Advisor Update
October 2014
Fundraising Opportunity
We are pleased to announce our partnership with Advantage Fundraising Online (AFO), a
Michigan based company. Advantage Fundraising Online is an online fundraiser that gives back
to donors. There is no product to sell, therefore no hassle! Your chapter will earn 70% profit, and
donors will be entered to win amazing prizes such as gift cards or even a trip to Hawaii. There is
zero risk or cost to work with them & their results with participating students is impressive.
More information is available at http://tinyurl.com/skillsfundraise.
New Membership Rules
Starting this year, Michigan students can now join more than one CTSO! In the past, students
were only allowed to join the one CTSO that aligned with their program. Starting this year,
students will be allowed to join another CTSO, as long as they join the CTSO that aligns with
their program also.
SkillsUSA Michigan Week
SkillsUSA Michigan Week is celebrated the third week of October each year and SkillsUSA
Michigan Week gives chapters, advisors and student members the opportunity to promote
SkillsUSA Michigan programs and activities at the local level. The state officers will have
special posts our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/miskillsusa.
During SkillsUSA Michigan week, members can also help raise awareness of SkillsUSA. This
can be accomplished through membership drives, field trips to local businesses, an open house
for parents or industry partners, a visit to local community organizations to make a brief
presentation about SkillsUSA Michigan, or providing news releases and public service
announcements to local media outlets for possible distribution. More information is available at
http://miskillsusa.org/wp-content/uploads/advisor_skillsweek.pdf.
2014 State Fall Leadership and Professional Development
Conference
The State Fall Leadership and Professional Development Conference is a
great way to kick off your year and to motivate your members to have a
great year with SkillsUSA Michigan. The conference is a combination of
team building activities and breakout sessions on SkillsUSA with special
professional development sessions specifically for advisors. The early
registration fee for the conference is $30.00 per participant (students and
advisors) and includes registration materials, and lunch.
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The State Fall Leadership Conference is November 5, 2014 at the Lansing Center in Lansing.
Registration is as follows. More information is available at
http://miskillsusa.org/advisors/forms/. An electronic registration form will be used, so please
read the instructions carefully! Faxed or mailed forms will not be accepted!
o Early Registration deadline –
October 17, 2014
o Final Registration deadline –
October 30, 2014
2014-2015 Membership Dues
The 2014-2015 membership dues are:
Student:
$14.00 = $8.00 (national) and $6.00 (state)
Professional: $20.00 = $14.00 (national) and $6.00 (state)
2014-2015 Membership Registration Deadlines
November 14, 2014 is the deadline for your initial membership registration to be submitted to
the National Office to be able to receive all four issues of Champions Magazine and free teacher
items. All rosters are to be submitted online at http://www.skillsusa-register.org/. Schools are
encouraged join by November 14, 2014 in order to ensure full membership services for the year,
including all mailings and magazines.
January 15, 2015 is the deadline for your final membership registration to be submitted to the
National Office. All students must be paid members of SkillsUSA Michigan by January 15, 2015
in order to participate in regional, state and national competitions and/or conferences. If you
have any questions/concerns about this deadline, please contact me!
All membership registration MUST be submitted online at http://www.skillsusa-register.org/.
Paper rosters are discouraged. Please make sure that all membership checks are sent directly to
the National Office. When registering, be sure to also register your section under the specific
program name, not just Mixed Training. This information is very helpful to the national office in
determining what programs are at what schools.
2015 Membership Incentives - SkillsUSA Michigan is encouraging each chapter to increase
their membership this year. Each chapter that submits their membership by the due date listed
below will qualify for the following incentive(s). Membership
MUST be submitted online at www.skillsusa-register.org by
the due dates in order to meet the requirements.
 State Incentives:
o Membership Increase by November 1, 2014
 For every five member increase over
last year’s membership, the chapter will
receive one free registration to the Fall
Leadership Conference, a $30 value.
 Both student and professional members
are included in the chapter’s total
membership.
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
o Membership Increase by January 15, 2015
 For every five member increase over last year’s membership, the chapter
will receive one entry into the drawing for a SkillsUSA
blazer, a $110 value.
 Both student and professional members are included in the
chapter’s total membership.
 Drawing will be held at the State Leadership and Skills
Conference in April.
 Chapters that qualified for the November 1, 2014 incentive
will also be eligible.
National Incentives:
o Membership Submitted by November 14, 2014
 Requirements:
o You must be a professional member of SkillsUSA.
o You must have a minimum of 15 members in
your training program.
 Teacher Gift:
o Every section with at least 15 students and 1
professional/advisor registered as members by
November 14 will received at 50th anniversary
banner.
 Mega Prize Growth Challenge:
o Weekly drawing winners will receive a $50
Lowe’s gift card
o How it works:
 You register your members online at the SkillsUSA website.
 Each week, the national headquarters will draw the name of
one lucky advisor and announce the winner on our Facebook
page.
 Your name will continue in the drawing until you win or until
the program ends.
 The program runs from Sept. 17 through Nov. 15, 2014.
2015 Intent to Compete Form
If your school intends to compete in 2015, please fill out the 2015 Intent to Compete form! This
form is a critical component of the planning and scheduling of regional and state competitions.
The deadline is October 31, 2014. This form is now electronic and failure to return this form via
email by the due date may result in your school not being allowed to compete in some events, or
some events not being offered on the regional and/or state level. It is available on our web site
at http://miskillsusa.org/advisors/forms/.
SkillsUSA Night with the Detroit Pistons
SkillsUSA Michigan members will have a one of a kind opportunity to
meet professionals who work behind the scenes for the Detroit Pistons
on December 2, 2014. Guest speakers will cover many aspects of the
industry including marketing, sales, communications, public relations,
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internships and more. At the end of the day members will be guests of the Palace as they watch
the Detroit Pistons. Register early to ensure that your chapter members won’t miss out on this
awesome opportunity. The registration form is available at http://miskillsusa.org/advisors/forms/
and is due November 14, 2014.
2015 Design Contest
The SkillsUSA Michigan 2015 Design Contest is now available on our web site at
http://miskillsusa.org/advisors/forms/. All SkillsUSA members are encouraged to participate.
All designs must be sent via US mail to the State Office
and received no later than January 9, 2015. The three
design contest winners will be invited to the State
Conference and each will receive a gold medal. Three
things to remember:
 All entries must incorporate the SkillsUSA
Michigan 2015 theme in the design. The
SkillsUSA Michigan 2015 theme wording can be
in the design but is not required.
 The member whose design is chosen for the
SkillsUSA Michigan National Conference Trading
Pin will also compete in the Pin Design contest at
the National Conference. Contest details are available in the 2015-2016 Technical
Standards.
 The member whose design is chosen for the SkillsUSA Michigan National Official State
T-Shirt will also compete in the T-Shirt Design contest at the National Conference.
Contest details are available in the 2015-2016 Technical Standards.
2015 State National Anthem Contest
A SkillsUSA Michigan member will be selected to sing the National
Anthem acapella at the Friday Opening General Session on April 17, 2015
at the State Conference. Interested members must submit an audition CD
of them singing the National Anthem in order to be considered. Student
must be a current member of SkillsUSA Michigan and must pay the State
Conference registration fee. All audition CDs must be sent via US mail to
the State Office and received no later than January 9, 2015. More
information is available on our web site at
http://miskillsusa.org/advisors/forms/.
Happy Retirement
Happy retirement to the following advisors and technical committee members! I would like to
thank them for their time and energy supporting SkillsUSA Michigan over the years. If you
know of any other advisors or technical committee members who retired last year, please let me
know.
 Paul Semmerling - Gogebic Ontonagon ISD
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SkillsUSA Michigan Dates to Remember
Date
Item
Where
Oct 8, 2014
New Advisor Workshop
Ypsilanti
Oct 17, 2014
State Fall Leadership Conference Early Registration
Due
State Office
Oct 30, 2014
State Fall Leadership Conference Regular Registration
Due
State Office
Oct 31, 2014
Intent to Compete Due
State Office
Nov 5, 2014
State Fall Leadership Conference
Lansing
Nov 14, 2014
Initial Membership Registration Due
www.skillsusa-register.org
National Office
Jan 9, 2015
Design Contest Entries Due
State Office
Jan 9, 2015
State National Anthem Contest Audition DVDs Due
State Office
Jan 15, 2015
Final Membership Registration Due
www.skillsusa-register.org
National Office
Apr 17-19, 2015
State Conference
Grand Rapids
June 22-27, 2015
National Conference
Louisville, KY
From the National Office –
JOIN THE SKILLSUSA 50K CHALLENGE
The SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends Association announces the SkillsUSA 50K Challenge: 50,000
Hours for 50 Years of Service.
The 50K Challenge encourages alumni, active members, professional members and all friends of
SkillsUSA to celebrate its 50-year legacy of supporting healthy and vibrant communities through
direct community service. As an organization, SkillsUSA’s goal is to track and record 50,000
hours of service from September 20, 2014, through June 26, 2015.
Service hours logged as part of the 50K Challenge effort can include volunteering at any
nonprofit organization, school, community, or faith-based organization. Service hours will be
logged through June 26, 2015.
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Logon to www.SkillsUSAService.org to register for the challenge, learn more, and to log your
hours for the challenge.
UPCOMING E-LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES REMINDER
Receive a free resource item for attending E-Learning sessions
If you are looking for practical answers and useful solutions to empower students to lead their
chapters to success, check these 45-minute, online training sessions designed to teach
participants skills to immediately strengthen their chapters. All sessions are presented at 3:30
p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET. Register for sessions today at http://skillsusa.org/eventstraining/webinars/.
50 YEARS OF CHAMPIONS AT WORK VIDEO COMPETITION
Don’t miss an opportunity to get recognized for the incredible work that your chapter is doing
this year! Chapters have until November 14, 2014 to submit their entries for the SkillsUSA: 50
years of Champions at Work Video Competition. Complete details are below, but first check out
last year’s winners:


Here is the 2013-2014 winning entry in the Educated and Skilled to Lead America Video
Contest - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nsWDrjXRxA. It was submitted by Sydney
Martin and Krystal Smoger of St. Clair TEC in Marysville, Michigan. Their advisor is
Ms. Keely Baribeau.
Here is the 2013-2014 honorable mention entry in the Educated and Skilled to Lead
America Video Contest – http://youtu.be/MXaLRk8TqDw. It was submitted by Alexia
Tignor of Franklin Technology Center in Joplin, Missouri where Ms. Deonna Anderson
serves as advisor.
Only students who are registered members of SkillsUSA can enter and membership will be
verified for each entry. The work can be done by an individual, a team or an entire class. Entries
should be between 2-3 minutes in length. The entry needs to uploaded to YouTube at
www.youtube.com. (Allow up to a 24-hour registration process and become familiar with
YouTube prior to uploading the video.) Email the video entry link to [email protected] and
include name, school, address, email address and telephone number. The deadline for entries is
November 14, 2014.
Entries must contain only original material (including music, images, etc.), unless written
permission has been obtained. No trademarked, copyrighted or otherwise branded materials,
logos or products may be used except for the SkillsUSA logo. A panel of SkillsUSA partners
will judge the entries and the top five entries will then be voted on by the public.
Winning video teams and/or their schools will receive prizes and recognition provided by
SkillsUSA. The winning videos will be aired on the SkillsUSA website. The winning school will
receive a $300 award. Up to two honorable mention awards of $100 each may also be
distributed.
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There is no charge for submitting an entry and participants may submit up to two entries. Entries
will be disqualified if they contain vulgar or inappropriate content, are uploaded later than
November 14 or use copyrighted material.
There is no limit on the number of students who can work on a video. The video must be entered
under one chapter name, and there will only be one prize awarded for the winning video. For
additional questions or information, email Gayle Silvey: [email protected]. Complete
contest details can be found in the membership kit.
CALL FOR SKILLSUSA TALENT
Do you have a talented singer in your state – student, professional or alumni member – who
would enjoy a special performance opportunity? SkillsUSA seeks talented singers for the
Opening Ceremony during the 2015 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference to
sing the national anthem.
Please send audition videos on CD or DVD to Heidi Walsh, SkillsUSA, 14001 SkillsUSA Way,
Leesburg, VA 20176. Videos must be received by (not postmarked) February 5, 2015. Please be
sure your contact information is clearly included or marked on the CD or DVD. Include your
name, address, school name, and email address. Audition tapes must be the singing of the
national anthem. Questions may be directed to Heidi at 703-737-0615 or [email protected].
If selected, SkillsUSA does not pay any expenses related to travel to the national
conference. Email submissions will not be accepted.
FREE ACCESS TO AUTODESK SOFTWARE
Autodesk has been committed to SkillsUSA for over 20 years as a corporate sponsor. SkillsUSA
and Autodesk share the common goal of preparing students in STEM-based careers for creating
an industry-ready workforce. To further this commitment, Autodesk is providing schools,
students, educators, and advisors with free access to Autodesk software.
Schools can register free through the Autodesk Resource Center (ARC) at
www.autodesk.com/academic. And, students, educators and advisors can register free through
the Autodesk Education Community at www.autodesk.com/education.
SKILLSUSA MEMBERSHIP HOTLINE – CALL TOLL FREE 844-875-4557
REMINDER
Have questions? Need answers? The SkillsUSA Membership Hotline can take care of all of
your chapter questions. From how to start a new chapter, ways to engage more of your chapter
members or strategies to strengthen your existing chapter, the hotline operators are standing by
and ready to help. If you have questions or need assistance with online membership registration,
the hotline operators can take care of that as well. Call toll free 844-875-4557.
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