July 7, 2009
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) will hold its first student Leadership Conference on Tuesday, July 21 at Central Catholic High School in Bloomington. The event is open to any current students, coaches or volunteer moderators from IHSA member schools and is free of charge for all attendees.
University of Illinois head football coach Ron Zook will serve as the Leadership Conference’s opening speaker, with the remainder of the day being broken into various sessions for students and adults in attendance. Lunch will be provided for the program, which begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.
Any student who would like to attend is asked to submit a Registration Form to the IHSA office by Monday, July 13.
“The idea of the Leadership Conference has been in the works for many years and has really materialized in conjunction with the formation of our Student Advisory Committee,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director Beth Sauser. “We are excited about the direction the conference has taken on under the Student Advisory Committee’s leadership and are also very grateful to have an exceptional speaker like Coach Zook.”
The IHSA’s Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is made up of 21 students from the around the state to serve as a liaison between students, administrators, the IHSA Staff and the IHSA Board of Directors. The inaugural conference will allow students from all around the state to discuss sportsmanship and other important leadership topics affecting high school students today.
Sauser added, “We would like to get as many high school students from around the state involved and hope that parents, teachers, coaches and administrators will reach out to their students about this event.”
The 2009 season will be Zook’s fifth leading the Fighting Illini football program. Known as a tireless worker and recruiter, he led Illinois to the biggest turnaround in college football in 2007, earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors as Illinois reached the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1984.