some more healthy decisions this year. And keep in mind, even the smallest change can eventually amount to a world of a difference. Happy New Year!

Saira
Youth Council
9^th Grade