Q: Who can nominate a student to attend Missouri Leadership Seminar?
A: All Missouri high schools, both public and private, are eligible to nominate one sophomore student (and one junior student in the year 2021) to attend the Missouri Leadership Seminar. Call letters are sent to each high school in early fall. If you did not receive a letter and would like further information, please contact missourileadership@gmail.com
Q: I live in a rural area with spotty Wi-Fi. What should I do?
A: Start by reaching out to your school counselor/the person who nominated you. Would you be able to use your school’s resources for the weekend?
Q: I’m a parent of a sophomore student. How can I get him or her nominated?
A: Start by contacting your child’s school counselor and inquiring about Missouri Leadership Seminar. If the counselor is not familiar with the program or you need further assistance, please contact us at missourileadership@gmail.com.
Q: I’m a counselor, how do I select a student to attend Missouri Leadership Seminar?
A: The method by which you make your school’s selection is entirely up to you. Any sophomore student is eligible to attend and the selection process is up to you. If there is already a nomination process at your school, fabulous! If there is not, please select a student who is a sophomore in the current school year. Past leaders may be students who have excelled academically, in athletics, extra-curricular activities, or community service. The choice is up to you.
Our goal in this leadership seminar is to cultivate leadership qualities in the person you nominate. Some of our past attendees have been noted as “a student who just needed an extra nudge to reach the leadership potential inside.”
We encourage you to make the opportunity known to as many students as possible by announcing the seminar and selection process to the entire sophomore class. Some schools use an essay process by use of an English course, an outside civic club committee may interview applicants or a selected group of teachers & faculty committee review the sophomore students and make a selection. You may also engage MLS Alumni in the process to encourage interest.
Please select one primary nominee and one alternate.
Q: What student information do I need to complete the online nomination?
A: Log on to www.moleadership.com, click on the “For Schools” tab, and follow instructions for nominating a student.
You will need the following information to complete the nominations:
- School Contact Information
- Primary Nominee
- Name
- Address
- Phone
- Date of Birth
- Parent/Guardian Name
- Parent/Guardian Phone
- Alternate Nominee
- Name
- Phone
The school contact email address is required, as further important information is sent only via email. Only MLS correspondence will be sent to this email address. Updates to this database ensure that nomination and registration materials are delivered to the correct person at your school each school year.
Q: What makes Missouri Leadership Seminar different from other leadership seminars?
A: We focus on how to bring out the individual leader in each student, rather than you must complete “A, B & C” to be a leader and this is what you should think and say. Students can expect to discover their strengths, recognize their leadership potential, and enhance communication and critical thinking skills. 100% of our seminar staff and Board of Directors are volunteers and a majority are alumni.
Q: How are sophomore students funded for the Missouri Leadership Seminar?
A: MLS is offered completely free of cost to students, parents, and schools.
Students are supported by individual donations from local civic organizations, such as Optimist, Kiwanis & General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC). Other contributors include the Lions and Rotary clubs in addition to local businesses and individual supporters of the leadership seminar.
The approximate cost per student for the 3 day seminar weekend is $300.00, which is paid by our sponsors. If you have a contact for a civic club in your area that you would like for us to contact regarding sponsorship of your school’s student, please email missourileadership@gmail.com. However, students and schools are NOT required to find their own sponsor.
Q: Where does our student stay and what about meals?
A: All of the students and staff are housed on-site in the dormitories on the campus of UCM. There are separate male and female floors with staff monitors. Meals are provided from Friday at lunch to Sunday at lunch and accommodations may be made for special dietary needs of your students. Please note any special dietary needs on your Registration Form or email missourileadership@gmail.com
Q: I don’t have any students who are interested. Can we skip this year?
A: Look again! Often, students need an extra nudge to commit to stepping out of their comfort zone. Other students may be unsure of what the program entails, worried that they don’t know anyone else attending, etc.
If you don’t have a volunteer for MLS, nominate a student who you think would benefit. Let them know it is an honor to be chosen, have past MLS alumni talk to the students, encourage them, and let us know if they have questions!
Q: Can I have a copy of the agenda for MLS?
A: The information packet can be found on the Students & Parents page of our website and is available in March. A schedule of events will come once registration in March opens. For now, reference the times provided on the Students & Parents page.
Q: What do I do if my student can no longer attend MLS?
A: Please let us know of the cancellation as soon as possible so that we can update our records. If you have not already chosen an alternate, please locate a student to replace the original nominee. You will also need to complete another nomination form online. Changes can be made up to the day of the seminar, so please don’t let your school miss out on sending a student due to a cancellation!
Q: I missed a deadline. Can I still nominate, send in my registration packet, etc?
A: Extensions on deadlines may be granted on a case by case basis, depending on space limitations. If you know in advance that you will need an extension on a particular deadline or unintentionally miss a deadline, please email missourileadership@gmail.com. Every effort will be made to work with you so that your student doesn’t miss out on MLS! However, to ensure acceptance of your student, please adhere to the deadlines.
Q: I have a previous commitment/other camp to attend that overlaps with Missouri Leadership Seminar, can I attend both?
A: We pack as many opportunities into our short days together as we can and request that students be present for the entire seminar. While many high school leaders are heavily involved, only one student from each school can be represented and we want them to take the whole experience back to their school and community. We do realize that special circumstances do sometimes occur, so if you have a situation where you are unsure about full attendance please contact us by email at missourileadership@gmail.com as soon as possible to discuss possibilities.
Regarding COVID-19:
MLS will follow all regulations and guidelines set forth by the University of Central Missouri. Updates will be posted on our website periodically, as well as emailed to students and their parents/guardians
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