LYS 2011: The Fast Track to Leadership has officially come to a close.  We have reached the finish line… the Union is quiet, the dorms are emptying out and everyone is heading home. But before our last closing circle together each group sang a farewell song expressing what a great time they had this week. Staff also announced the last awards of the week.

Each home group selected an “Outstanding Group Member of the Week!”  Each group member voted on who they think deserved the award the most.  Here are the recipients…

Pace Cars: Jane Ashley Raborn

Race Track: Dillon Tauzin

Pit Stops: Rontrevius Foreman

Racing Helmets: Will Barnett

Finish Lines: Caroline Grand

Engines: Caroline Collins

Accelerators: Duke Daigle

Checkered Flags: Gracie Reaux

Speedometers: Dewayne Murphy

Headsets: Katie Sepcich

Roll Cages: Wesley Davis

Steering Wheels: Anthony Cannata

Each year, LYS also recognizes three outstanding delegates with awards. This year’s recipients are…

Most Spirited: Gracie Reaux

Most Likely to Succeed: Sophie Boudreaux

Barbara Jo Pease Most Outstanding Delegate: Conner Bueche

And finally, we announced the Group of the Week winners!  And those are…

Third Place Group of the Week:

Racing Helmets

Second Place Group of the Week:

Race Tracks

GROUP OF THE WEEK:

Accelerators

After one last time singing our theme songs, “I Won’t Let Go“ by Rascal Flatts and “No Man is an Island,” and the LYS fight song, everyone shared some bittersweet goodbyes before leaving the Union. But remember, just because seminar is over does not mean that it’s out of your life!  LYS doesn’t end on Friday afternoon- it’s something that stays with you forever.  It’s the lessons you learn that you take back to your schools and your communities.  It’s the true friendships that you made that will continue for years to come. It’s the comfort in knowing that you can be accepted for being yourself.  And it’s so much more!

We encourage you to live everyday as if you were at LYS (okay, well maybe not the cheering part…) We hope that you never forget your experience here and what you learned about yourself and others. Those are the lessons, moments, friendships, and memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Staff would like to thank each and every delegate for making LYS 2011 such a success!  Now, go home, use what you learned, and make a difference!  And never forget…”NO MAN IS AN ISLAND!”

“Never forget all the days that were LYS…”

LYS love and ours,

LYS 2011 Staff

John Gernon Glorioso
Michael Amy
Callie Romero
Ceisha James-Hayes
Alyssa Mitchell
Afton Zaunbrecher
Mitchell Bordelon
Janeé Chambers
Peter Croughan
Duane Cruse
Parker Reaux
Alexis Sarver
Mya Baker
Courtney Foret
Hailey Vincent
Alex Brown
Joc Landry
Collin Hale
Ian Doran
Dana Dugas
Kira English
Hayley Everett
Logan Gregg
Elizabeth Guarisco
Merry-Jean Losso
William Neal
Carley Wahlborg
Jon Barron
Annelise Bertrand
Bill Croughan
Haggai Davis
Morgan Laurent

Before we say our goodbyes, Program Director John Gernon Glorioso wanted to share some final words with you…

“Today as you leave us and homeward you go, we’ll never forget you for we love you so.”

It’s so hard to believe that today is our last day together at LYS 2011. We are so sad to see you go, but we are all so amazed to see how much each of you has grown over the past week. We have cheered (more than some onlookers would care to see), we’ve made new friends, we’ve laughed, and maybe even shed a few tears.

When you leave us today, always remember that no man is an island:

No man is an island

No man stands alone

Each man’s joy is joy to me

Each mans grief is my own

“You’re wonderful leaders and as you meet the test, never forget all the days that were LYS.”

LYS love and mine,

John Gernon Glorioso,
Program Director

Drum roll please…Your officers are:

2011 LYS Secretary/Treasurer – Gracie Reaux

2011 LYS Vice President – Will Barnett

And…

Your 2011 LYS President- Lindsey Hayob

“We are proud of you, say we are proud of you!”

SUPER GREAT job to the entire delegation for their enthusiasm and support for each other throughout the whole political process! After the results were announced, we all headed to our home group rooms to prepare for tonight’s banquet.

Tonight we will close out the week and honor some very special people! We are so grateful to LYS Co-Founder JoJo Pease, the Board of Directors, The Executive Committee, and Staff who have all helped to continue this amazing tradition of LYS where No Man Is An Island and all are welcome. We will be joined by some distinguished guests who help to sponsor LYS and make it possible for all to attend.

Every group decorates a table that corresponds to their theme of the week. This is also a judged competition (what else did you expect?). The whole ballroom will be filled with tables, and we know they’re going to look great! Staff even decorated the guest tables and stage to go along with our theme for LYS 2011. Visit the blog again later tonight and check out the pictures from this special night!

During the banquet we also honor the Roddy Richard Award recipient. Roddy came to LYS from Teurlings Catholic High and joined Staff in 1983. Roddy was an exceptional young man whose life was taken in a tragic accident. To celebrate his life and honor his spirit LYS created the Roddy Richard Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes an outstanding individual each year whose character and purpose in life has lessened the burden of others and made this a better place for their fellow man.

In honor of his memory, we select a Louisiana native who shows the same compassion and fervor as Roddy himself.  We are very pleased to announce that this year’s Roddy Richard recipient is Senator Mike Michot.

Senator Mike Michot has been representing the Lafayette area in the Louisiana Legislature for the past sixteen years. District 23 State Sen. Michot came to the Senate from the Louisiana House of Representatives, where he served from 1996-2000.

Sen. Michot owns Premier Medical Equipment, a major supplier of medical equipment and supplies. He is also a real estate developer and is active in community service organizations, including Boys and Girls Club of Acadiana, the American Heart Association, and United Way. He graduated from Cathedral-Carmel High School in Lafayette and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, which we now know as the University of Louisiana.

In the past, Sen. Michot served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Consumer Affairs and Technology, and he has drafted several pieces of legislation encouraging the integration of technology into the governmental process. Sen. Michot also served as Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for two previous sessions and now serves as Vice Chairman. He is tasked with reviewing agency budget requests and the recommended executive budget, as well as with interpreting and overseeing the implementation of legislative intent in regards to fiscal and budgetary matters. Currently in the Senate, Sen. Michot serves as Chairman of the Finance committee, appropriating state funds, including the cash portion of the comprehensive state capital budget. He also serves on the Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs Committee, and Natural Resources committees.

Throughout his time in the legislature, Sen. Michot has also dedicated himself to ensuring future opportunities for Louisiana’s youth.  Public higher education enrollment has increased by over 25,000 students during Sen. Michot’s tenure as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Despite recent budgetary difficulties, Sen. Michot has worked to ensure the integrity of the Taylor Opportunity Program for students, better known as TOPS. Sen. Michot has not only protected the TOPS program from budget cuts, but he has also worked to make sure that all students eligible for the program have received their full awards in the face of increased tuition rates. In fact, the TOPS program has grown by 23% from $117 million to $144 million during Sen. Michot’s term as Senate Finance Committee chairman.

We would like to honor and thank Senator Michot for his unwavering dedication to the youth of Louisiana and for his continued support of LYS.

If you know of someone who deserves the honor of receiving the Roddy Richard award, please email us your nomination at lys@louisianayouthseminar.org.

After the banquet concludes, it’s time to blow off some steam and put on our dancing shoes!  And after the dance when we get back to the dorms, we’ll finish up our last roll call cheer for tomorrow morning and then it’s bedtime.  See you bright and early in the morning!!  Only half a day left of LYS 2011 so soak it all in.

Good Morning LYS!  Those roll call cheers have only gotten better!  As well as those insane costumes- definitely some of the best yet!  See for yourself…on the slideshow of course!

We can’t believe that our last full day at LYS has already arrived.  But don’t worry, it’s also a very fun day so get pumped and keep the spirit up!!

We started the morning with the General Election. The Tory party and the Whig party put their differences aside and came together as a delegation to listen to the candidates give their speeches. After this, the delegates voted on who they think would best represent LYS. No longer limited by party lines, the delegates can vote for whomever in whatever party!

We’re now in our last involvement session of the week, so here’s our last spotlight session…

SPOTLIGHT INVOLVEMENT SESSION OF THE DAY: Feelings Through Music (FTM)

• Leader: Janeé Chambers; Assistants: Collin Hale and Annelise Bertrand
• FTM is the calmest session of the week.  It serves as a great break for delegates to relax and channel their emotions, while listening to handpicked inspiring songs and expressing themselves through art.
• In the middle of the high intensity and energy of the week, it is definitely a great time to step back and reflect on LYS.  The delegates are also encouraged to apply this to their life when they get back home.

After the delegates finish their last involvement session, it’s time for some more home group bonding. Then we’ll chow down on some lunch!

“FOOD GOT TO HAVE IT! GIVE ME THAT MAC N’ CHEESE!”

Check back with us later today to find out the winners of the General Election and find out what we’re up to tonight!

The 2011 LYS Caucus has officially come to a close. After a long, exciting, fun-filled night of campaigning, strategizing, and voting, candidates from each party were elected to move onto the General Election. And here they are…

Whig Party

President – Lindsey Hayob

Vice President – Will Barnett

Secretary/Treasurer – Grace Reaux

Party Chair – Kyle Koch

Tory Party

President – Zach Barnett

Vice President – Matt Picard

Secretary/Treasurer – Elizabeth Woodard

Party Chair – Conner Bueche

“We are proud of you, say we are proud of you!”

 Now, since it’s late, we’re only going to meet in our home groups for a little bit and then it’s off for some much needed rest after such a fun-filled night!  So that means we’re signing off for tonight- see you in the morning!

“We love it, we love it! Hey, hey, we love it!”

And the winners of Group of the Day for Wednesday are…

3^rd Place: Accelerators

2^nd Place: Race Tracks

WEDNESDAY GROUP OF THE DAY: Pace Cars

“Tories are trash!  Toss ‘em, toss ‘em!”

“Whigs are pigs!  Roast ‘em, roast ‘em!”

Staff is ready….the candidates are ready….the spirit leaders are ready….so let’s get this caucus started! Every year both political parties choose a theme to lighten the mood and boost up the spirit.  This year’s Tory party theme is…. Super Torio Land! Should be a fun one!  And the Whig party theme is…. Swamp Whiggies! We can’t wait to see what each party has in store!

There will be skits, speeches, candy, campaigning, water guns, and, of course, lots of cheering!!  And once all is said and done, the elected Tory party candidates and the Whig party candidates go head-to-head tomorrow in the LYS General Election.

Check back here in a few hours for all the crazy pictures from Caucus to see what really went down!

After a slideshow presented by John Gernon, Callie, and Michael, we welcomed another guest speaker. Patti Thomas Harper, a Ruston native and graduate of Louisiana Tech, is the Senior Director for Advocacy and Public Policy at Christus Health in Shreveport. Mrs. Harper has been instrumental in developing health care public policy initiatives throughout the state and spoke to us about the exciting things planned for Louisiana’s future. She inspired us to want more for our state and to be a part of the progress.

We would like to thank Mrs. Harper not only for taking the time to speak to us today, but also for her other work for LYS.  This year she organized an effort to have Christus Health recruit and sponsor 10 delegates to come to LYS! SUPER GREAT!

Now it’s off to our fourth involvement session…

SPOTLIGHT INVOLVEMENT SESSION OF THE DAY: Individual, Group, and Leadership (IGL)

• Leader: Mya Baker; Assistants: Joc Landry, Kira English, and Haggai Davis
• This is a more laid-back, active session where the delegates get to interact with each other through fun group-building exercises that serve a purpose.
• Through small group activities and discussions, delegates learn about problem solving and working as a team, skills that will be helpful throughout the week of LYS and as delegates return home!

Be sure to check back later tonight for Caucus photos and winners of the Banner competition and Group of the Day!

Last night after the 5-Year Ceremony, we also held District Primaries, the next step of the political process to elect our LYS officers.  First, everyone broke up into his or her political party. Then, the Tories of one home group and the Tories of another home group combined into districts (six in all) to vote on a representative for each political office.  This happened in the Whig party too, so now the Tories and the Whigs both have six candidates for each position of President, VP, Secretary/Treasurer, and Party Chairman.  These candidates will go head to head tonight at Caucus!!

Now that breakfast is over, we are heading off to our third involvement session of the week, which obviously brings up…

SPOTLIGHT INVOLVEMENT SESSION OF THE DAY:  Dreams to Reality

• Leader: Courtney Foret, Assistants: Ian Doran, Carley Wahlborg, and Jon Barron
• A delegate favorite, LYS’s Dreams to Reality Session allows participants to set goals and provides them the tools to verbalize realistic dreams.

When we finish this involvement session, we’ll have some good quality time with our home groups before lunch. Come back after lunch to see how we honored the state that we love: LOUISIANA!

We thank you so much for the love and support you’ve given us throughout the years.  Receiving our blue shirts last night was such an honor and it truly means the world to us that all of you were there to share that experience with us.  We thank you for the friendships, the long nights, the laughter, and the energy that defined our 5 years of LYS.

To our delegates: Thank you so much for standing out in sessions, running for political parties, cheering so loud, making amazing and creative costumes, and most of all making new friends!  LYS wouldn’t be the incredible program that it is without each and every one of you.  It’s hard to believe that LYS 2011 is already halfway over- keep smiling, cheering, and rockin’ our groups!

To Staff: Thank you for the amazing memories that we have made together over these past 5 years. We will never forget the adventures, the late night conversations, the crazy skits, and the uniqueness of every single one of you.  We love you all and will never forget this incredible 5th year!

To John Gernon, Callie, and Michael: You guys are doing an amazing job as program directors this year. Thank you for believing in us for 5 years. We would not be where we are today without each of you. You keep us on our toes and always keep us laughing. We are forever grateful for your strength, advice, and love.

Last night was so much fun eating some Cajun food and cuttin’ the rug to the tunes of DJ Buffy.  I GOT THAT FEELING that tonight is going to be an even better night because tonight is CAUCUS!  Keep up that energy and come up with some creative cheers because tonight’s going to be loads of fun.  Good luck Tories and Whiggies!

Thanks again for everything. It’s been an unbelievable 5 years.

LYS love and ours,

Janeé, Alexis, Mitchell, Peter, Duane, and Parker

The LYS motto “No Man is an Island” definitely rang true tonight!  Watching the 5 Years tell us about their experiences through LYS and how much the program means to them was truly amazing. They encouraged us to take advantage of our short time here because of how special and unique a place LYS is. It’s a place where you can always be yourself and always be accepted for who you truly are. The 5 Years stressed how important it is to take what we learn at LYS and bring it back to our schools and communities.  If you give it a chance, LYS can become your family. We are all there for each other because, as the motto says, no man is an island.

We hope you enjoy these pictures and that tonight’s ceremony encouraged you to commit yourself to something in your community or school!

Onto a lighter subject… after celebrating the 5 Years with some dancing we also announced Groups of the Day! These outstanding groups won for great roll call cheers, awesome traveling, detailed costumes, and extraordinary spirit. They are…

3^rd Place: Speedometers

2^nd Place: Roll Cages

TUESDAY GROUP OF THE DAY: Racing Helmets

“You are the best!  Better than the rest!!”

“Hey Hey what do ya say?  Let’s take the flag away!!”

And as usual, our home groups are in their group rooms creating awesome costumes and catchy roll call cheers.  Then we’ll call it a night! See you bright and early in the morning!