What Box?

We’ve all heard it, “For this, I want you to think outside the box!”. If you’re anything like me, it's an exhausting and confusing phrase. Throughout this school year, we’re all going to be challenged to put a new spin on a concept that has already been done before. Believe it or not, we’re not the first ones to try and raise perennials in a greenhouse or write a research paper on Abraham Lincoln. That’s alright though, it’s how we accomplish them that matters.

One of the best analogies I’ve heard is that personalities are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. Our personalities have a hand in the way we do even the smallest of things. Whether it’s putting milk in before the cereal or not cooking a Hot Pocket to the recommended length, personality governs part of those decisions.

With that being said, it’s easy for one to get caught in the rut of doing things the way they’ve always done them. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if this year was a clean slate?

I’m challenging you to think like there isn’t a box, not just outside it. When we allow our imaginations to go from “What If?” to “Let’s Try This” we open the door for our personality to leave its mark.

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:
1. What if you tried a CDE/LDE you’ve never done before?

2. If you’re a chapter officer, what if a group of freshman did opening ceremonies at a fall get together?

3. What if you had a fall get together other than a meeting?

4. What if you tried out different sales tactics (social media/made an announcement at a place of worship/worked with a friend) this year selling fruit?

5. What if the chapter worked with a business in town to give members volunteer opportunities?

6. What if you offered to help other students after school with classes they’re struggling with?

A lot of these ideas have been done before, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t worth doing. The creativity doesn’t have to stop here! How are you going to leave your mark on these concepts/ideas? If you are able to start to master this skill now, it has the potential to help you farther along in life. Who knows, maybe someday someone will hire you for this talent?!

But for now, the next time you go to hand in your assignment, paper, report, etc. and the person in charge says “Wow, you really thought outside the box.!” I hope you grin and think to yourself: 

“What Box?”

Go Get Em,

Chandler Jahner

State President

Back to School

There’s no feeling quite like the one we get on the first day of a new school year. A few of us may feel excited, while others may feel anxious, sad or just plain annoyed. Realizing this in the past week made me reflect on a very memorable first day of school: my first day of kindergarten.

My mom had helped me pick out the perfect back to school outfit that morning and helped pull my hair into my favorite style: cute little pigtails. I had selected what I thought was the best backpack of all time (a hot pink bag, prominently featuring my favorite Care Bears, of course), and all of my brand new school supplies were carefully stored inside. I was ready to take on kindergarten! When my mom pulled our family minivan into the school parking lot, I couldn’t have been more excited to see all my friends. I hopped out of the van and expectantly waited for my mom to walk me up to the front doors of the elementary with me, just like she had done everyday of preschool.

Except she didn’t. I impatiently marched over to her door and knocked on it as hard as I could.

She rolled down her window and I said, “Mom, come on. I’m ready for you to walk me to school.”

Instead of climbing out of the van like I wanted her to, she said, “Grace, you’re in kindergarten this year. That means you get to walk into school all by yourself.”

Five-year-old me had never considered the possibility that my mom wouldn’t be walking up to the front doors of my elementary that morning. It wasn’t in my plan for how my first day of kindergarten would go, and my response was to throw a full-blown tantrum. However, my mom bravely stood her ground and, after a lot of crying, complaining and coaxing, I walked into school on my own that day.

Now, I realize that we aren’t kindergarteners crying about walking into school by themselves, but this was the first of many times in my life that I can remember things not going according to plan. That’s because life doesn’t happen according to our plans, as much as we may want it to.

Sometimes this can be difficult to accept, but when we encounter changes in our plans, it is important that we don’t let them derail us from working towards our goals. Instead of being afraid of change, we have to embrace it. Maybe you don’t get elected to that officer position you were hoping for, your best friend moves to another state or your day just isn’t playing out how you thought it would. Change can come in all forms and it can make our lives difficult, but just like 5-year-old me on my first day of kindergarten, we have to remember to work through our fears to embrace the changes in our lives and whatever they may bring.

Smile for the Camera,

Grace Long

State Reporter